Cabbage Rolls - Real Hungarian Style |
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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 180 Minutes |
Ready In: 180 Minutes Servings: 4 |
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I've eaten at Tony Packos in Toledo Ohio many times over the years and I can only wish that they'd use this recipe for their cabbage rolls. One year, after Christmas, my boss brought in some of these cabbage rolls leftovers from a family dinner and they were so fantastic that I kept bugging him until his wife very kindly wrote out the recipe for me. He is Hungarian and his wife is Polish so you can see that there is a lot of quality cooking in their genes. Everyone who has eaten these has begged for the recipe and if you make these I promise that you will love them and your friends will offer to detail your car to get the recipe. Ok, maybe that's a bit of hyperbole but these are so good that I've stopped looking for cabbage roll recipes. I freeze the leftovers in Seal-a-Meal bags and they keep for months (2 or 3 months is as long as I've been able to keep them before finishing them off). It's great being able to drop the bags in boiling water and having a meal as good as this in 30 minutes. This recipe is exactly as I got it and it comes out perfectly if you cut it in half, which is usually the way that I do it. (If I pack too many goodies in my freezer, I can't fit in my ice cream maker). The juice from this dish is terrific over mashed potatoes and the optional sausage really turns out great after simmering in the roasting pan. Ingredients:
2 heads cabbage |
2 cups long grain rice, scalded |
2 lbs lean ground beef |
1 lb fresh lean pork sausage |
2 small onions, minced |
4 eggs, beaten |
1 cup water |
4 teaspoons salt |
2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper |
2 teaspoons paprika |
1 garlic clove, minced |
2 quarts sauerkraut |
2 (28 ounce) cans canned tomatoes |
4 cups tomato juice |
1/8 cup dried onion flakes |
8 tablespoons sugar |
2 teaspoons salt |
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper |
1/4 teaspoon paprika |
1 lb bacon, cooked |
2 lbs sausage, smoked |
Directions:
1. Core cabbage, heat in salt water till leaves separate.
2. Remove each leaf and drain in colander.
3. FILLING-(2nd ingredient group):.
4. To scald rice: Heat a generous amount of water in a heavy pan that will hold the heat.
5. Make sure that the water will be more than enough to cover the rice.
6. Make sure the water is at a rolling boil, if rice is not scalded enough it will be crunchy!
7. Let stand for at least 5 minutes.
8. Rinse with cold water, draining with sieve, then mix into rest of filling ingredients.
9. Now fill the cabbage leaves with filling mixture; folding leaves.
10. While rolling pigs, start cooking the stewing sauce in another pot.
11. STEWING SAUCE-(3rd ingredient group):.
12. Mix group together, bring to a boil, then simmer 5 to 10 minutes.
13. TO ASSEMBLE:.
14. Line the roaster with: sauce, layer of pigs, more sauce, sprinkle with bacon crumbs, layer of pigs, layer of sauce, sprinkle with bacon crumbs etc.
15. Set oven at 350°F.
16. Cover roaster, and once all comes to a kind of a boil, reduce temperature to about 300°F so it doesn't boil over.
17. Cook about 2 more hours.
18. The smoked sausage is optional.
19. If using, mix it in among the other ingredients.
20. NOTE: 3/8 cup dehydrated onions may be used instead of 2 small onions in recipe.
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