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Stuffed Cabbages,"Ironic Style"

The Ironic Chef

New member
This is my all time favorite stuffed cabbage recipe.


Ingredients:
1 head of cabbage that has been cored and boiled just until you can pull the leaves off. I usually remove the leaves as it sits in the water and when I get a leaf off it goes into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking.
5 medium sized potatoes, Peeled and let them sit in the water used to boil the cabbage that has been removed from the heat while everything else is prepped.
2 cups of a good quality sour kraut.
1 quart sized can of V8 juice, spicy V8 juice is really good for this too.
1 16 oz. can of diced tomatoes.

Filling for cabbages-
1 1/2 lbs of ground beef
1/2 cup of long grain white rice not cooked
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and mashed
1 large onion, minced
2 large eggs, mixed
salt and pepper to taste, heavy on the pepper.
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce


Directions:
I boil the whole head of cabbage in a pot of water after removing the core.

Take one cabbage leaf at a time, with a parring knife try to remove as much of the thick part of the center vein in the leaf. This makes for easier rolling.
Mix the filling together. If it looks a little to wet add up to 1/4 cup of bread crumbs to it. You don't want it to dry.
Add about 1/2 cup of the filling to each cabbage roll. Roll the filling in the leaf as you would a burrito or an egg roll. try to keep it compact and don't worry if it's not a beautiful work of art.
As you fill the cabbages place them into a deep pot that has a lid. Pour a bit of the V8 juice into the bottom and then put a single layer of cabbages.
After the first layer of cabbages are in the pot it would be a good time to get those potatoes from the water and slice them to about 1/4" slices. Add a single layer of the potato slices over the layer of cabbages. Put about 1 third of the sour Kraut over the potatoes and then 1/3 of the diced tomatoes. Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper and then start building another layer starting with the cabbages. Keep building the layers with the cabbages first, then the potatoes and then kraut and then the tomatoes until you have used up your cabbages. Pour the V8 juice over the cabbages. Bing the cabbages to a simmer over medium heat and then lower the heat to low and cover. Cook for about 2 hours.
I have done this in a crock pot but it has to go on low for at least 8 hours unless you want to cook your rice first. If you have a roaster pan for your oven that has a lid or want to cover it with tin foil so no moisture escapes works well to. Just keep the temperature to about 350.

This stuffed cabbage dish has become a Christmas dish here. I made it one year and brought it for a Christmas dinner to go with a ham at the in-laws and it has been requested every year since. That is about 18 years now. Wow, time flies.
 
Your recipe sounds so good. I love cabbage rolls so much. I learned a few years ago that you can separate the large, outer leaves. Wash them. Paper towel dry them and place them in the freezer just until frozen. Remove them and they are flexible enough to stuff and roll easily. I tried it and it works beautifully.
 
Good looking recipe Ironic chef and MsMai that's a good tip. Next week I plan to make a recipe I found for "un-stuffed sweet and sour cabbage rolls" Basically all the same flavors deconstructed. I think it's a good alternative for a weeknight when you don't have time to do all that rolling.
 
After giving it some thought, it seems to me that tip

is from a Julia Child show I watched a long, long time ago. She froze the clean outer cabbage leaves, thawed them and then rolled.
 
Sure, here it is. I will use venison for the beef part though since I have a whole freezer of it.

Unstuffed Sweet & Sour cabbage

• 1 (2-pound) head green cabbage, quartered lengthwise and cored
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, divided
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 pound ground beef chuck
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 3 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley


• Accompaniment: steamed rice

Preparation
Place cabbage in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet with broth, 1 garlic clove (sliced), and a rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then cook, covered, turning cabbage occasionally, until very tender, about 45 minutes. (Add more broth or water if necessary.)
Meanwhile, cook onion and remaining garlic in oil in a heavy medium pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and stir in ground meats along with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and breaking up lumps with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes with their juice, cranberries, vinegar, and brown sugar and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally and breaking up tomatoes with spoon, until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt.
Pour sauce into skillet with cabbage and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley.
 
Thanks, for the stuffed cabbages recipe, "Ironic Style" It looks really Good. I really like stuffed cabbage rolls, I didn't have a recipe before. Your recipe sounds Delicious. Thanks Again, Cookie :)
 
Thank you for sharring your recipe Jafo. A Golumpkis is something I have not heard mentioned in a long time.
Have you ever heard of a Runza? A bread pocket that has been baked with a filling of ham, potatoes and sour kraut.
 
Thanks, Jafo for the recipe and helpful hints about cabbage. Your recipe sounds really Good! The Italian sausage I think will give it even more flavor. I'm half Italian, German and Irish, I Love Italian and polish, German food it's so good. Thanks again, Cookie :)
 
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