Stuffed Cabbage

This recipe holds a special place in my heart – it is the only recipe I have from my grandmother Sylvia of blessed memory. Sweet and sour stuffed cabbage is a classic Ashkenazic (Eastern European) recipe that is rarely served today.

That’s a pity, because when properly made, it is a flavorful and delicious meal with strong iconic roots for many families hailing from that region.

I include the recipe as she made it – for me, I would probably add a spoonful of Major Grey-style chutney and some crushed garlic to the sauce, but then, it wouldn’t be hers, would it…

A cabbage roll is a dish consisting of cooked cabbage leaves wrapped around a variety of fillings. Meat fillings are traditional in Europe, often beef, lamb, or pork seasoned with garlic, onion, and spices.

Grains such as rice and barley, mushrooms, and vegetables are often included. Pickled cabbage leaves are often used for wrapping, particularly in southeastern Europe.

Cabbage leaves are stuffed with the filling which are then baked, simmered, or steamed in a covered pot and generally eaten warm, often accompanied with a sauce. The sauce varies widely by cuisine. Always in Sweden and sometimes in Finland, stuffed cabbage is served with lingonberry jam, which is both sweet and tart. In Eastern Europe, tomato-based sauces or plain sour cream are typical.

The version called holishkes is traditionally eaten by Jews on Simchat Torah; stuffed cabbage is described by Gil Marks to have entered Jewish cooking some 2,000 years ago.

Recipes vary depending on region; Romanians and northern Poles prefer a savory sauce, while Galicia and Ukraine favor sweet-and-sour, for example.

FYI – my grandmother’s secret ingredient were the crushed gingersnap cookies in the gravy.

Food is perhaps the strongest and most visceral connection to memory and the past – it defines our core essence and evokes an emotional response as few other things can.

My memories of her have faded after 30+ years…but when I make this dish, the smell of it alone sparks a flood of emotion and her face locks into focus.

Thank you, Grandma Sylvia – you are missed and remembered.

Battle on – The Generalissimo

My Grandmother’s Stuffed Cabbage

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Prep Time: 0 hours
Cook Time: 0 hours
Total Time: 0 hours

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Ingredients

Scale

3 pound head of green cabbage
1 pound ground beef
½ cup cooked rice
1 onion — grated
1 egg
salt and pepper — to taste
2 cups beef broth
1 onion, studded with 3 cloves
1 bay leaf
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 to 4 Tbsps. tomato puree
½ cup golden raisins
9 gingersnaps — crushed

Instructions

Using a thin, long-bladed paring knife, cut the core from the cabbage and discard. Loosen the leaves and remove 12 large outer leaves. Steam or blanch leaves until flexible. Place rib side up and trim heavy center rib. Turn over.
Mix ground beef, rice, onion, egg and salt and pepper to taste. Place 1 Tbsp. of the mixture on each leaf. Roll towards tips, tucking sides in. Place in deep pot. Add beef broth to cover completely. Add onion with cloves to pot with bay leaf, lemon juice, brown sugar and tomato puree. Cover and simmer slowly for 1 hour. Add raisins and gingersnaps. Simmer for 15 minutes more. Stir sauce to blend.
Arrange cabbage in single layer in flat baking pan, 3-4″ deep. Season sauce with salt and pepper and pour over cabbage. Bake at 375 F. for 30 minutes or until sauce is thick and rolls brown.