Recipe: Golubki, Polish Comfort Food
The winter is coming to an end here in the Sunshine State (I won’t rub it in that Roberto and I spent the weekend at the beach…), and before it gets too warm in the rest of the world, I thought I’d post about this wintery dish.
A few weekends ago we went to visit my mom. It was cold and gray and so she decided we were going to make stuffed cabbage rolls. This is an old family favorite. My Nana had two best friends as an adult -one was British and the other Liz, was what they called “Slovac”back in the old days. I am not sure if that means she is Polish, Czech, Ukrainian or something in between.
According to my mom, Liz always referred to these cabbage rolls as Halupky. Well, inevitably walking in my Nana’s footsteps, one of my best friends,Β Jen also happens to be Polish and I knew quite a few people of Polish decent when I lived in Western Mass. Jen’s family and most of the polish people I know call cabbage rolls Golubki. So in honor of Jen, that is what I call it.
This is a simple dish to make and a rustic old school kind of thing, so I don’t really have exact measurements or anything. When I make Golubki, I tend to add some tomato paste to the broth because I really like that flavor and a thicker sauce. I also sautee onions and garlic and add that in the layers. When my mom makes it, she doesn’t use tomato paste, so the sauce, it is more of a broth.
If you are not big into meat, fear not, just fill the cabbage rolls with rice and tomatoes and skip the bacon. I used to make it this way when I was a vegetarian.
INGREDIENTS:
1 large head of green cabbage boiled so the leaves are tender
1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1 cup rice, cooked
2 eggs
3 cups water
1 large can of peeled tomatoes in their juices
6 strips of bacon
1 can of sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
salt & pepper to taste
METHOD:
Boil cabbage in a large stock pot until the leaves are tender. Make the rice and cool. Drain and dry the leaves. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl combine rice, ground meat and eggs. Mix together. Add salt and pepper. With your hands make small balls out of the stuffing.
Roll this stuffing up into each cabbage leaf. Stack cabbage rolls in your stock pot or roasting pan. Once you have a layer of cabbage rolls, arrange a thin layer of sauerkraut on top as well as some chunks of bacon and squeeze tomatoes on top. Keep doing this until all your ingredients are used up.
If you have leftover filling, just add the meatballs to the pot. When you finished pour the tomato juice on top as well as the two cups of water (if you are like me, this is where I add some tomato paste to the water before pouring it on top of the cabbage rolls). Put a lid on the pot, or tin foil and cook for about 3 hours or until cabbage is nice and tender. Serve with buttered bread. Servings: A LOT.
Ivy - February 18, 2008 at 11:34 am
Although we have lahanodolmades in Greece, the Polish version sounds very good as well. I was thinking about sauerkraut this morning and I see it in your recipe. This must be a sign for me to make them.
Bellini Valli - February 18, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I LOVE cabbage rolls but could count the number of times I have made them on the fingers of one hand…I have a lot of catching up to do π I often just buy them from a lady at the farmers market who also sells perogies…how can I improve upon perfection π
courtney - February 18, 2008 at 12:12 pm
I need to make these for my baby this week. His German mother makes these too.
Peter - February 18, 2008 at 12:14 pm
I heart cabbage rolls, nice tounch with the bacon for some flavour.
Judy - February 18, 2008 at 12:24 pm
I was thinking about making some of these on Thursday after the Farmer’s Market on Wed!!! You have just made it so easy for me. I don’t have to look for a recipe!
Nina - February 18, 2008 at 12:45 pm
We know cabbage rolls all too well – except in our house it was always filled with minced meat. Lovely.
Suzana - February 18, 2008 at 12:45 pm
I love these cabbage rolls! I usually do a veggie version that’s great too.
kat - February 18, 2008 at 1:19 pm
my mom makes something similar and they are called stuffed cabbage, this version sounds really nice!
Michelle - February 18, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Even though my husband is a full-blooded Italian, he absolutely loves stuffed cabbage. The bad wife I am, I have never made it for him. You have inspired me to do so π
Heather - February 18, 2008 at 2:59 pm
My husband’s mom makes
Heather - February 18, 2008 at 3:01 pm
oops! haha, hit return. π
I was SAYING my husband’s mom makes stuffed peppers that seem very similar to this dish. These look perfect for the last vestiges of winter.
brittany - February 18, 2008 at 3:33 pm
I have never made these before, but since it is still currently FREEZING outside, I am going to have a go at this!
Toni - February 18, 2008 at 3:41 pm
I love stuffed cabbage, and haven’t had it in ages! I think I have to make this one quickly, too, because springtime us upon us here in San Diego.
Pixie - February 18, 2008 at 3:52 pm
I would really love to make this one day, sounds delicious and reminded me of rolling up all those dolmades!
The Leftover Queen - February 18, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Hi Ivy! Yes, it must be a sign for sure! π
Valli, I bet your could make a MEAN stuffed cabbaeg roll! So you should try it out again!
I am sure he will appreciate it, Courtney! It is like giving someone a hug to eat.
Thanks Peter! π I heart them too!
Yay Judy! Enjoy!
Nina! Is minced meat different from ground meat? I love how English is so different depending on where you come from!
Yes, Suzana, you definately can make a delicious veggie version!
Thanks Kat! Yeah – Stuffed Cabbage, Halupky, Golubki, all the same!
Michelle! You gotta make these!
Yes, Heather – this is a total winter thang. I like stuffed peppers too…my grandma used to make those too!
Yes, have a go Brittany! They will warm you up!
Hey Toni! Yes, I know Spring is almost here, isn’t it lovely!
