124 replies to this topic

[qrn]

I assume that "sour cabbage" is sour Kraut that has not been sliced beforehand.
sauerkraut is very easy to make.
Salt ,water and a cool place to cure it for a couple weeks...Much better than any store bought stuff...
Bud

[Shelby]

Oh my goodness you all inspired me!! I stayed home from work yesterday and made cabbage rolls!!!!

I stole from all of your recipes and added a little of my own...

I used venison and mixed it with rice, onion, garlic, egg and spices. For the sauce I cracked open a jar of my home canned tomatoes. I roughly chopped them up and put them with onion, garlic and some butter. I brought it to a simmer and let it thicken up a bit. Then I added a splash of vinegar and a little red wine.

My husband declared it a keeper!!!

Thank you to everyone!

[Della]

I don't think I like cabbage rolls but this thread is inspiring me for some reason. Maybe because it is all cold and gray these days - It just sounds "homey". But then again I thought I didn't like cauliflower but then I read 14 pages of the Roasted Cauliflower thread and now I'm an addict!

So - I'll be making some today to cook for dinner tomorrow night. I'm going to use the Molly Stevens recipe. It says it serves 6 - 8 so we'll have lots left over (as there are just 2 of us). I want to make the recipe as is before halving it so........

I have a question about freezing them.
Do you freeze AFTER cooking? Or BEFORE cooking?

Thanks!

[Anna N]

.
. . .
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I have a question about freezing them.
Do you freeze AFTER cooking? Or BEFORE cooking?

Thanks!

I froze mine after cooking and just the other day re-heated a single serving and it was still very good.

[Pam R]

I go with freezing after cooking as well.

[christine007]

I freeze after cooking in ziplock bags and it's perfect.

[Bridgestone]

Swedish-style stuffed cabbage rolls (aka "Kåldomer")

Thought I'd add a slightly different approach to most of the cabbage rolls I've seen here so far.

Ingredients:



About 1/3 cup short-grained rice, 1 1/2 pounds gound beef/pork mix (70/30), one cup water, about 1 1/2 cups whole milk, two onions, an egg, a knob of butter, a few tablespoons of golden syrup (light corn syrup would work fine), about 1 1/2 cups stock (veal here), one head of winter cabbage.

Start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil and dumping the cored head of cabbage in. You want to boil it enough until the outer leaves loosen. Peel them off and wait for the next layer. Drain the leaves well.







Meanwhile, get your rice started. Bring your water to a boil, add rice, cover and reduce heat to a simmer.



Add the milk after the water has been absorbed (ca 10 minutes).



Let simmer gently for another 15 minutes or so. You want a rice pudding-like consistency.



As the rice is finishing, melt the butter in a pan and add the finely diced onion. Leave the heat on medium as you only want to soften the onions.





Put the cooked rice, onion, ground meats, egg, salt and peppar (to taste) in a bowl...



... and mix



(Go ahead and fry up a taste of this mixture to check for seasoning - you don't want to go through all of this trouble only to end up with bland kåldomer!)

Next, stuff your leaves.







Brown the rolls in butter. I like to wait for a heavy-ish brown as I feel it improves the flavor.





Place in a deep skillet that will fit all of the rolls and add the syrup and the stock (looks like I added a few tsps of caraway seeds, too). Simmer slightly covered for 30-45 minutes.





When the rolls are finished, remove them from the skillet and place in a serving dish. Reduce the cooking liquids and adjust seasonings (the sauce should be slightly sweet). Add a little cream if you've got some on hand. Pour the finished sauce over the rolls and serve.







Served here with a green salad and boiled potatoes. Teamed with a cold, tall glass of lager, cabbage has never been so lucky!

[Domestic Goddess]

Wow! That looks so scrumptious. Thank you Bridgestone. I will try to make these some day.

[Shelby]

WOW that looks awesome

[ChefCrash]

This is the recipe I outlined on the first page of this thread.

[Domestic Goddess]

ChefCrash - I just wanna reach in and grab one of those rolls and some garlic cloves. Yum!

[maurdel]

Has anyone ever tried a vegie version?

JEL mentioned a Polish version that included (along with meat) some wild mushrooms and barley.
I was thinking of starting with those as subs for meat.

Any other suggestions for a vegetarian filling?

If it doesn't sound like a good idea, I may try it with turkey meat instead.
Pam R. did you try the chicken version yet? I would love to know how that comes out?

[helenjp]

They work with tofu, I have some pix of a tofu/chicken version I made last week, which I will upload, but you could also make them with tofu only.

[Mikeb19]

Has anyone ever tried a vegie version?

JEL mentioned a Polish version that included (along with meat) some wild mushrooms and barley.
I was thinking of starting with those as subs for meat.

Any other suggestions for a vegetarian filling?

If it doesn't sound like a good idea, I may try it with turkey meat instead.
Pam R. did you try the chicken version yet? I would love to know how that comes out?

