Stuffed Cabbage Head Zelna Hlava Plnena Recipes

STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Place cabbage head in freezer and freeze overnight. Remove from freezer, thaw and peel away leaves.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine the beef, egg, onion, rice, salt and pepper. Mix together well. Take a small handful and form into a small roll or ball. Place into the center of a cabbage leaf. Fold the sides of the leaf over and roll the ball up into the leaf. Place seam side down in baking dish. Continue until all of the filling is used up.
• Mix together the soup with a 1/2 can water; pour over stuffed cabbage.
• Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour; baste often with the sauce.

WHOLE STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Whisk egg white in a bowl; stir in kasha to evenly coat. Heat a small saucepan over high; add kasha mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until dry and kernels separate, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low; stir in boiling water and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook until water evaporates and kasha is tender, about 8 minutes.
• With a paring knife, remove core of cabbage. Drop cabbage into a large pot of generously salted boiling water; cook until outer leaves turn bright green and pull easily from head, about 1 minute. Remove outer leaves; transfer to a baking sheet lined with a kitchen towel. Continue boiling cabbage and removing leaves until 12 largest outer leaves are cooked. (Remove remaining cabbage and reserve for another use.) Trim the thick center vein from bottom of each leaf.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium. Add onion; season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl along with cooked kasha; let cool completely. Whisk remaining egg and stir into kasha mixture with carrots, herbs, turkey, and flour. Season with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
• Line an 8‐inch bowl (measured across top) with a double layer of cheesecloth, leaving about 6 inches of overhang. Then line with the 6 prettiest cabbage leaves, overlapping slightly and allowing them to hang over top of bowl. Layer with one‐third of turkey mixture; top with 2 more cabbage leaves. Repeat layering twice with remaining turkey mixture and leaves. Fold in overhanging leaves to cover filling. Gather cheesecloth overhang and lift cabbage up, twisting to tighten into a secure round.
• Place tomatoes and 1 cup water in an ovenproof pot, such as a Dutch oven; bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper; stir in remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Place stuffed cabbage, with twisted part of cheesecloth facing down, in pot. Cover, transfer to oven, and roast, basting occasion‐ ally with tomatoes, until a thermometer inserted in center registers 160 degrees, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool slightly, then remove cheesecloth and slice cabbage into wedges. Serve with pan sauce, sour cream, and herbs.

STUFFED CABBAGE HEAD (ZELNA HLAVA PLNENA)

Steps:

• Remove the stump from the cabbage and discard.
• Scoop out and save the inside of the cabbage, leaving about a 1- 1 1/2 inch shell.
• Chop the cabbage you scraped out of the inside.
• Cook onion and garlic in 2 tbsp butter over medium high heat until onion is wilted.
• Add meat and brown.
• Add chopped cabbage, salt, pepper, parsley, and tomato soup.
• Cook covered about 10 minutes.
• Drain and allow to cool, then add egg and mix together well.
• Fill cabbage with mixture (you will usually have some left over unless you pack very tight) and cover with a cabbage leaf securing with a toothpicks.
• Put broth and remaining butter in a large casserole or large pot, Place cabbage in pot (open side up obviously) and cover.
• Cook in over at 375 for about an hour and 15 minutes.
• Cut into wedges and serve.

NANA'S STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Boil cabbage in water about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and cool.
• In a bowl, mix the ground beef, rice, grated onion, ketchup and egg, and season with salt and pepper.
• In another bowl, combine canned tomatoes, tomato soup, brown sugar and lemon juice.
• Separate cabbage leaves and roll about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the beef mixture into each leaf, tucking in the sides. If you have leftover beef, roll it into tiny meatballs.
• Pour some of the tomato mixture into a deep pot. Crumble a handful of ginger snaps into it, then cover with a layer of rolled cabbage leaves (and tiny meatballs, if you have any), then one layer of sliced onion rings. Repeat until all cabbage rolls are used.
• Cook on low heat, covered, about 2 1/2 hours. When nearly finished, prepare buttered noodles, and serve with stuffed cabbage.

STUFFED WHOLE CABBAGE

Steps:

• Combine sauce ingredients; set aside. Line a medium bowl with cheesecloth, allowing 6 inches to overhang edges of bowl. Place cabbage in bowl with core facing up. Remove core and center of cabbage, leaving a 1-in. shell. Discard core; chop center cabbage leaves. , Heat large skillet over medium heat; add oil. Cook onion and 1 cup chopped cabbage in oil until tender, 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. In a small bowl, combine beef, onion mixture, 1 cup sauce, rice, egg, salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into cabbage shell. Gather cheesecloth around cabbage and twist tightly to securely enclose cabbage leaves and filling. , Place 1 cup water, remaining chopped cabbage and remaining sauce in a Dutch oven; mix well. Carefully add stuffed cabbage, with twisted cheesecloth facing down. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until whole cabbage is tender and a thermometer inserted in the middle of the cabbage reads 165°, 1 to 1-1/4 hours. Remove cabbage and discard cheesecloth. Place cabbage on a serving platter; keep warm. , Combine the cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup water; add to Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil until thickened, about 2 minutes. Cut cabbage into wedges; serve with sauce and Parmesan cheese. If desired, sprinkle with fresh thyme and oregano leaves.

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.

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.

WHOLE STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Prepare tomato sauce: In a 3 quart saucepan combine first 6 ingredients.
• Over high heat, heat to boiling.
• Reduce heat to low, simmer covered for about 20 minutes.
• While sauce is cooking, prepare cabbage.
• Discard any tough outer leaves from cabbage, then carefully remove 2 large leaves and set aside.
• Cut out the stem and center of the cabbage, leaving a 1 inch thick shell.
• Dice the cabbage you removed from the center of the head.
• In a 5 quart Dutch oven, over medium heat, cook ground beef, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and 1 cup diced cabbage until meat is browned and cabbage is tender (about 15 minutes).
• Stir in rice and 1 cup of tomato sauce, remove from heat.
• Fill cabbage shell with meat mixture.
• Cover the opening with reserved cabbage leaves, and tie with clean string.
• In same dutch oven, stir in water, scraping to loosen brown bits.
• Add remaining diced cabbage and tomato sauce to pan.
• Place stuffed cabbage head (stem-end down) in sauce; over high heat, heat to boiling.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer, basting occasionally, until cabbage is tender (about 1 1/2 hours).
• When done, remove from Dutch oven and place cabbage in a deep platter, remove string.
• Spoon sauce over cabbage, slice cabbage head into wedges to serve.