Slovak Stuffed Cabbage Recipes

SLOVAK STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a pot of water to a boil.
• Mix beef and pork together. Stir in onion, cooked rice, parsley, salt, pepper, garlic salt and 1/2 can of tomato soup. Mix well.
• Core head of cabbage, place in boiling water and boil until partly cooked. Separate leaves and trim stems. Reserve about 24 to 32 whole leaves. Cut remaining leaves and line the bottom of large roasting pan.
• Lightly pack a small handful of the meat mixture and place in the center of a cabbage leaf. Fold top part of leaf over mixture, then fold in the sides and roll until mixture is completely encased. Lay rolls on top of torn cabbage leaves in pan. Place sauerkraut evenly over rolls. Lay bacon on top of sauerkraut. Sprinkle with 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar. Mix chopped tomatoes and soup with water and pour over rolls. Add additional water to reach top of cabbage rolls.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 1/2 hours or until cooked through.

SLOVAK STUFFED CABBAGE (HOLUBKY OR HALUPKI)

Steps:

• Remove large outer leaves from cabbage and set aside. Remove core from cabbage. Place head in a large pot filled with boiling salted water . Cover and cook three minutes or until softened enough to pull off individual leaves. You will need 18 leaves.
• When leaves are cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to cut away the thick center stem from each leaf, without cutting all the way through.
• Chop the remaining cabbage, still reserving large outer leaves, and place it in the bottom of a large greased casserole dish or Dutch oven.
• Rinse rice and cook it in 1/2 cup water until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool. Meanwhile, sauté chopped onion in butter in a medium skillet until tender and let cool.
• In a large bowl, mix cooked and cooled rice, cooled onions, beef, pork, salt and pepper to taste, egg, garlic, paprika, reserved sauerkraut juices, and 1/3 cup of the tomato sauce; blend ingredients thoroughly. Don't overmix or the meat will become tough.
• Place about 1/2 cup of meat on each cabbage leaf. Roll away from you to encase the meat. Flip the right side of the leaf to the middle, then flip the left side. You will have something that looks like an envelope. Roll the leaf into a small tube.
• Add some tomato sauce in between the layers in the casserole dish or Dutch oven. Place the cabbage rolls on top of the chopped cabbage with sauerkraut and top with all the crushed tomatoes, remaining sauerkraut, tomato sauce, and a few of the reserved whole cabbage leaves.
• Add enough water to cover completely. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low, cover and simmer three to four hours. Watch carefully so stuffed cabbages don't burn.
• Serve with pan juices and a drizzle of sour cream if desired, mashed potatoes , and crusty bread.
• Cabbage rolls freeze well before or after cooking and can be made in a slow cooker (see your manufacturer's instructions).

HOLUBKY (SLOVAK STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS)

Steps:

• Cover cabbage leaves with boiling water, let stand until leaves are limp (2-3 minutes); then drain.
• Fry onions in butter until translucent, then mix with garlic, rice, meat, egg, milk, and seasonings; mix well.
• In a large dutch oven, prepare zapraška (similar to roux) by melting shortening over medium heat.
• Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until it reaches desired brownness (usually light brown or beige).
• Add a tablespoon of water and stir until smooth.
• Be very careful when making zapraška as it is very hot and can cause severe burns if it comes in contact with the skin, also avoid the steam that rises when you add the water.
• Add the tomato sauce, water, and sugar.
• Mix well and bring to a boil; allow to boil for several minutes.
• Place 2-3 tablespoons (depending on size of leaf) of meat mixture in center of each cabbage leaf; tuck in sides and roll to cover meat.
• Place, seam side down in pot with sauce.
• Cook, covered, over low heat for 2-3 hours.

