Grandma’s Golabki!

First, prepare a cup of uncooked long grain white rice according to package directions.

Then fill a pot (one that is large enough to submerge your head of cabbage) with water (salt water if desired) and allow water to come to an active boil.

Meanwhile, prep the cabbage by removing as much of the core as you can (safely!). The purpose is to make the peeling of the leaves easier later. I usually cut in with a very sharp knife in a hexagon pattern and dig out at least the protruding portion of the core, if not just a bit deeper.

While you’re waiting for your water to boil (inevitably, it will seem like forever til you sit down to do something else), mince your whole onion. Some people prefer larger chunks but I prefer it to blend more with the meat.

When the water boils, carefully lower the cabbage into the water and allow it to soften. If you have lost any leaves, also throw them into the water. It will more than likely take about 20 minutes for the outer leaves to soften enough to start removing.

While waiting on the cabbage to soften, prepare the meat mixture, much like you would with a meatloaf.
Take the pork and beef and mix them evenly together. Add the onions, and season the meat with some salt and pepper (some people use paprika as well as other spices, but we prefer simple) and then add the rice.

Crack an egg into the meat mixture and again to fully incorporate it.

Check on your cabbage. Find the loose edge of a leaf and *gently* tug it. The leaf is done if it can be peeled back with a fork with almost no resistance whatsoever. Peel leaves in installments. The first leaves will be bigger but also more delicate, so be careful! Set leaves aside in a dish or bowl when they are done.

Now you can start to roll the golabki. It seems self explanatory but it’s a little bit trickier than it looks.
Take a leaf from your stack, lay it on a flat surface, like a cutting board, with the thick ridge in the center of the leaf facing the right. Take a paring knife and cut a triangle shape in the leaf to remove the hardest part of the ridge. This makes rolling the golabki easier, and creates a fun little PacMan shape. This will be a good point of reference in the next step, and a fun thing to point out to your kids!

Take your pacman shaped cabbage leaf and face the “mouth end” to your right. Load the leaf with a good spoonful plus of the meat mixture (we eyeball based on the size of the leaf).

Grab the leaf from the “pacman” end and fold it in towards the center. Do the same with the other side, holding on to the folds while you gather the leaf from top to bottom, folding the other way. This should create a neat rectangular package with no open ends. Roll as tightly as possible, but be gentle so as not to tear the tender leaf. Neatly seal them shut with toothpicks. Set on a platter as you complete them.

(We keep the cabbage boiling through the process and try to get as many leaves as possible to use up the meat mixture. It depends on the cabbage how well you’ll do there. Large cabbage heads are actually much harder to roll golabki from, so opt for 2 small heads over one gigantic one. )

(At this point I’d just like to say… It’s OK if they aren’t all gorgeous, and you can creatively wrap ones with tears or holes, so don’t stress and have fun!)

Once you are done rolling the golabki (pronounced, weirdly, go-whoomp-kee), heat up your favorite skillet to medium and break out your stick of butter. Slice a good sized pat of butter off , about a Tablespoon or 2 at a time. When the skillet has warmed some, load as many rolls as you can fit into the skillet, and just slightly brown them, turning to get all sides.

Have a large pot standing by to place the recently browned golabki in. If you’ve encountered leaves that were too small/torn/tender to use, layer a few of them on the bottom of the pan. When removing the golabki from the skillet to the pot, place them with the toothpicked side facing up. As you continue to fry the rest of the golabki , add pats of butter fairly frequently. The butter will brown some by the end of your batch, but that’s ok.

When you are done, do not wash the skillet! Instead, add just a bit of water to loosen up the butter, and bring it to a foamy boil, which should only take a second or two. Pour the butter water over the top of your golabkis in the pot.

Add your crushed tomatoes. We like to use at least one can, and sometimes a can of tomato sauce as well. Next, and importantly, break out your ketchup. It’s the dirty little secret to this recipe that makes hers the best. Use about 3/4 cup of ketchup and GENEROUSLY cover the golabki. Put the ketchup right over the top of the tomatoes you just poured into your pot. Add about 3/4 cup of water, again pouring directly on top. There should be a good inch or so of liquid in the pot if you peer in on the sides.

Cover the golabki/sauce combo with any additional cabbage leaves, and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Let it boil for about 5 minutes and then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot with a nicely fitting lid. Steam and time make this work.

The key here is patience. As a friend of mine with the initials AB always says, your patience will be rewarded.
The key is for this to simmer for a LONG, long time.
We do it for a minimum of 2 hours. This gives the cabbage time to steam and stew in the tomatoes, and for the flavors to really mix.

Serve this with kielbasa and mashed potatoes, maybe some good rye bread on the side, and you will have a feast.

*Note* Some people alter the tomato sauce to be sweet or sour. I like this “plain” recipe. You can add more ketchup for a bit more seasoned flavor or add more tomatoes as you see fit, just taste and adjust. When you reheat these, Grandma says to put a little ketchup right on top, even if you don’t like ketchup. Really gives it a nice kick. Enjoy!