Vegetarian Holubsti (cabbage rolls) are traditional for Ukrainians on Sviata Vechera (Holy Supper aka. Christmas Eve feast...)... Filling usually consists of rice, buckwheat or millet with mushrooms.

[maurdel]

They work with tofu, I have some pix of a tofu/chicken version I made last week, which I will upload, but you could also make them with tofu only.

Thanks helenjp, did you like the chicken in there?

Mikeb19, it's good to know that going vegie is a real dish. I have some buckwheat I did not know what to do with it. It's a funny looking grain, but seems like it would make a good meat substitute.
I'll look for some recipes online like that.

[Pam R]

I made a batch of chicken ones last week. I liked them a lot -- they were lighter than the beef ones (obviously?). I'll try to get the pictures up tonight.

[maurdel]

I made a batch of chicken ones last week. I liked them a lot -- they were lighter than the beef ones (obviously?).  I'll try to get the pictures up tonight.

thanks Pam R, did you need to add any extra fat? if so what did you use?
I'm thinking I could just add olive oil to the filling, and the bottom of the pot.

[Jaymes]

I have some buckwheat I did not know what to do with it.

It's a story for another thread, but many, many folks think buckwheat pancakes are the best. We always have buckwheat in our house.

[maurdel]

Yes Jaymes,
I do buckwheat pancakes. yumyum!
I meant to say that I also have some of the whole grains that I did not know what to do with. I'm assuming that in the cabbage filling the buckwheat would be added in whole grain form.

I haven't checked any recipes yet though.

[dockhl]

I've used ground turkey (just fine) and finely chopped cauliflower for the rice (low carb). Not bad !

[Mikeb19]

Mikeb19, it's good to know that going vegie is a real dish. I have some buckwheat I did not know what to do with it. It's a funny looking grain, but seems like it would make a good meat substitute.
I'll look for some recipes online like that.

I never really use a 'real' recipe, although I've got tons.

Heres a recipe for you out of one of my Ukrainian cookbooks - this one is specifically for Sviata Vechera:

-2 cups buckwheat (or rice, or even millet) cooked according to directions, then cooled
- 1 head of cabbage (can be fresh or sour cabbage, or even beet leaves/swiss chard)
- 2-3 medium onions
- 1/4 pound butter (or a vegetable oil, amount can be reduced if you want)
- 1 cup mushrooms (can use just about any kind, or many kinds)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 16 ounces canned tomatoes
- tomato juice/stock/water as needed

Cook your grain, then cool. Core your cabbage, put the head in a pot with boiling water, and cook, peeling off each outer layer as they cook (as was demonstrated upthread). Sauté your onions and mushrooms in butter (or oil), then add to your grain, and gently mix. Season with salt and pepper. Stuff the grain/mushroom filling into the cabbage leaves (not too tight), and arrange neatly in your dish. Crush your tomatoes, add some tomato juice as needed, cover everything with a few large leaves of cabbage, then cover your casserole dish, and bake at 325 for 2 hours.

A few variations - I like to add a little hot sauce to my tomatoes, personal taste, but I like a spicier sauce. My grandmother would also cook the cabbage rolls overnight in a 225-250 degree F oven (I do the same, but most recipes call for higher temps/less time). You can serve them strait out of the casserole with the tomato sauce, or you can also serve them with mushroom gravy (which is also traditional).

And just to note - in my family (and most Ukrainian recipes I've seen) cabbage rolls were always about the grain filling, if meat was added it was only a bit to add flavour to the grains. Buckwheat, millet, and rice are all traditional fillings, my personal favourites are buckwheat or millet (rice is a bit boring IMO). Also, once the cabbage rolls are done, the grains are quite soft - softer than the way Italians or French cook them (I've personally never understood their affinity for cooking pasta and rice al dente anyway...).

Edit - forgot to add, Buckwheat is one of the best sources of non-animal protein known to man, and has tons of great vitamins and whatnot - it's a great, incredibly healthy grain.

Edited by Mikeb19, 07 November 2007 - 10:54 PM.

[maurdel]

Heres a recipe for you out of one of my Ukrainian cookbooks - this one is specifically for Sviata Vechera:

-2 cups buckwheat (or rice, or even millet) cooked according to directions, then cooled
- 1 head of cabbage (can be fresh or sour cabbage, or even beet leaves/swiss chard)
- 2-3 medium onions
- 1/4 pound butter (or a vegetable oil, amount can be reduced if you want)
- 1 cup mushrooms (can use just about any kind, or many kinds)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 16 ounces canned tomatoes
- tomato juice/stock/water as needed

Cook your grain, then cool.  Core your cabbage, put the head in a pot with boiling water, and ...

Edit - forgot to add, Buckwheat is one of the best sources of non-animal protein known to man, and has tons of great vitamins and whatnot - it's a great, incredibly healthy grain.

