In the Czech Republic, stuffed cabbage is not as common as stuffed peppers. Stuffed cabbage, known as holubky or golubky (pigeon), are a specialty in Ukraine, Russia, Poland, and south-European countries.
I just got this recipe from my aunt Jana. She told me that my great-aunt Marie, who has Austrian and Hungarian ancestors, prepares holubky with sauerkraut and kielbasa. I followed her advice and they turned out delicious.
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef and pork
1/2 c. rice, cooked
1 head white cabbage
1/2 lb kielbasa, cut in thick slices (I prefer one from a Polish store)
1 package (17.5 oz) of sauerkraut
I can tomato paste (or ketchup)
Oil
Salt
Pepper
Sugar
2 Bay leaves
Thyme
Hot pepper
Sour cream (optional)
Directions:
- In a medium-size pot, bring water to boil. Carefully take off the leaves of the cabbage head and cook them for about 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can boil the whole cabbage and turn it once so it cooks evenly. Take the leaves out, let them cool and drain, and cut off the hard stem.
- Mix the ground meat with cooked rice. Season with salt and pepper. I add a chopped hot pepper for a bit of spiciness.
- Take a leave and spread it out on a cutting board. Make a ball out of the meat mixture and wrap it in the leave. Keep tucking in the ends as you are rolling it up.
- Pour a little oil in the bottom of a pot. Drain liquid from the package of sauerkraut. Put all the sauerkraut in the pot. Place the cabbage rolls on top of sauerkraut side by side. Top with kielbasa.
- Dilute the tomato paste with the cabbage cooking liquid. I happened to have sour cream in the fridge so I added a heaping spoon of it as well. Pour over the dish and add as much cabbage broth as needed to cover the cabbage rolls half way. Because tomato paste is not seasoned like ketchup I added a bit of sugar, thyme and two bay leaves.
- Cook slowly for 30-40 minutes. Serve with bread.
