That time of year again
- Thread starter Ozzy111
- Start date
Damn!!! Those look awesome!!!
Octavius Brine
Well-Known Member
Looks great! Is your oven set at 100 Celsius?
Ozzy111
Well-Known Member
Just the clock showing the wrong time
Lol
Old Cut LongPointer
Well-Known Member
Aaaaaaaaaah yes ! Holopchi/Holubsti = Cabbage rolls !!! The "Soul Food" of the Slavs ? My Mom learned from my Ukrainian Grandmother how to make them and I learned from her how to make them. Did you use bacon or salt pork rendered down with onions as your base ? We made both meat and plain cabbage rolls but everyone went crazy for the plain ones... go figure ? I started playing with the plain recipe and added chopped up bits of sundried tomatoes or little bits of mushrooms or kielbasa with great reviews and the meat ones (beef/pork mix with a bit of rice) got spiced up a bit also with a touch of chili powder or smoked paprika and cumin.
Don't forget the sour cream. LoL !
Slava Ukraini !
Don't forget the sour cream. LoL !
Slava Ukraini !
Octavius Brine
Well-Known Member
@Old Cut LongPointer I grew up Polish on all sides, and I never saw people eat them with sour cream 
And then I learned it as an adult and can't go back!
My grandmother's "vegetarian" ones are legendary. They undoubtedly had SOME meat or broth but as she puts it "they can't even tell". And she makes mushroom gravy to serve with them (and whatever else is on your plate).
The more I read old recipes and compare, I realize it is more like a general formula... It was food from times of scarcity and doing the best you could with whatever you had. And these days, we have so much- we can make infinite variations.
The only spin I have on the sauce is putting sugar and lemon juice in it so it is a bit sweet and sour. My mom's sauce tastes more like Prego pasta sauce. But we can see Ozzy's real secret ingredient in the photo: that hip and joint powder
And then I learned it as an adult and can't go back! My grandmother's "vegetarian" ones are legendary. They undoubtedly had SOME meat or broth but as she puts it "they can't even tell". And she makes mushroom gravy to serve with them (and whatever else is on your plate).
The more I read old recipes and compare, I realize it is more like a general formula... It was food from times of scarcity and doing the best you could with whatever you had. And these days, we have so much- we can make infinite variations.
The only spin I have on the sauce is putting sugar and lemon juice in it so it is a bit sweet and sour. My mom's sauce tastes more like Prego pasta sauce. But we can see Ozzy's real secret ingredient in the photo: that hip and joint powder
Old Cut LongPointer
Well-Known Member
LMAO ! I was kinda wondering about the Hip/Joint powder ? Mmmmmm everyone has a secret ingredient ? The kibble or what looks like Duck Tenders would be interesting too ! At least for humans, as feeding cabbage rolls to a dog is a big no-no unless you need to fumigate the house ?
Sour cream is great for the digestive system as is cabbage. Every region has it own style, some plain ,some spicy. I just use tomatoe juice to cover them with a dash of salt and pepper as I want the flavour inside to cook out. I do line the bottom with cabbage leaves and cover the top the same and then low and slow in the oven until the house is full of that delicious aroma . That could take 4-6 hours depending on oven and Temps set at but they usually tell you by the browning of the cabbage on top and/or a meat thermometer. A side dish of perogies fried with bacon and onion never hurts either.
Cabbage rolls are great but a lot of work, so my brother and I took an old cabbage casserole recipe and made it our own, more like a cabbage roll lasagna but instead of pasta we use cabbage and layer it (the rice and/or meat with cabbage in between) into a Dutch Oven with a splash of tomatoe juice then into the oven. It can be cooked at a higher temp for less time and comes out like a smashed up cabbage roll but tastes just like one.
Best part of making cabbage rolls is using up the leftover cabbage by making Kapusta soupka ! I brown up some pork ribbits in the oven to use in my recipe as it's cheap ! My secret ingredient is a whole bottle of Zywiec or Tyskie beer thrown in and don't forget the Bay leaf ! I find if a soup or stew is lacking it was because a good beer wasn't sacrificed or ample Bay leaf wasn't put in .
Sour cream is great for the digestive system as is cabbage. Every region has it own style, some plain ,some spicy. I just use tomatoe juice to cover them with a dash of salt and pepper as I want the flavour inside to cook out. I do line the bottom with cabbage leaves and cover the top the same and then low and slow in the oven until the house is full of that delicious aroma . That could take 4-6 hours depending on oven and Temps set at but they usually tell you by the browning of the cabbage on top and/or a meat thermometer. A side dish of perogies fried with bacon and onion never hurts either.
Cabbage rolls are great but a lot of work, so my brother and I took an old cabbage casserole recipe and made it our own, more like a cabbage roll lasagna but instead of pasta we use cabbage and layer it (the rice and/or meat with cabbage in between) into a Dutch Oven with a splash of tomatoe juice then into the oven. It can be cooked at a higher temp for less time and comes out like a smashed up cabbage roll but tastes just like one.
Best part of making cabbage rolls is using up the leftover cabbage by making Kapusta soupka ! I brown up some pork ribbits in the oven to use in my recipe as it's cheap ! My secret ingredient is a whole bottle of Zywiec or Tyskie beer thrown in and don't forget the Bay leaf ! I find if a soup or stew is lacking it was because a good beer wasn't sacrificed or ample Bay leaf wasn't put in .
Ozzy111
Well-Known Member
The way I make them is the way I was taught .Other than I spice them up a little more.with some smoke paprika and cayenne .I use just butter and garlic to sauté onions. Never heard of having sour cream with them.
I still have one head left and might try a veggie version with buck wheat and rice together as a filling.Maybe go with a mushroom sauce instead of tomato.
Ozzy111
Well-Known Member
Yup the secret ingredient to my cabbage rolls is out.lmao@Old Cut LongPointer I grew up Polish on all sides, and I never saw people eat them with sour cream
My grandmother's "vegetarian" ones are legendary. They undoubtedly had SOME meat or broth but as she puts it "they can't even tell". And she makes mushroom gravy to serve with them (and whatever else is on your plate).
The more I read old recipes and compare, I realize it is more like a general formula... It was food from times of scarcity and doing the best you could with whatever you had. And these days, we have so much- we can make infinite variations.
The only spin I have on the sauce is putting sugar and lemon juice in it so it is a bit sweet and sour. My mom's sauce tastes more like Prego pasta sauce. But we can see Ozzy's real secret ingredient in the photo: that hip and joint powder
Ozzy111
Well-Known Member
The cabbage put on top is my favourite part as it's the inner leaves that are too small and they get that carmelation with the sauce
Old Cut LongPointer
Well-Known Member
Mmmmmmmmmmm Butter ? Never thought of that, melts way easier then little bits of salt pork, both will clog your arteries but there is the taste difference ?
Ozzy111
Well-Known Member
Butter is a neutral fat for flavour. You'll taste the garlic and onions more than the butter
Old Cut LongPointer
Well-Known Member
Will have to try your recipe someday ? If you (or anyone else ?) needs salt pork I usually order mine through Townsend Butchers as I buy the whole slab of pure white pork belly and then cut it down into smaller recipe size pieces and freeze them, plus when it's hard it's easier to cut the rind off it and chop into little bits.