Holubtsi - Ukrainian stuffed cabbage rolls

Name: Holubtsi - Ukrainian stuffed cabbage rolls
Total time: 3600 s
Yield: 6 - 8 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 1 large head of cabbage; 100 g uncooked white rice, rinsed; 500 g minced pork or beef; 2 tbsp olive oil; 250 g onion (diced); 200 g carrots, grated; 1 tbsp garlic, minced; 1/4 tsp black pepper; 5 g dried parsley; 3 g dried dill; 2 – 3 bay leaves; For the sauce:; 400 g passata or tinned tomatoes with added tomato puree; 90 g sour cream or crème fraiche; 1/4 tsp pepper; 1/2 tsp salt; To serve:; cups dollop of sour cream or lettuce

Laura @FeelBetter

Milton Keynes, England

Cabbage from the family Cruciferae has been cultivated for over 4,000. The Celts brought cabbage to Europe from Asia around 600 BCE.

There are many varieties of cabbage, the most common in England is what we call Spring Greens which grow from January to March and the darkest green from all the nutrients it collects from growing in the colder months. It is the equivalent of other darker leaved cabbages such as cavolo nero (Tuscan kale) in Italy and savoy in France.

As we move into the warmer months, sweetheart cabbage arrives and, although available for half the year, is soon taken over by the white which is used to make an abundance of coleslaw during our brief summer bbq season.

Sweetheart is so called because it is one of the sweetest cabbages but it is also known as pointed due to its cone-like shape. The leaves are similar to those in a savoy cabbage but flatter and more tender and work best in dishes where the cabbage needs to hold its shape.

I don’t ever remember cabbage being exciting or loved; often boiled to death and covered in gravy for flavour or left and transformed into bubble and squeak but travelling I've discovered it's a thing of beauty.

Holubtsi is a stuffed cabbage dish. The word holubtsi comes from the Ukrainian word for pigeon ‘holub’ and it is believed that the dish was originally made with pigeon meat. A flavourful mix of ground pork, onions, carrots and rice are wrapped in cabbage leaves and simmered in a sour cream tomato sauce. #GlobalApron

Cabbage from the family Cruciferae has been cultivated for over 4,000. The Celts brought cabbage to Europe from Asia around 600 BCE.

Laura @FeelBetter

Milton Keynes, England

Cabbage from the family Cruciferae has been cultivated for over 4,000. The Celts brought cabbage to Europe from Asia around 600 BCE.

Saved

Ingredients

60 minutes

6 - 8 servings

1large head of cabbage
100 guncooked white rice, rinsed
500 gminced pork or beef
2 tbspolive oil
250 gonion (diced)
200 gcarrots, grated
1 tbspgarlic, minced
1/4 tspblack pepper
5 gdried parsley
3 gdried dill
2– 3 bay leaves
For the sauce:
400 gpassata or tinned tomatoes with added tomato puree
90 gsour cream or crème fraiche
1/4 tsppepper
1/2 tspsalt
To serve:
cupsdollop of sour cream or lettuce

Saved

Steps

60 minutes

1

Remove any limp leaves from the cabbage, wash and remove the bottom of the core. Place in a pan of a large pan of boiling water and simmer until the outer leaves can easily be pulled away from the cabbage (4 – 5 minutes) and are pliable. Wash the rice and cook for 5 minutes in boiling water until al dente – I used the cabbage water for a bit of extra flavour. Drain and set aside.
2

In a frying pan heat the olive oil and cook the chopped onions and garlic over a low heat for 7-10 minutes until tender. In a large bowl combine the pork, carrot, pepper, salt, parsley and dill. Add in the rice and onions and stir to combine. In a medium bowl whisk together the tomatoes, stock, sour cream, salt and pepper.
3

Preheat your oven to 180 C fan.
Place your head of cabbage on a cutting board, cut off the bottom and pull the leaves away from the stalk. Pat dry. Slice off part of the spine going down the middle of the leaves and use the spines to layer the bottom of a large, heavy-bottomed pot. This layer of leaves will keep the stuffed cabbage from sticking to the pot or burning.
4

Fill the trimmed cabbage leaves with a heaped spoonful of the filling mixture and roll the leaves tightly over the filling tucking in the edges before the last fold.
5

Place the stuffed cabbage seam-side down into the pot. Pour over the sauce and poke in the bay leaves between the rolls. Cover and cook for 50 – 60 minutes. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream. Any leftovers can be eaten cold wrapped in lettuce cups for an extra crunch.