Vulika's Stuffed Cabbage

On the community dining tables you’ll find bowls of sour cream and hearty, seeded dark rye bread with butter. Although the event is BYOB, there will be coffee and tea available. Also featured will be the Hungarian pastry people travel miles for, as well as Esther’s own family stuffed cabbage recipe. Here it is, just the way her grandmother made it.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CABBAGE

• 2 heads green cabbage

• ¼ cup white vinegar

• 4 ounces butter, sliced thinly

• 3 cups soup stock of choice (chicken or vegetable usually)

• 1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce

MEAT AND RICE FILLING

• 1 cup white rice

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 pound ground pork, ham, or daisy roll

• ½ pound lean ground beef or veal

• Salt and pepper to taste

TOMATO CREAM SAUCE (makes 3 cups)

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 tablespoon fresh flat parsley chopped fine

• 4 tablespoons butter

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• ½ teaspoon pepper

• 1 28-ounce can tomato sauce

• 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

• ½ cup sour cream or heavy cream

• Onion powder, crushed caraway seed, paprika to season

FOR THE POT (stovetop method)

• 2 tablespoons lard, bacon grease, butter, or oil

• Flat spare rib bones, extra cabbage leaves

• Flat dish to weigh down stuffed cabbages (submerge into liquid)

• Extra scraps of chopped cabbage, meat, onion, parsley from preparations

*Optional additions: 1 jar or bag of drained sauerkraut, 1 cup chopped smoked pork bits for a meatier sauce *Instead of Tomato Cream Sauce you can use simply 1 quart of plain tomato juice to cover and cook cabbages

This recipe is traditionally served with an extra spoon of tomato-based sauce and small dollop of sour cream and chopped parsley.

How to Make It

TO PREPARE THE CABBAGE

Remove cabbage cores with a long thin knife. Place cabbages into a large pot of salted water, making sure they are fully submerged. Add vinegar. Boil cabbage about 30 minutes or until leaves fall freely from heads with a simple poke of a fork. Remove cabbage and allow it to cool. Carefully peel off each leaf one by one. Set aside and allow leaves to dry.

An alternate method is to use tongs to carefully remove leaves one by one from boiling pot as they pull away from the cabbage head. Only about 15 leaves per head of cabbage are usable for perfect cabbage rolls. The remainder you will have to slice or piece together to make rolls. Imperfect leaves may fall apart while cooking or removing from pan.

CREATING THE CABBAGE ROLLS

Heat oven or electric roasting pan to 350 degrees. Flip cabbage leaves so the stems face up. Shave some of the thickness of the stems from the cabbage leaves with a small paring knife so they are easier to roll. Stack two leaves together, one on top of the other, so that the stems align. Add spoonful of filling and gently roll. Once a shape is formed, push on both sides. Line a deep roasting pan with excess cabbage leaves and place rolls side by side. Once the dish is full, place butter slices and spoonfuls of tomato sauce in between rolls. Pour stock of choice over rolls until submerged. Cover rolls with more leaves or aluminum foil. Bake 40 minutes or until boiling. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake 1 hour. Serve with tomato cream sauce (see recipe), if desired.

If cooking on stovetop, line bottom of pot with 2 tablespoons of lard or small amount of oil, flat rib bones, and extra cabbage leaves to prevent bottom cabbages from burning. Simmer rolls on stovetop for 2 hours on medium-high heat. Do not hard boil or cabbage leaves may fall apart or burn on bottom.

TO MAKE THE PORK AND RICE FILLING

Cook rice and allow it to cool. Fry onion in butter and add pork. Cook until pork is slightly browned. Allow mixture to cool and season with salt and pepper.

TO MAKE THE TOMATO CREAM SAUCE

Fry onion in 1 tablespoon butter in small saucepan over medium heat until tender. In a separate large pot, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat and add flour. Cook about 20 minutes. Add onion, salt, sugar, and pepper, mixing constantly. Gradually add tomato sauce and chicken stock and bring sauce to a boil. Once boiling, add sour cream. Season further with paprika, onion powder, salt and pepper, if desired.

Vegetarian Option

BUCKWHEAT KASHA FILLING

• 2 cups unroasted buckwheat kasha

• 1 large egg

• 7 tablespoons butter, melted

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 medium potato, grated

• 1 carrot or parsnip, grated

• 1 tablespoon minced parsley

• ½ minced green pepper

• ½ teaspoon crushed caraway seeds (optional)

• Salt, pepper, onion powder, and paprika to taste

Cook in 1 quart tomato juice such as Sacramento.