Golumpki – A Polish Favorite
For me one of my favorite things about food is its history. Of course I love to cook, feed others, eat and try new things. But I am equally interested in the origins or stories behind food. Sometimes the dish represents a broad culture or region of the world. Sometimes recipes represent a smaller view of culture…say a special dish that is particular to just a single family. What I have learned is that there is almost always a story behind a special recipe.
Alan and I at our stations, each with a special task to get the cabbage leaves stuffed and rolled.
Tonight our good friends, Cord and Kathy Harper came to the house to teach us how to prepare a traditional Polish dish, Golumpki. Kathy chose this dish as a tribute to her ancestral roots. Her mother and father came to the US as children. Her mother is Ukrainian and German, while her father is Polish. Both of her parents families immigrated to the US after surviving the Holocaust, having lived in the Bloodlands of Easter Europe. Kathy will continue her quest to learn even more about her heritage through research and additional visits to Eastern Europe in the year ahead.
Kathy explains that these delicious cabbage rolls are basically peasant food. While the recipe we made included beef and pork, the dish can also be made without any expensive protein. Just seasoned rice, fresh tomatoes and cabbage would work.
The filling consists of sauteed onions, garlic, rice, beef, pork and plenty of seasoning.
Kathy has fond memories of her grandmother making them for the family. Since this is a fairly labor intensive recipe, it’s the perfect time to gather a few loved ones to help put the dish together. So this evening that’s what we did by having our guys help with steaming the cabbage leaves, trimming them and filling and rolling them up. This recipe makes a large amount. Perfect for freezing in smaller portions for a future dinner.
Kathy removes the core from a head of cabbage and then plunges it into boiling water, which loosens the leaves one by one.
Kathy’s husband patiently peeling off cabbage leaves as they became tender.
Alan carefully removes the thick part of the center rib on each cabbage leaf. Making them easier to roll.
Kathy fills that last few cabbage rolls, placing them in a large roasting pan.
Topped with seasoned, crushed tomatoes…ready to cover pan with foil and bake until very tender.
It’s amazing how much fun spending a few hours together in the kitchen can be. What’s the saying, Many hands make light work? We enjoyed our time even more as we sipped a special bottle of 2009 Jules Desjourneys Moulin a Vent. Although it’s a lovely red wine from the Beaujolais region of France, it paired nicely with this hearty, soulful dish.
Our generous friends shared their delicious wine with us.
Cheers to our dear friends and Kathy’s Polish heritage. Na zdrowie!
Golumpki - Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 very large head of green cabbage
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 large yellow onion, small dice
- 4 large heads garlic, minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 pound lean ground pork
- 2 cups cooked, Aborio Rice
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian herb blend
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes, San Marzano
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large stockpot, bring water to boil.
- Core out head of cabbage and plunge into boiling water.
- Continue to boil cabbage and carefully remove outer leaves when they become pliable. Remove them to a colander to drain. Continue the process until all cabbage leaves are removed.
- Set aside partially cooked cabbage leaves so they can drain and cool.
- Using a paring knife, carefully remove a portion of the large center rib of the cabbage leaves. Be careful not to cut through the leaf entirely. This makes rolling them easier.
- In medium skillet, heat butter over medium high heat. Add onion and cook through until slightly browned. About 8 minutes.
- Add minced garlic to onions. Stir through and turn off the heat.
- In a very large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, rice, sauteed onion & garlic, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Can use your hands or sturdy wooden spoon.
- Line a large roasting pan with the largest cabbage leaves. Sprinkle with salt.
- FILLING THE CABBAGE ROLLS: Take about 1/4 cup of meat/rice filling. Place it in the lower third of the cabbage leaf. Roll cabbage up and over filling. Then roll sides towards the center. Then roll all the way up until you have used all of the cabbage leaf.
- Place individual cabbage roll seam side down into the roasting pan. Continue until all cabbage leaves are used. Feel free to tuck in any additional cabbage leftovers around the pan. Lightly sprinkle with kosher salt.
- In medium size bowl, pour can of tomatoes and break up with fingers or spoon into smaller pieces. Add dried Italian herbs, salt and pepper. Stir until combined.
- Spoon tomato sauce over the top of the cabbage rolls.
- Cover roasting pan with heavy duty foil. Bake at 375 for 1 to 1.5 hours.
- Remove pan from oven. Take off foil. Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Then top with dollops of sour cream and serve.
Notes
- With so much filling, you may need to use 2 heads of cabbage or one very large head.
- Be sure to drain the cooked cabbage leaves very well so that they don't add too much additional water to the finished dish.
- Experiment with a variety of herbs and spices in the filling.
- Some people like to sprinkle hot sauce on top of the cabbage rolls at the table.
