Golumpki – Stuffed Cabbage Roll

Golumpki (Gołąbki) is a traditional Polish dish made by rolling a rice and hamburger mixture in a cabbage roll that is then cooked in a sweet tomato sauce. It is a process to make but serves well and reheats even better. You can pre-make this dish a day in advance of cooking, which is convenient.

Ingredients

• 1 Cabbage – green, large
• 1 lb Hamburger
• 0.5 lb Ground pork
• 1 Onion – grated, divided
• 7 Large garlic cloves – divided
• 1 cup Rice
• 1 Lemon – 1 tsp zest and juiced
• 1 Large egg – beaten
• 28 oz Crushed tomatoes
• 1 TBL Tomato paste
• 1 TBL Olive oil
• 4 oz Water
• 1 TBL sugar
• 2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 0.5 tsp Black pepper or to taste
• 1 tsp Chopped fresh dill (optional)

Process

1. Mise en Place – measure and prepare your ingredients prior to starting.
2. Boil whole cabbage in salted water, let it cool, separate the leaves, and cut out the hard stem. 
3. Make Filling – precooked version
   • Saute half the onions until translucent with half the salt & pepper, or to taste.
   • In last minute add 4 garlic cloves
   • Cook hamburger and sausage, drain then add onion mix.
   • Cook rice and add to the meat mix with egg and lemon zest
4. Make Filling – uncooked version
   • mix the raw meat with half the S&P, 4 garlic cloves, egg, lemon zest, and cooked rice.
5. Make the Sauce
   • Saute half the onions until translucent with remaining salt and pepper.
   • In last minute of cooking, add the remaining 3 grated garlic cloves, the tomato paste and the sugar. You can optionally add the lemon juice.
   • In a pot add the tomato sauce, water, and onion mix.
   • Bring to boil then remove from heat.
6. Spread some sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. 
7. Stuff and roll the cabbage leaves like you would a burrito and place them in the dish.
8. Cover the cabbage rolls with the remaining sauce.
   • You can store them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hrs (covered). 
9. Bake Golumpki
   • Preheat oven to 350 F
   • Bake the cabbage rolls for ~60 minutes in your covered baking dish.
   • Let the golumpki cool ~10 mins.
10. To serve, place a golumpki or two on a plate and cover with sauce, then top with chopped fresh dill (optional).