Stuffed Cabbage for the Shelter

 I made some shelter guys very happy yesterday.  I made a lot of shelter guys very happy!  250 cabbage rolls have a tendency to do that.  I used savoy cabbage which softens easier and is easier to work with.  I bought the heads at an Asian market and the price was quite low.  This took 8 large heads of cabbage.  I softened them in boiling water and let them dry on towels.  This caused minor flooding in my kitchen.  Next time I will try to remember to use a colander.

 I didn't measure this, I just sort of eyeballed the ingredients.  I used ground bacon, prosciutto, dried onion, salt and pepper, granulated garlic and fresh parsley.

Then I gave it a good sprinkling of Hungarian paprika.

For 250 cabbage rolls, I added 16 cups of cooked rice and 10 pounds of ground beef and 10 eggs.

Mix and mix and mix and then cook a small piece and taste it for seasoning. Adjust accordingly.

Place about 1/3 cup of the mix on each leaf, pull the sides over and roll to cover all the meat.

Place seam side down in your pans.

For the sauce, I mixed large cans of crushed tomatoes with brown sugar, a bit of worcestershire sauce, and cider vinegar.  Ladle it over the rolls and bake them at 350 degrees.  Mine baked for 4 hours but obviously it would be a much shorter time if making smaller portions.  Next, I made 20 quarts of buttermilk mashed potatoes to serve them on. I forgot to take a photo of them.

I also made the an enormous tray of these chewy chocolate/coconut bars.

And I got so busy carrying it all to my car that I forgot to take photos of everything when it was finished.  The cabbage rolls leaked all over the back of my car and I swore a lot.  But the guys at the shelter were drooling when I opened my hatchback and they smelled the food. Next time I make these, I will stop at the shelter first and borrow their restaurant steam table pans to cook these in.  The foil pans are just too flimsy to support something as heavy as these. I am never there to actually see the guys eat my food.  I always take it to them  a couple hours before they serve it.  I will need to get feedback on how they liked it.

Comments

Barb said…
What's the saying, "No good deed goes unpunished" ? Too bad about your car but the food looks wonderful!!!
brokenteepee said…
I am sure they loved it. Stuffed cabbage is comfort food at its best.
Anonymous said…
I think we are quite sure that they were winners, you are amazing, those bars sound yummy too!
Guillaume said…
I used to hate stuffed cabbage when I was a kid. Now you make me want to rediscover it.
Anonymous said…
I love stuffed cabbage and I'm sure those goys have a special place in their hearts for You :-) Too bad about the car though.

Stuffed cabbage is one of the few things the restaurant we get our food from at work actually can do really well. That and meatloaf. I wonder if they know why they have allthose spices there since they never use them :-) :-) :-)

I feel it's time to make stuffed cabbage here again. I'll make lots of them so I can put themn in the freezer and bring to work :-)

Have a great day!
Christer.
Robin Larkspur said…
Wow, peeling all those potatoes for a huge load of mashed potatoes!!
I bet it was very delicious!
I imagine your car is smelling pretty good, thankfully it isn't 90 degrees outside!
Your stuffed cabbage looks scrumptious Jaz; I bet you are a hero at the Shelter, so good of you. I suffered from aluminium pans too, sometimes I put 2 of them together to make it sturdy. This looks like an amazing feast!:) Ozlem
Sunnybrook Farm said…
That looks wonderful and is good eats!
Nellie said…
This took you a very long time to put together! I'm sure everything was well-received!
TARYTERRE said…
I love stuffed cabbage rolls. Yours look scrumptious. and so did dessert.
Nar said…
Cabbage rolls are going to make an appearance on this year's Samhain table. I think I will take a tip from you and use the Savoy cabbage! Good idea :)
Well...take your camera and one of these days stick around to see things served and snap some pictures. Ok..maybe not..but I would love to see the faces of those men and they eat such delicious food!! :) YOU are so neat!! :)
kymber said…
jaz - i am sure the guys at the shelter loved the cabbage rolls! the next time you make them for your family try this trick - cook the hamburger and add a bunch of spices - turmeric, cayenne, cumin, garlic and onion to the meat. also cook your rice. combine the cooked meat and rice and add parsley. stuff your rolls. line the bottom of your pan with leaves of cabbage. add a layer of whole tomatoes that you rip apart with your hands. now get ready for it - add sauerkraut!!!! then add a layer of rolls, on top of that layer add more whole tomatoes and sauerkraut. and repeat. the sauerkraut really adds a kick to the cabbage rolls and cooking the meat and rice makes for an interesting texture in the rolls. this is how my mother said that her polish mother made her cabbage rolls. it's the way i always make my rolls and everyone is always quite surprised by the flavours and texture. let us know if you try it.

your friend,
kymber
Leanne said…
Oh Boy the men must sure look forward to your meals. I hope they helped clean out the car.
Love Leanne
chickpea678 said…
Yum again! Making me hungrier and hungrier!
luckybunny said…
I'm drooling over the cabbage rolls too - my favourite! I bet they were a hit! But thumbs down to them leaking all over your vehicle! :( OH man, that would have been a mess! I would have been swearing too.