Thanks. The recipe looks good. I will probably use it tomorrow, though I was thinking of mixing rice and buckwheat.

I wasn't sure how one would use buckwheat (precooked or not). I looked a bit online today and most of the Ukrainian recipes that used it directed us to first toast the groats, and then some also precooked it in liquid and some did not.

My mother's version (which was not Ukrainian), did use lamb and rice and neither was precooked. But I remember the rolls stacked up in a big pot with quite a bit of liquid around, and it cooked on top of the stove for a long time. I may try the buckwheat uncooked (though toasted) and use the cooking method as mom did.

[maurdel]

I finally, finally made them. I must say they came out pretty great. I made a vegetarian version using rice and barley and mushrooms. I wanted to try the buckwheat as MikeB19 suggested, but tasted my buckwheat (which is a whole untoasted grain) and I was not sure what to do with it. Some recipes I looked at that used buckwheat asked for groats, which I believe means it's cracked grain. I had the whole grain. Maybe next time. As tasty as this came out there will be a next time, and it will probably be soon.

A couple of pics: one of the pot pre-cooking, and a plate of rolls.

There are a few rolled in napa leaves because I had a bit of extra stuffing.





I definitely need some rolling lessons. They were tastier than they look:



thanks for all the suggestions

[Pam R]

My chicken rolls that I forgot to post . .

I made them in the slow cooker - excellent. Put them together in the morning, set the timer for 8 hours and they were on 'warm' when I got home.

Similar to the last batch, but chicken instead of beef, napa instead of . . er. . regular green cabbage, and sliced button mushrooms instead of shortribs. As I said in an earlier post, these were lighter than the last batch. Very good.

Sad photos, but tasty rolls.

[Jensen]

These are old photos but it just occurred to me that these are a sort of "cabbage roll":



And inside the cabbage:



To make them, I lined custard cups with lightly-steamed savoy cabbage, then filled with minced chicken breast meat mixed with chopped water chestnuts and seasoned with white pepper and sesame oil. The cups were then steamed until done.

Asian cabbage rolls?

[monavano]

Finally, I'm getting around to adding my stuffed cabbage! I've been making golabki for many years now and feel like I've found my groove. This batch was very good with melt in your mouth cabbage and tender meat. My mom loved it too!



For recipe, see here.

Edited by monavano, 20 November 2007 - 08:26 AM.

[MelissaH]

Back when this cook-off was more current, I made a batch of cabbage rolls (stuffed with meat and rice, and cooked in tomato sauce on top of the stove). We ate some, and the leftovers I froze individually on a cookie sheet, then vacuum-sealed in single-serving packets. Since then, the sealed packets have been reposing in the chest freezer. Tonight, we're going to need a quick dinner, so we're going to pull a couple of packets out.

What's going to be the best way to reheat these? (Microwave? Boil in the bag?) I'm unable to plan on a specific dinner time tonight, as it all will depend on how organized my husband's students are in lab this afternoon!

Thanks,
MelissaH

[monavano]

Back when this cook-off was more current, I made a batch of cabbage rolls (stuffed with meat and rice, and cooked in tomato sauce on top of the stove). We ate some, and the leftovers I froze individually on a cookie sheet, then vacuum-sealed in single-serving packets. Since then, the sealed packets have been reposing in the chest freezer. Tonight, we're going to need a quick dinner, so we're going to pull a couple of packets out.

What's going to be the best way to reheat these? (Microwave? Boil in the bag?) I'm unable to plan on a specific dinner time tonight, as it all will depend on how organized my husband's students are in lab this afternoon!

Thanks,
MelissaH

Are the bags microwave safe or able to be heated to a boil? If not, I'd prepare them like most things i vacuum seal-thaw in cool water and then place in a 350 degree oven to heat through-maybe 25 minutes.
I wish I had some in my freezer. It's time for another batch!!

[MelissaH]

Are the bags microwave safe or able to be heated to a boil? If not, I'd prepare them like most things i vacuum seal-thaw in cool water and then place in a 350 degree oven to heat through-maybe 25 minutes.
I wish I had some in my freezer. It's time for another batch!!

The bags (standard FoodSaver brand) are both microwave-safe and boilable. I'm looking for quick and easy. Minimal cleanup is a plus tonight!

MelissaH

[monavano]

Are the bags microwave safe or able to be heated to a boil? If not, I'd prepare them like most things i vacuum seal-thaw in cool water and then place in a 350 degree oven to heat through-maybe 25 minutes.
I wish I had some in my freezer. It's time for another batch!!

The bags (standard FoodSaver brand) are both microwave-safe and boilable. I'm looking for quick and easy. Minimal cleanup is a plus tonight!

MelissaH

I'd give boiling them a try (I have the same brand, but haven't cooked in them yet). I wonder if you should still thaw them in cool water first....it wouldn't take long. I'm just not sure...anyone?