golubtsi

These stuffed cabbage rolls are the best I've tried! Cabbage rolls (golubtsi) are made with simple, inexpensive ingredients but are super delicious (and a freezer friendly meal!) My family loves these with sour cream and soft French bread.

Golubtsi Recipe; A classic Ukrainian food - Голубцы

rice

Medium Cabbages

pork

turkey

eggs

carrots (grated (4

mushroom marinara sauce

white vinegar

Olive oil

Tbsp butter

sour cream

tsp Mrs. Dash (or your favorite salt-free seasoning)

Salt

Rinse 2 cups white rice and cook in 3 1/2 cups water with 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp salt. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Or do the same thing in a rice maker.

Fill 2/3 of large soup pot with water. Bring to a boil. Add 1/2 Tbsp salt and 4 Tbsp vinegar.

Peal and discard the top two leaves from each cabbage. Use a knife to cut out the core of each cabbage (see picture). Put first cabbage in water, cork down, for about 5 minutes, then rotate and continue cooking another 5-6 min. You will pull off leaves as they begin to soften. The leaves will cook faster if they are pulled apart. Remove the leaves to a platter to cool when they are done. You know they are done when they are soft and yellowish and larger leaves will turn a dull green. Repeat with the second cabbage, adding more water if needed. Reserve about 3-4 cups of water from the pot!

How to prep the Rice and Cabbage

Mix ground meats and rice together in a large bowl.

Grate and saute 4 carrots in approximately 3 Tbsp oil and 1 Tbsp butter over med/high heat. Once they are soft, add 1 cup of mushroom marinara sauce and saute another minute.

Add carrot mixture to rice and meat. Add 2 eggs and 1 Tbsp salt. Mix well.

Stuffing/ Meat Mixture Prep

Large leaves: cut the leaves in half down the center removing the tough stem portion- you will end up with 2 leaves. Place 2 Tbsp meat mixture at the top of each leaf (or as much as you can fit - leaf sizes vary). Roll the leaf into a cone shape with the thicker part of the leaf at the base and stuff the wide part into the top. As you stuff your cabbage, arrange them either in the same pot you used to cook the cabbage or in a cast iron dutch oven.

Small Leaves: slice off the raised surface of the tough center stem just to flatten the leaf and make it easier to roll. Fill each cabbage leaf with about 2 Tbsp meat mixture. Place the filling over the stem/ bottom portion. Roll like a burrito and stuff both ends in with fingers.

Cutting &amp; Stuffing Cooked Leaves:

Heat approx. 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Saute remanding 2 grated carrots with 1 tsp of Mrs. Dash. Stir until soft. Add 1 Tbsp sour cream and 1 cup of mushroom marinara sauce. Saute another minute and remove from heat.

Pour Podliva over the Golubtsy and add enough reserved water to almost cover goloobtsi (2 1/2 to 3 cups).

How to make Podliva (Sauce)

If using the pot, bring to a light boil, then cover and simmer 40 minutes over medium heat.

If using a dutch oven (recommended method), cover and bake at 450 ° F for 20-25 minutes on the bottom third (one step below the center rack). When it bubbles, reduce heat to 350°F and bake 1 hour.

There are 2 ways to Cook these:

Vegetarian Ukrainian Cabbage Rolls (Golubtsi)

green cabbage

white rice

fine sea salt, divided

extra virgin olive oil, divided

yellow onion, diced

carrots

cremini mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced

black pepper,

garlic cloves, minced

soy sauce

white beans (cannellini

tomato paste

sugar

Dill and sour cream,

Prep the cabbage

Trim off the root end of the cabbage to make the base more flat. Using a small knife, cut around and down into the core (about a third of the way through the cabbage) to remove the cone-shaped core. You want to cut/scrape the entire core out so you can start to see the cabbage layers inside.

Boil the cabbage

Place the cabbage in a large pot and fill with water. Cover tightly with a lid and bring to a boil. Then keep at a moderate simmer until the leaves soften and appear more translucent, 10 to 12 minutes. Carefully drain the water and transfer the cabbage to a plate to cool.

Cook the rice

Meanwhile, in a small pot, combine the rice with 1 1/2 cups water and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover tightly with a lid and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer until all the water is absorbed, 6 to 8 minutes (do not stir during cooking). Then turn the heat off and let stand covered (still without stirring) for another 10 minutes.

Start the filling

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and mushrooms with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and pasty, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and soy sauce, and cook for 30 more seconds. Turn the heat off.

Finish the filling

Place the beans in a shallow bowl and, using a fork, mash until most of them are smashed. Add to the vegetable mixture, along with the rice (reserve the rice pot) and lots of black pepper. Stir to combine and season with more salt if needed. Set the filling aside to cool.

Make the sauce

Place the pot where you cooked the rice over medium heat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, letting it sizzle for about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, along with 3 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn the heat off.

Form the rolls

When the cabbage is cool enough to handle, gently peel a leaf off and place flat on a work surface. Trim off the thick spine to make the leaf more flat, keeping the rest of the leaf intact. Spoon a generous heap of the filling on the bottom of the leaf. Roll the leaf over the filling, fold the edges over, and roll upward to complete the roll. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Simmer the rolls

The interior cabbage leaves will be too small to roll; use these to line the bottom of a large pot or Dutch oven. Carefully place the rolls on top seam-side down. Pour the tomato sauce over the rolls. The liquid should reach almost to the top; if it doesn’t, add more water to almost cover the rolls. Cover tightly with a lid and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer covered for 45 minutes. Serve garnished with dill, alongside sour cream.

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