Holubtsi (Ukrainian Cabbage Rolls)

My mom used to make them but called them golumpki (which apparently is a Polish word for the same thing)

I used to go to shabbat dinner at my friend's house all the time. I don't think I ever had stuffed cabbage with beef there. I used to make cabbage rolls with beef but I can't eat beef anymore. This is the first time I tried with pork.

Many of these recipes come from Ukrainian immigrants in North America. The size of the cabbage rolls also vary from region to region.

My mother has a similar recipe to this that was passed down from my great grandmother, that she got from her Ukrainian neighbors in Saskatchewan in the 1920s.

I had a coworker who was second generation Ukrainian-Canadian who has almost the exact same recipe.

These types of cabbage rolls are hard to find because nobody wants to poach them in tomato juice for 6 hours, and the result is tough chewy cabbage. Can't buy them, can't find them in any restaurant.

The Polish side of my family called these halupki. Basically the same, but I think they used ground beef and there was sauerkraut in the sauce.

Thanks! I haven't had any for years because I can't eat beef. I had always wondered if they could be made with pork but never tried it. I was at a farmers market where a Ukrainian refugee family was selling homemade Ukrainian food and the wind was blowing toward me. I told her I was going to eat one even if it hurt me and she told me they were pork. That sealed it.

I do not. We have a chamber vacuum sealer for our farm. I bought 1,000 of those 5x7 bags for making up spice packs. I included a scoop of reduced tomato juice in each one to keep them moist when they are reheated. Authors chamber vacuum dealers you can seal liquid which is really helpful. I can't eat a lot so one is normally enough. My wife hates them so I make them when she is away and freeze them. I can get away with reheating one or two but the house smells like a giant farted in here when I'm making them.

The only thing spicy in Ukraine is horseradish

Not spicy but with herbs. My 14yo son scarfed down two, cabbage and all.

Spicy, as in, chiles? Hot paprika? I’ve had versions that had a fair bit of kraut and caraway, bay leaf, in there but not heat.

Make them! They are delicious.

It's a pretty standard recipe.

You'll need a big lasagna pan.

Core a Savoy cabbage or two and remove the outer leaves. Cut the stem out of the outer leaves and use what's left to line the bottom of the pan.

You'll need one or two pots to boil the cabbag(es). I scrunch up a big piece of aluminum foil and put it in the bottom of the pot so the bottom of the cabbage doesn't burn. Add water just to the bottom of the cabbage and put the pot(s) over medium heat and cover. Steam the cabbages until the outer leaves are translucent and tender then take them off the heat and put them on a plate.

In a bowl mix 3 lb lean ground pork, 2 cups converted rice, 2 little cans of tomato paste, 3 teaspoons salt, a finely diced onion, a couple of tablespoons each of basil and oregano, a teaspoon of garlic powder, and a teaspoon of black pepper. Mix with your hands until well blended.

Turn your oven on to 350.

Take small handfuls of the filling and form them into small turds. Place the turd on the center of the thin end of the leaf, half roll them then bring in the leaf from both sides and finish rolling. Once you have an overlap cut what's left off the leaf and put it in the pan lined with leaves. Fill the pan in one or two layers until all of the filling is used up. Full the pan with tomato juice until the rolls are covered. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and put it in the oven. Leave it in the oven for an hour then check on them. Use a thermometer to probe several rolls and make sure they are all over 160 degrees. When they're all up to temperature check one to see how the rice is coming. When the rice is cooked they are finished and ready to eat.

Sorry, it's an old family recipe. The measurements are loose. I just throw a palm full of basil and oregano into the mix. I'm estimating actual measures.