STUFFED CABBAGE
Gołąbki
[pronounced
Go-Wump-Kee]
There are lots of nicknames for this dish; pigs in the blanket, cabbage rolls, and piggies, but gołąbki is the Polish name for this traditional favorite of the Poles. Many of the Slavik countries have their names and versions. Although the direct heritage of cabbage rolls cannot be certain, its lineage can be traced back to Jewish cooking some 2,000 years ago. Recipes vary among Jewish communities depending on region; Romanians and northern Poles prefer a savory sauce, while Jews from Galicia and Ukraine favor sweet-and-sour.
Every Polish household tweaks its recipe just a little. The variety comes in the way the meat is prepared, the type of tomato sauce that is used, and the different types of seasoning applied.
For my meat stuffing, I use a blend of ground pork and beef. The pork will keep the meat from drying out. I also like to put bacon crumbles into the meat mix. Finely chopped onions and rice are central to any good gołąbki. The meat and rice mixture is wrapped in a freshly boiled cabbage leaf.
I chop up any leftover cabbage and mix it with sauerkraut and onions and make a bed of that on the bottom of my large roaster, and finally add a bit of my prepared tomato sauce, which I protect on a strict ‘need to know’ basis,’ top secret. With the sauce bed in place, I layer cabbage rolls, and top each layer is topped off with the kraut and cabbage mix and more tomato sauce with a touch of another secret spice.
And the common denominator with all my dishes???… You got it, slooow cooking. At least a few hours. Lower heat, longer time, is the key to exceptional flavor!!! Good things cannot be hurried.
each dish contains 3 rolls for $12
three dishes with 9 rolls for $30
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