recipe by Anna “cookie” Kurdziel Tralee culinary gangster
also a blogger chef and writer check out annas blog http://www.anulaskitchen.com/
Golabki is a dish that’s very popular in Poland. They are great with mashed potatoes and thick, velvety tomato sauce. You can use raw meat, like myself, but I know that many Polish families will use cooked meat – from making a broth etc., hence making golabki very budget friendly dinner. You can serve them on its own – as you have all “ingredients” of a fully balanced dinner already there: meat, rice and veg 😉 Personally I think that simple, plain tomato sauce gives it another dimension, and its acidity goes really well with delicate cabbage.
Ingredients:
– 1 big savoy cabbage
– 500 g minced pork (or 250 g minced beef + 250 g minced pork)
– 1 big white onion, finely diced
– 1 whole egg
– 1 cup boiled rice
– salt, pepper to taste
Method:
Put the whole cabbage into a big pot and cover with boiling water (but do not boil the cabbage!) and leave for few minutes. You want the leaves to soften and make it easy to work with them.
Mix the minced pork and beef (if using) with rice, egg, onion, salt, pepper and mix well together (I found it some time ago that it’s best to use your hands for that job).
Separate the leaves from the ‘head’ of the cabbage, trying not to tear them, and place them on a bog plate. Take a bit of the meat mixture (depending on the size of the leaf, it’s best to use a spoon for that) place the meat on the bottom end of the leaf and fold to form a little parcel.
Continue until you run out of the meat mixture and the cabbage leaves. You will be left with some small leaves, that won’t be good for making golabki, so just fry them quickly in a little but of butter – everything gets used here!
Take a big, tall pot and arrange a layer of those small fried leaves at the very bottom – this will prevent golabki from sticking to the pot. Layer your rolled golabki, making sure you put them in very tight. Pour water over the cabbage rolls to cover them completely, not over, but just so they’re all immersed in it. Cook golabki over a medium heat for minimum 1 hour – meat has to be cooked right through and cabbage leaves soft.
Tip: If you’re not sure about the meat mixture being seasoned properly, take a little pan and fry tiny burger and try before even forming golabki (1 tablespoon amount of the meat will be more than enough). That way you’ll know straight away if you need to add salt or pepper, or maybe you’ll want more onion in yours. It’s really a good idea and saves your golabki from turning out bland.
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