Cabbage rolls
A favourite from Ukraine
Cabbage grows well in Ukraine and is used in many ways. It is used in making cabbage rolls, sauerkraut, borscht and fried cabbage with onion and bacon to name a few. Cabbage freezes well and the leaves can be frozen, thawed and used when you want to make cabbage rolls later.
Long before rice was used as the filling, different regions of Ukraine used different fillings. For example, in the Carpathian region - the mountain region of Ukraine - corn grits were/are used, as the soil there is suitable to grow corn. The grits were boiled, with fried onion and pork cracklings added. In the Poltava region, in the central Ukraine, buckwheat is used, as the soil is favorable to grow grains there and the filling include fried onions and bacon. It wasn't until the 1920’s that rice was then used in the filling. Some households add ground beef to the filling as well. Fillings for cabbage rolls vary but the one made of rice or buckwheat tends to be most popular.
With the changing of the seasons, the cabbage rolls change too. In the spring, beet leaves, lettuce and spinach are used instead of cabbage and in the fall, cabbage or grape leaves are used. Both Copenhagen and Flathead cabbage are good varieties to use, as the shape of the leaves are easy to work with. Other types are Savoy or Napa cabbage as they are a softer leaf and easy to work with.
Cabbage rolls may be cooked with or without a liquid and it depends entirely on the filling used. Some liquid is needed when cooking the cabbage rolls. A partially cooked cereal filling absorbs more liquid than a cooked one. A ready cooked filling will require little to no liquid. An example of some of the liquids that can be used are water, soup stock, mushroom sauce, tomato juice or tomato soup. The choice of the juice depends entirely on personal preference or ingredients on hand. A little lemon juice adds a bit of tart flavor but also helps soften the leaves as the cabbage rolls are being cooked. In Ukraine, it is a regional custom to use certain juices. Many Ukrainian Canadians use canned tomato soup for the liquid or tomato juice. Again, personal preference or family tradition comes into play here.
Many villages in Ukraine have cabbage roll making bees when a large quantity is needed either for a wedding or other gatherings. It is a time to sing Ukrainian songs together, visit, catch up on the news/gossip or reminisce about old times. If someone was ill or falling on hard times, you could be sure that they would receive some cabbage rolls so they would have something to eat. Churches will have cabbage roll making sessions to sell as a source of income to support the Parish. That happens in many churches here as well and often the demand outweighs the supply!
Making cabbage rolls can be time consuming but it is one of those dishes where the effort is worth it. You can make a batch of cabbage rolls, freeze them and cook them when you need.
Here is the recipe that we use in our family:
Rice filling:
2 cups uncooked long grain rice. I use Uncle Ben’s brand but you can use any rice of your choice.
4 cups water
2 pounds fried bacon, fat drained off
1 ½ cups caramelized onions fried in butter, add more if you like to your taste
½ teaspoon salt, or to your taste
½ teaspoon black pepper or to your taste
Place your rice in a large casserole dish or bowl. Fill the container you use with about ¾ cool water. Stir the rice, then drain the water, being careful not to spill out any of your rice. Continue to rinse the rice until the water is almost clear. This will wash away a large portion of your starch, avoiding a sticky rice when it is cooked. If you prefer a sticky rice, omit this step.
Cook the 2 cups of rice in the 4 cups of water until the grains are soft using either the stove top or the microwave. Once the rice is cooked, add the bacon, onions, salt and pepper. Mix well. At this point you can add more onions, salt and pepper to your taste. Cover and set aside. You can substitute buckwheat for rice as well. Follow the directions on the package and add the same ingredients as the rice filling but using buckwheat instead. Some prefer to just add the fried onions and omit the bacon.
Tomato Sauce
2 cans tomato soup
2 ½ cans of water (I use the empty soup cans to measure my water)
1 tablespoon brown sugar (leave this out if you don't want a sweet sauce)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
The following is the standard way of preparing cabbage rolls with filling. Some liquid is needed for this specific recipe using a rice filling.
To prepare the cabbage leaves, there are 2 methods you can use. You can either freeze the head of cabbage or blanch it.
To freeze the cabbage, remove any outer leaves that have blemishes or blackened spots on them. Place the whole head in a plastic bag in the freezer overnight. In the morning, remove the cabbage from the bag, place it in a clean sink or large pan and remove the center core. Carefully remove the individual leaves. Rinse each leaf and remove the center thick vein with a paring knife without cutting through the leaf. Drain the leaves well. This is the method I prefer!
To blanch the leaves, prepare a deep pot with boiling hot water. Remove the outside leaves of the cabbage that have black spot or that have blemishes on them. Remove the center core. Place the cabbage into the boiling water with the cut-out core facing down into the water, reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook the cabbage for about 10-15 minutes. Drain the water and using tongs, remove the head of cabbage from the water. Once the leaves are cooled, separate each leaf and cut the thick vein away from the center of the cabbage leaf. This makes rolling your cabbage rolls much easier.
Prepare your pan by placing a few large leaves on the bottom of the pan to prevent any of the cabbage rolls from sticking.
Here is how you roll your cabbage rolls:
1. Depending on how large your leaves are, cut the leaves in half making sure they aren’t too narrow to ensure you have enough leaf to tuck in the sides.
2. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of your filling onto the middle of your leaf.
3. Take the top of your leaf that is closest to you and fold it over your filling, pulling back slightly to tighten up the filling a bit.
4. Fold over either your left or right side of your leaf, then the other side.
5. Roll the cabbage roll over to the end of the remaining leaf.
6. Place your cabbage rolls neatly into your prepared pan, making 2 layers.
7. Once your pan is filled, slowly pour the sauce you want over the cabbage rolls, just enough so that the sauce shows between the rolls.
8. Cover the holubtsi tightly either with a lid or tin foil and bake them at 325 degrees for about 1 ½-2 hours or until the cabbage is tender when a fork is inserted into the roll. Serve hot with sour cream if you like.
9. Lastly, SMACHNOHO! Which, in Ukrainian means “Have a tasty meal” or “Enjoy your meal”!