STUFFED CABBAGE WITH SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Make the filling: Put 1 pound each of beef and pork together through the fine blade of a food chopper twice. In a bowl, combine the meat with 1 cup cooked rice, 1 egg lightly beaten, 1 onion and 2 garlic cloves, both minced, and salt and pepper to taste. Remove 12 large outer leaves from a head of cabbage, reserving the remaining cabbage for another use. Dip the leaves briefly in boiling water to soften and spread them out flat on a work surface. Top each leaf with some of the filling and fold the leaves over the filling, tucking in the ends to make neat rolls. Put 2 pounds sauerkraut in a large kettle with light beer or white wine to cover and heat it gently. In a sauce pan melt 3 tablespoons lard, bacon fat or ham fat, blend in 3 tablespoons flour and cook the roux for 1 to 2 minutes. Blend it into the sauerkraut and bring the liquid to a boil, stirring constantly. Arrange the cabbage rolls on top of the sauerkraut and cook them, covered, in a moderate oven (350?F.) for 2 to 3 hours or until the filling is done. Serve the stuffed cabbage and sauerkraut topped with sour cream.;

SLOVAK STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 350F 1. Core cabbage and place whole head in a large pot with salted, boiling water. Cover and cook 3 mins or until soft enough to pull off outer leaves. Remove leaves and return cabbage to pot for another 3 mins until next layer of leaves soften. You'll need approx 18 leaves. 2. When leaves are cool enough to handles, use a paring knife to remove thick center stem from each leaf, cutting all the way through in a "V" shape. 3. Rough chop remianing cabbage and placed in the bottom of a large, greased dutch oven. 4. Rinse rice and cook it in water until water has been absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool. 5. Saute onion in butter until tender and cool. 6. In a large bowl, mix cooled rice, cooled onions, beef, pork, egg, garlic, carraway seeds, salt & pepper to taste, paprika, panko and 1/3 of tomato sauce and blend throughly. Dont overmix as meat will become tough. 7. Place about 1/3 of a cup of mixture in each cabbage leaf and flip the sides to seal. Roll away from you to package. Add to dutch oven, seam side down. 8. Layer with remaining tomato sauce top with crushed tomatos. Add enough beef stock to cover rolls. 9. Cover and bake for 2-2 1/2 hours & serve with sour cream (add juice and zest of 1/2 lemon to sour cream to brighten dish a bit)

HALUPKIS: STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Remove the center core of each head of cabbage. Place in large pot of boiling water. Boil until soft, removing each leaf as it softens. Let leaves cool, then trim the thick rib on each leaf. Reserve 14.5 ounces of the cabbage cooking water.
• Boil rice in a separate saucepot until half cooked. Drain and set aside.
• In a large skillet, saute bacon and discard excess fat. Add the onion to the skillet and cook until lightly browned. Chop the bacon into small pieces and add back to the pan.
• In a bowl combine beef, pork, partially cooked rice, pepper, salt, eggs, cooked onion-bacon mixture, paprika, and celery salt. Measure the mixture with medium sized ice-cream scoop to make each halupki the same size.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• On each separate cabbage leaf, place 1 scoop of the meat mixture at the bottom of the leaf and roll, tightly tucking the sides to cover the mixture. Line the bottom of a roasting pan (not aluminum) with cabbage leaves that are too dark or to small to use for rolling. Place halupkis in roasting pan, making 2 layers.
• Combine tomato soup, broth, chopped tomatoes, and reserved cooking liquid and pour over halupki. Cover and bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Add more liquid, if needed.
• They taste best the next day.

HALUPKI (STUFFED CABBAGE)

Steps:

• Place the cabbage in a stockpot with enough water to cover.
• Add 1/4 teaspoon salt to the water and cabbage.
• Bring water to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn cabbage every 2-3 minutes and remove leaves that separate from cabbage and place in a strainer to cool. Boil until all the leaves have cooked, about 15 minutes.
• Reserve 12 oz. of cabbage water.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Trim thick center vein off of bottom of each cabbage leaf.
• In a large bowl thoroughly mix together, ground beef, ground pork, rice, chopped onion, fresh parsley, egg, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
• Lightly pack a small amount of meat mixture and place in the center of the cabbage leaf.
• Fold sides over the filling and start at the stem and roll the cabbage up until the meat is encased. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling.
• Cut the leftover leaves into pieces and place into the bottom of a roasting pan.
• Layer the stuffed cabbage rolls over the cut leaves.
• In a bowl, mix the tomato sauce, reserved cabbage water, white vinegar, and white sugar.
• Pour the tomato sauce mixture over the cabbage rolls.
• Cover roasting pan with aluminum foil.
• Bake in preheated oven until the ground beef mixture is no longer pink in the center, about 2 1/2 hours. Baste stuffed cabbage rolls every hour.

