Today I'm going to share a traditional recipe with you, that is pretty popular in Europe and not only. If you're interested in the history of cabbage rolls or stuffed cabbage, you can check here. It has a great variety, each region has its own and I suppose each household has its own as well. This is mine, this is what I've learnt from my mom and I'm keeping the recipe as it's suitable for the family's taste.
Speaking of recipe, this has no recipe, I mean there are no exact quantities here, you just know how much you want and that's all. I was planning to post this recipe after Christmas, but then I thought if I post it now, maybe it can be an idea for someone to use for the holidays. We usually have stuffed cabbage for almost every major occasion, like Easter and Christmas. It's an easy recipe and you only need a few ingredients.
The pickled cabbage is the most important among the ingredients because if you don't buy the right one, you can ruin the whole dish. I like this flat one because the leaves are thin and can be cooked faster.
First you need to take off the leaves and cut that strong vein down, if there's any, to make the leaves more flexible.
Heat the oil in a pan, sauté the onion and add the crushed garlic towards the end.
Then add the rice and let it soak up the oil.
Mix the minced meat with red paprika, then add the rice and mix well.
Place a few cabbage leaves on the bottom of the pot, then place the smoked meat on it.
Take the leaves one by one, add as much meat as can fit in, fold up the edges, then roll them up.
This is how the rolls should look like.
Place them in the pot, over the meat and then add some more cabbage.
Sometimes the cabbage is bigger than it is needed and then usually I slice the rest and place it on he top.
Add water to cover and cook till the cabbage is tender. Unfortunately I can't give you a cooking time because that depends on what kind of cabbage you are using. During summer I am often using raw cabbage, not pickled and that needs less cooking time. Raw cabbage is not sour at all, therefore I'm often adding tomato juice or tomato paste, to make it a bit sour.
Serve with sour cream, while still hot.
As I mentioned at the beginning of my post, this is a well known dish in Europe and not only. You can make vegan rolls as well, replacing the meat with whatever you see fit.
Now I'm curious to see who knows this dish.
And also, cabbage rolls anyone? 😁
If you're a newbie, you may want to check out these guides:
