Josephine Greskos Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipes

JOSEPHINE GRESKO'S STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and add a cabbage. Reduce heat slightly and blanch cabbage, turning a few times, about 5 minutes, until leaves begin loosening and look translucent.
• With cabbage in water, use long-handled fork or tongs to pull off leaves as they loosen.
• Remove what's left of cabbage and repeat with other cabbage.
• Don't discard inner leaves or broken leaves. Reserve water.
• Let cabbage cool.
• In large bowl or tub, put ground beef, onion, celery, rice, eggs, parsley flakes, garlic salt, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
• Mix well with hands, adding 1/4 cup water if mixture feels "tight.".
• With paring knife, trim thick cores from outer sides of cabbage leaves. Coarsely chop smaller leaves and cabbage bits; strew half in bottom of an 18-by-10-by-3-inch heavy-duty foil roasting pan.
• Pour reserved cabbage water over sauerkraut in a colander to rinse more, if you like.
• Drain well.
• Strew half the kraut over cabbage in pan.
• Pour in half the crushed tomatoes and 1 cup tomato juice.
• Season with salt and pepper; mix well.
• For rolls, shape about 1/4 cup meat into a sausage (not too tight) for a large leaf, less for a smaller leaf.
• Put filling on the bottom of the leaf, and fold the bottom over the filling, pressing inches
• Then fold in the sides, pressing and rolling, but not too tight, not worrying if a leaf breaks.
• Filled leaves are placed seam-side down in pan, in even rows, 5 or 6 across, making 25 to 28 rolls.
• Strew remaining chopped cabbage (chop any unused leaves) and sauerkraut over the rolls.
• Top with remaining crushed tomatoes and tomato juice.
• Salt and pepper generously.
• Rinse crushed tomato can with about 1/2 can water.
• Pour water over top; don't worry about mixing it.
• Cover pan tightly with foil.
• Bake in 325-degree oven 1 hour. (Check after 30 minutes to be sure it's bubbling. If not, turn oven to 350 degrees.).
• After 1 hour, reduce temperature to 250 degrees. Bake 1 to 1 1/2 hours longer, until rolls are tender and meat and rice fully cooked (cut open a roll to check).

VALERIE'S STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the cauliflower rice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower rice has started to soften, about 3 minutes. Turn the heat off and let cool to room temperature.
• Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Use a paring knife to remove the core from the cabbage. Place the cabbage in the boiling water. Use a rubber spatula to slide under the outer leaf of cabbage and carefully separate it from the head. Use tongs to remove the cabbage leaf to the lined baking sheet. Continue removing leaves in this manner until you have 12. Turn the heat off and reserve the remainder of the cabbage for another use. Set aside the cabbage leaves to cool slightly.
• Add the ground turkey, cauliflower rice, tomatoes, basil, Italian seasoning, egg, onions and 2 tablespoons parsley to a large bowl. Grate 2 cloves of garlic directly into the bowl and sprinkle the mixture with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Use clean hands to mix the ingredients together until they are well combined. Set aside the mixture.
• Add the tomato purée, onion powder, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup water to a 4-cup measuring cup. Grate the remaining 2 cloves of garlic directly into the measuring cup. Use a fork to whisk the mixture until it is well combined. Pour half of the mixture into the base of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Set aside the baking dish and reserved sauce.
• Place one blanched cabbage leaf on a clean work surface. Use a paring knife to cut a V-shaped notch at the base of the cabbage leaf to remove the thick rib. Spoon 1/3 cup meat mixture in the top third of the cabbage leaf. Roll the top of the cabbage leaf over the meat mixture, then fold the sides in, and continue rolling in a continuous motion to create a roll. Place the roll, seam-side down, in the prepared baking dish. Continue the process with the remaining 11 cabbage leaves.
• Pour the remaining sauce over the cabbage rolls. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and transfer to the oven to bake until the meat is cooked through, 55 minutes to 1 hour.
• Garnish with the remaining tablespoon chopped fresh parsley. Serve with the extra sauce spooned over the cabbage rolls.

TRADITIONAL GREEK STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS (LAHANODOLMADES)

Steps:

• Prepare the rice mixture: Mix together the rice, ground beef, onion, spring onions, carrot, olive oil, parsley, dill, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for half an hour.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and stir in a teaspoon of salt.
• Remove the entire core of the cabbage using a sharp pairing knife. Immerse the cabbage in the boiling water, cored side down. The water should be almost to the top of the cabbage. Continue cooking over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, or, until the leaves can be easily separated (Note: If you use Savoy cabbage the cooking time is much shorter, at just under 5 minutes). Using tongs, carefully remove each leaf from the pot, as soon as they become soft and flexible, and place them on a drainer to cool. Set aside and reserve any hard, torn, or very small leaves to line the bottom of your pot later.
• To assemble the cabbage rolls: place a cabbage leaf on a work surface. Place a tablespoon of the filling (the size of a walnut) near the bottom of the leaf. If necessary, cut into the leaf's stem (in a V shape) to remove the hard and thick spine. This will make them easier to roll. Fold the bottom end up and over the filling, then fold the two side ends of the cabbage leaf towards the center. Roll the leaf up to enclose the mixture, making sure not to roll it too tight because the rice filling will expand while it cooks. For the leaves that are a bit too small, you can overlap two of them to form a larger leaf before filling, or, you can also patch up any tears the leaves might have. For the leaves that are too large, cut them in half along the hard stem.
• To layer the cabbage rolls: line the bottom of the pot with those reserved leaves that were too hard or too small to fill. This will protect the stuffed cabbage rolls from over browning. Arrange the rolls seam side down in the pot. Make sure they are placed snuggly against each other so they do not move during cooking. Repeat with a second layer of rolls. Top with more of the leftover harder cabbage leaves, if you have them.
• To cook: Pour the stock and water over them, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover the top of the stuffed cabbage rolls with an inverted, heatproof, shallow plate or bowl. The plate should be large enough that it covers the rolls, but small enough to not touch the sides of the pot. This will keep the rolls in place while cooking and will ensure that they cook properly. Reduce the heat to a medium-low and simmer for about 45-50 minutes. Check to make sure the rice is tender. Turn off the heat and uncover the pot.
• Make the avgolemono sauce: Whisk the eggs very well until frothy; for best results, use a hand-held mixer. Add the lemon juice and the cornstarch and whisk again. Start "tempering" the eggs by adding a ladle of hot liquid from the pot to the bowl while whisking constantly. Add one more ladle and whisk again until combined. Stir in the egg-lemon broth into the pot, shaking the pan to distribute evenly. Bring to a very gentle simmer over medium-low heat for just a minute or so, making sure it does not come to a boil. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust the broth for seasoning.
• To serve: arrange the rolls on individual serving plates and then top them with the frothy hot sauce (do not drown them). Garnish with lemon slices, fresh dill and some freshly ground pepper.

JOSEPHINE GRESKO'S STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and add a cabbage. Reduce heat slightly and blanch cabbage, turning a few times, about 5 minutes, until leaves begin loosening and look translucent. With cabbage in water, use long-handled fork or tongs to pull off leaves as they loosen. Remove what's left of cabbage and repeat with other cabbage. Don't discard inner leaves or broken leaves. Reserve water. Let cabbage cool. In large bowl or tub, put ground beef, onion, celery, rice, eggs, parsley flakes, garlic salt, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix well with hands, adding 1/4 cup water if mixture feels "tight." With paring knife, trim thick cores from outer sides of cabbage leaves. Coarsely chop smaller leaves and cabbage bits; strew half in bottom of an 18-by-10-by-3-inch heavy-duty foil roasting pan. our reserved cabbage water over sauerkraut in a colander to rinse more, if you like. Drain well. Strew half the kraut over cabbage in pan. Pour in half the crushed tomatoes and 1 cup tomato juice. Season with salt and pepper; mix well. For rolls, Mrs. Gresko shapes about 1/4 cup meat into a sausage (not too tight) for a large leaf, less for a smaller leaf. Then she folds in the sides, pressing and rolling, but not too tight, not worrying if a leaf breaks. Filled leaves are placed seam-side down in pan, in even rows, 5 or 6 across, making 25 to 28 rolls. Strew remaining chopped cabbage (chop any unused leaves) and sauerkraut over the rolls. Top with remaining crushed tomatoes and tomato juice. Salt and pepper generously. Rinse crushed tomato can with about 1/2 can water. Pour water over top; don't worry about mixing it. Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake in 325-degree oven 1 hour. Check after 30 minutes to be sure it's bubbling. If not, turn oven to 350 degrees. After 1 hour, reduce temperature to 250 degrees. Bake 1 to 1 1/2 hours longer, until rolls are tender and meat and rice fully cooked (cut open a roll to check).