Recipe for Golubtsi - cabbage rolls
Golubtsi or cabbage rolls is one of the foods cooked by the wise girl in the story of Baba Yaga's Son found in a chapter in my novel The COOKBOOK.
This dish is found all over Eastern Europe as well as the Balkans and West Asia, each region preparing it in a different way. After cabbage leaves are stuffed with meats and other ingredients, the roll can be baked, simmered or steamed. It is usually accompanied with a sweet or sour sauce such as a jam or sour cream. In my recipe below it is done with sour cream.
As per my other recipes, this is a simple yet delicious version. Other recipes of golubtsi can have many more ingredients. So, give it a try:
This dish is found all over Eastern Europe as well as the Balkans and West Asia, each region preparing it in a different way. After cabbage leaves are stuffed with meats and other ingredients, the roll can be baked, simmered or steamed. It is usually accompanied with a sweet or sour sauce such as a jam or sour cream. In my recipe below it is done with sour cream.
As per my other recipes, this is a simple yet delicious version. Other recipes of golubtsi can have many more ingredients. So, give it a try:
8 pitted prunes
1 tablespoon of raising
1 large white cabbage
450 grams or 1/2 pound of ground beef
455 grams or 1/2 pound of ground pork
2 cups cooked rice
1 chopped onion
2 cloves chopped garlic
3 tablespoons of butter
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons of butter
2 cups of sour cream
2 tablespoons of flour
3 tablespoons of chopped dill
1 tablespoon of raising
1 large white cabbage
450 grams or 1/2 pound of ground beef
455 grams or 1/2 pound of ground pork
2 cups cooked rice
1 chopped onion
2 cloves chopped garlic
3 tablespoons of butter
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons of butter
2 cups of sour cream
2 tablespoons of flour
3 tablespoons of chopped dill
Now, here's how to prepare it. With this recipe we will simmer it on the stove, but you can just as easily put it in a pan in the oven and cook it on a low heat. You want the cabbage leaves to be light brown like in the photo above, but not black! Yet, it has to take its time so that the rice and meats are fully cooked.
1. Soak the prunes and raisins in warm water for 35 minutes. 2. Separate the cabbage leaves and blanch them in a warm water. Drain and set aside. 3. Mix the ground beef and ground pork with the rice, chopped onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. 4. Place 3 or 4 tablespoons of the mixture on each cabbage leaf, leaving enough leaf to wrap into a roll. Once rolled, tie with kitchen string. The string may not be necessary if you can get good tight rolls, but it is recommended. 5. Fry each of the cabbage rolls on all sides in the butter. 6. Place the rolls in a flameproof dish and remove the strings. 7. Beat together 1 cup of the sour cream and then flour and then hand mix in the raisins and prunes. 8. Bring mix to a quick light boil, stirring to keep from burning. Once it starts to boil pour it over the rolls in the pan. 9. Cover and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes. 10. Mix the remaining 1 cup of sour cream with the dill and serve with the cooked cabbage rolls. |