Yeah, Pixie the process is similar to dolmades! So you already know how to do it! π
Peter G - February 18, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Yumm..the Serbs do a similar thing cooking the cabbage rolls, in a very rich ham hock & tomato sauce. I love the simplicity of such warming winter dishes.
kate - February 18, 2008 at 6:21 pm
OOH these cabbage rolls look gorgeous. I have some lovely cabbage gowning in my garden , ready to be cut … ii can see myself making these π
Kevin - February 18, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Those look good! Cabbage rolls are on my to try making list.
Emiline - February 18, 2008 at 10:46 pm
My mom used to make these when I was a kid, and I hated them.
Now they sound really good. I think I might even prefer them vegetarian.
Send us some of your Florida weather! π
Ben - February 18, 2008 at 11:02 pm
That looks delicious and very healthy. I have never had Polish food before. Thanks for this recipe
Cakelaw - February 19, 2008 at 8:56 am
Hi Jenn, I have never heard of these before, but all I can say is – yum!
Jane - February 19, 2008 at 11:21 am
I haven’t had cabbage rolls in years.
I love them so much!
I’ll have to make them sometime soon.
Deborah - February 19, 2008 at 12:46 pm
I have had a recipe for cabbage rolls marked forever that I have never gotten around to trying. Yours sound even better though!
The Leftover Queen - February 19, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Wow, Peter G! That is awesome – sound very similar and just as yummy!
Perfect, Kate! I am sure it will be even better with cabbage from your own garden!
Great Kevin! I hop eyou like it!
Really, you hated them Emiline? Wow, I have always loved them. They are very good veginated.
You are welcome Ben! Polish food is really good and comforting.
Hi Cakelaw! You need to try them for yourself!
I know, Jane, they are an oldie but goodie!
Cool Deborah! I hope they turn out great for you!
Superchef - February 19, 2008 at 6:59 pm
superb easy way to make people ( read husband!!) eat cabbage!! :))
Deb - February 19, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Just catching up from being absent from the blog community for over a week. Had freezing family and friends from the north needing a hit of sunshine. My brother and I were talking about a cabbage dish my mom used to make that I do not have the recipe for as she never wrote it down. I know it was a casserole type dish with tomatoes and cabbage with a bread crumb topping. Your cabbage rolls reminded me of it. It had no meat in it though. Guess I will have to hit the kitchen and start being creative! Your cabbage rolls look yumptious and I find the addition of sauerkraut interesting!
Cris - February 19, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Oh I love this, we have something similar, and we call them “cigars”, funny huh.
Maria - February 20, 2008 at 5:31 am
Hi Jenn!
It was so heartwarming to come to your blog and find cabbage rolls!
I’m of Hungarian descent and I grew up with these..and I also make them. I do it only once or twice annually though..as I make it in bulk at least three family meals worth. My family aren’t THAT into cabbage that they’d need me to make it more than twice a year. I just love the recipe.
In Hungarian we call them “Szarma”.. I was born in Yugoslavia (near the border of Hungary) and in the former Yugoslavia they call them the same.. just spelled differently “Sarma”.
Thank you for popping by my blog! I found your comment quite by accident as I knew I didn’t have 3 comments yesterday on that particular post. For some reason I wasn’t notified of your visit?
Keep cookin’! π
Maria - February 20, 2008 at 5:34 am
p.s. The Hungarian version I grew up with doesn’t have the tomatoes.. but I’ve tried all sorts of cabbage rolls in different households.. even a restaurant.. and I love them all!
Helen - February 20, 2008 at 9:02 am
These look really delicious and I love the idea of the sauerkraut in them – yum!!
nΓΒΊria - February 21, 2008 at 11:17 am
We would have them with bacon for sure!!! They sound yummy and easy… eventhough I’ve seen lots of recipes on cabbage rolls, never cooked them… oh my god, there’s soooooo many things I want to do π
I do have to hurry too with some winter dishes since all is starting to bloom here!!!
Thanks Jenn!
Windy - February 24, 2008 at 11:54 am
This remind me that one of my friend made a cabbage wrap with some vegetable (in Chinese way) and stem it. It tasted really nice. However, it was at least 10 years ago and I was not care much about food… hmm…
Susan - February 25, 2008 at 5:31 pm
I just made these for the first time – my mom & I used my grandmother’s recipe. She always made them with ground pork shoulder. Yum! We have never tried them with sauerkraut on top, sounds interesting.
K - February 26, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Man! Polish food does not get enough street cred, and it truly deserves some, so I’m glad to see that you’re giving it love!
bleeding espresso - March 1, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Mmmm…I have Lithuanian blood, and these are a staple at family gatherings, although the recipe is quite different. I need to make them again soon and blog it π
pat - December 13, 2009 at 5:41 pm
i would like to make these for christmas ahead of time and freeze them. how would i do that?
Ivona - January 12, 2010 at 4:47 pm
I’m Polish (first generation), and grew up on these. Somewhere along the line, Mom started making them with just a can of condensed (undiluted) tomato soup as the sauce.
I don’t make them all that often, mostly because the kids never liked them, but now that they are out of the house, I’ll have to remember to put them back in the rotation!
Richard - July 13, 2011 at 11:17 pm
Too many comments for me to wade through but I feel it is important to set everyone that is not, “in the know”, straight (if it hasn’t already been done).
Golubki is pronounced “ha-lup-key” and not the way some people (Polish-Americans included) slaughter it. Your mother’s friend “Liz”, knew how to pronounce it correctly.
I am going to a Polish church dinner in Ponck Hockie (Kingston) N.Y. this Friday and will pig-out on golubki, kapusta, pierogi and kielbasa; all on one plate.