HUNGARIAN STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Remove core from head of cabbage. Place in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil; boil until outer leaves loosen from head. Lift out cabbage; remove softened leaves. Return to boiling water to soften more leaves. Repeat until all leaves are removed. Remove tough center stalk from each leaf. Set aside 12 large leaves for rolls; set remaining leaves aside., Spoon half of the sauerkraut into a Dutch oven; set aside. In a bowl, combine the beef, pork, rice, salt, pepper and egg. In a saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. In drippings, saute onion and garlic until tender. Add bacon and half of onion mixture to meat mixture; mix well. , Preheat oven to 325°. Place about 3 tablespoons filling on each cabbage leaf. Roll up, tucking in sides. Place rolls, seam side down, on sauerkraut in Dutch oven. Coarsely chop reserved cabbage leaves; place over rolls. To remaining onion mixture, add paprika, cayenne, tomatoes, caraway seeds, water and remaining sauerkraut. Cook until heated through. Pour over rolls. , Cover and bake for 1 hour 45 minutes. In a small bowl, gradually stir flour into sour cream. Stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons hot cooking liquid; mix well. Spoon over cabbage rolls. Bake, uncovered, until sauce is thickened, 15-20 minutes.

HOLUBKY (BASIC SLOVAK STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS)

Steps:

• Cook rice for 5 minutes; then drain.
• Remove core from cabbage and place in a large pot of boiling salted water.
• Boil until large outer leaves get slightly limp and separate from head (10 minutes); then remove and de-vein (save 2 cups cabbage water for sauce).
• Mix together meat, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, partially cooked rice, garlic salt, and pepper.
• Place about 4 tablespoons rice mixture (or according to size of leaf) on each cabbage leaf, fold the ends in over the filling and roll up.
• Stack tightly in a large pot or dutch oven.
• Add water saved from boiling cabbage and pour remaining tomato sauce on top.
• Cover and cook over medium heat for 2 hours (check occasionally to make sure the bottoms aren't scorching; turn heat down if they start to).
• Serve hot.

HALUPKI (SLOVAK STUFFED CABBAGE)

Steps:

• Remove large outer leaves from cabbage and set aside. Remove core from cabbage. Place whole head in a large pot filled with boiling, salted water. Cover and cook 3 minutes, or until softened enough to pull off individual leaves. You will need about 16 -18 leaves. When leaves are cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to cut away the thick center stem from each leaf, without cutting all the way through. Chop the remaining cabbage, still reserving large outer leaves, and place it in the bottom of a large greased casserole dish or Dutch oven. Rinse rice and cook it in 1/2-cup water until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool. Meanwile, saute chopped onion in butter in a medium skillet until tender, and let cool. In a large bowl, mix cooled rice, cooled onions, beef, pork, salt and pepper to taste, egg, garlic, paprika, reserved sauerkraut juices and 1/3 cup of the tomato sauce, and blend thoroughly. Don't overmix or the meat will become tough. Place about 1/2 cup of meat on each cabbage leaf. Roll away from you to encase the meat. Flip the right side of the leaf to the middle, then flip the left side. You will have something that looks like an envelope. Once again, roll away from you to create a neat little roll. Place the cabbage rolls on top of the chopped cabbage with sauerkraut and some tomato sauce in between the layers in the casserole dish or Dutch oven. Top with all the crushed tomatoes, remaining sauerkraut and tomato sauce, and a few of the reserved whole cabbage leaves. Add enough water to cover completely. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low, cover and simmer 3 to 4 hours. Watch carefully so stuffed cabbages don't burn. Serve with pan juices and a drizzle of sour cream, if desired, and mashed potatoes and crusty bread. Cabbage rolls freeze well before or after cooking, and can be made in a slow cooker (see your manufacturer's instructions).