Cabbage and Meat Rolls served in Tomato & Capers Sauce are known in Polish as gołąbki (literally: little
pigeons) and definitely are one of my favorite traditional Polish recipes. Cabbage rolls stuffed with a
meat, rice and 'secret' herbs mixture are simply delicious and very easy to prepare. Full of nutrition and will keep your stomach full for many hours.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 100 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 whole head cabbage - white or green - with large leaves
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 eggs
- 2 Tbsp dried marjoram
- 2 Tbsp dried thyme
- 500 g minced beef meat
- 500 g minced pork meat
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- 4 cloves finely chopped garlic
- 1 l beef or vegetable stock
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- mashed potatoes to serve with
- 500 ml tomato sauce made from fresh tomatoes
- 150 g capers to mix with the sauce
Method:
1. Chop the onion. Add minced garlic cloves. Saute both in butter in large skillet until onion turns gold. Once ready. Leave aside to cool.
2. Beat the eggs. Add marjoram, salt, pepper and thyme. Add the eggs into minced beef mixed with minced pork. Add rice, onion and garlic. Mix well with your hands.
3. Leave aside in a fridge.
4. Core the cabbage and blanche its leaves in boiling salty water. Peel them off as they become limp. Once you separated all the leaves, cut off thick stems to prevent the limp leaf from bending.
5. Put about 2 Tbsp of meat & rice mixture in the center of each leaf and fold the sides of the leaf in a roll shape. Should look like a little envelope package.
6. Move all cabbage rolls into a casserole dish with their seam down. Pour beef stock into a casserole to come about half way up the rolls. Cover the casserole tightly and cook in a preheated oven in 190 C for 60 minutes.
7. Check the level of liquid in the casserole. Pour away all but 1 cup. Pour on the fresh tomato sauce with capers and cook, uncovered, for a further 30-40 minutes, or until the cabbage is tender. You can reduce the heat to 170 C.
8. Served hot with mashed potatoes.
ENJOY!!!
