Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Cabbage rolls originated in eastern Europe as one of the common and popular peasant cuisines. Originally, cabbage rolls were made with left over food as a stuffing. But, later, various versions of this dish emerged in different regions. Now, stuffed cabbage rolls are available in different varieties in different parts of the world. There are various recipes, that have imbibed the regional tastes. Regional variations of cabbage rolls include 'golubtsy' in Russia, 'chou farci' in France, 'sarmale' in Romania, 'holubky' in Czech Republic, 'kåldolmar' in Sweden, 'gołąbki' in Poland, 'lahana dolması' in Turkey, etc.

What is a Stuffed Cabbage Roll

These rolls can be defined as a dish made of cooked or pickled cabbage leaves wrapped around a filling. Fillings can be of various types, as per individual choice and regional variations. Traditionally, meat seasoned with spices, garlic, onion, etc., are used as filling. It can be any type of meat, like, pork, lamb, etc. Even grains, like, rice and barley are used in the fillings used in some regions. It may also contain, eggs, mushrooms, vegetables, cheese, etc. Stuffed cabbage rolls require large cabbage leaves, which are either boiled or pickled. Small cabbage pieces can also be used in the stuffing or in preparing the sauce for the dish. The filling is wrapped in cabbage leaves and the whole thing is cooked by baking, steaming or frying. It is served warm with sauce, jam and yogurt.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Ground Beef

This is one of the easy recipes, that can be prepared with ground beef. As per this recipe, you can prepare eight cabbage rolls and it takes around one hour for the preparation and cooking.

Ingredients

• Lean ground beef - 1 pound
• Cabbage leaves (large) - 8
• Uncooked white rice - ⅓ cup
• Water - 2/3 cup
• Chopped onion - ¼ cup
• Egg - 1
• Condensed tomato soup - 1 can (11 ounce)
• Salt - 1 teaspoon
• Black pepper powder - ¼ teaspoon

How to Prepare

Take a large, wide saucepan and boil water in it with a little bit of salt. Add cabbage leaves and cook for around five minutes or till the leaves get soft. Remove from heat and drain. In another saucepan, add 2/3 cup water and bring it to boil. Once the water boils, add rice and stir. Reduce the heat and cook the rice with the lid on, for around twenty minutes. The next step is to mix the ingredients, like, ground beef, one cup of cooked rice, chopped onions, slightly beaten egg, salt, pepper and two tablespoons of tomato sauce. Combine these ingredients thoroughly and divide in equal parts, as per the number of cabbage leaves. Now, roll the cabbage leaves with the fillings inside and secure them with strings or toothpicks. Take a skillet and place it over medium heat. Place the cabbage rolls in the skillet and pour the remaining condensed tomato soup over the rolls. Now, cover the skillet and cook for around 40 minutes on low heat. Your stuffed cabbage rolls are ready to serve.

You may experiment with different types of fillings and come up with different types of cabbage rolls. You may also resort to other types of cooking, like, steaming, frying, baking, etc.