History:
While I have always associated this humble dish with my Hungarian ancestors, the true origin of the dish comes from the cultural blending that happened between the Middle East and Eastern Europe. The dish exploded in popularity around the Mediterranean and likely came from the combination of inexpensive leftovers in each respective culture. There are records of the dish in both Roman and ancient Greek cultures, though the dish was likely introduced to Europe though the Ottoman-Habsburg Wars when the Ottoman Turks marched to Budapest (known in 1686 as Buda) and left their influence behind.
Ingredients:
Ground Beef
Kielbasa Link
Green Cabbage
Tomatoe Sauce
Onion
Garlic
Paprika
Salt
Pepper
Directions:
Here is another Olivia classic (warning, tons of paprika is coming your way). Get a large soup pot boiling with water and a dash of salt and put your whole cabbage in the pot (this will make it SO much easier to separate the leaves and roll the cabbage!!).
Finely dice your onion and garlic (add as much or as little garlic as your heart desires). In a pan with extra virgin olive oil, add your diced onion and garlic until slightly translucent. Now here is my favorite part (besides eating this at the end), go to town on the onion and garlic with paprika (seriously, go for it, the more the better, I add it to the point where you might feel is too much, and then I add a dash more (I LOVE PAPRIKA!! If you did not know). Set the pan aside once you are happy with the paprika content (ok, I know I am pushing it now).
On a cutting board, slice your kielbasa link roughly ¼ inch thick (if you want to add 2,3,4,5 links of kielbasa, DO IT! The flavor of the kielbasa is the key ingredient (besides paprika) that is what makes this recipe!
In a bowl, throw in your ground beef (I like fattier beef for the flavor). As a note, I don’t like to add measurements in my recipes unless it is crucial, with this recipe you can easily add or subtract any of these ingredients to your personal taste, which is what home cooking is all about! Proceed to add salt, pepper, your undercooked cooked rice (make sure to undercook your rice so that it does not come out mushy), and lastly add your onion and garlic mixture. Combine these ingredients well and prepare for the fun part!
FUN PART: Grab roughly a palm size of your meat mixture and firmly form it into an oval. With the boiled cabbage leaf, roll and tuck your meat into a nice beautiful roll.
I use a crock pot, but in a soup pot is just as good! Pour a good amount of tomato sauce into your pot. Place your rolls in the pot, then the kielbasa slices, and layer until the pot it full. Fill the pot with tomato sauce until the rolls are covered. Cook in the crock pot on high for 3-4 hours or in the soup pot for about the same number of hours. Once your home is filled with the delicious sauce and kielbasa aromas, you have successfully mastered this recipe!
Official Statement: Today you have a traditional beef and rice stuffed cabbage served with kielbasa and a paprika enhanced tomato sauce.
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