Stuffed cabbage, Halupki, Golumpki, gwumpki - depending on what part of Central and Eastern Europe your family hails from, are all very similar stick-to-your-ribs, fill your belly G-O-O-D! Most traditional Polish foods you will encounter today are flavorful, hearty and complex, but they also have a lighter side, too. My Mother's family came here from Czechoslovakia and the Ukraine, and the foods are so traditional, yet scrumptious!
Mom's Recipe card (along with my "little kid" doodling and coffee mug rings!)
Halupki
* 1 lb. Ground Beef
* 1 Cup of Rice, cooked
*1/2 Cup Chopped, cooked onion, minced
* 1 egg
* 1 Lg. can diced tomatoes
* 1 head of cabbage
* Salt & Pepper to taste
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
1) Place whole head of cabbage in a large pot of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes.
2) Remove from water and place in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool to room temperature. (Just recently, I saw an old re-run of Julia Child's show and she placed the whole head of washed cabbage in the freezer instead of boiling it and she said that the cabbage leaves are equally pliable! Who knew? I haven't tried it that way yet!)
3) Saute onion, let cool.
4) In a large bowl, combine ground beef, egg and rice, salt and pepper, onion and mix well.
5) Take a cabbage leaf and pare off the thick end. Form the meat mixture into an oval shape and roll up into the cabbage leaf. Continue until all the meat is used up.
6) Place a few spoonfuls of tomatoes in bottom of baking dish. Lay the stuffed cabbage rolls on top and then spoon some tomatoes on top. Add salt and pepper and cover with foil. Bake for one hour or until hot and bubbly. (My mom used to cook these in her pressure cooker for 25 minutes, but I prefer to bake them.)
I served the Halupki with a bottle of Ravenswood Red Zinfindel and it sure hit the spot with plenty leftovers to freeze for another meal! Pure comfort!!!!
