Golumpki: Polish Stuffed Cabbage

 Maybe you have to be Polish to get excited about a cabbage because I got very excited when I spotted this one at a local farm market last weekend.  I instantly thought of making golumpki.

 Mix 2 pounds of ground beef (you can use beef and pork if you want), 3 eggs, 1 medium white onion grated, 4 minced garlic cloves, 2 cups of cooked rice and salt and pepper to taste.  I also cooked 6 strips of bacon, diced them and added them to the mix.  Cook a small piece to taste for seasoning and adjust it if necessary.

 For the sauce, cook 1 diced onion and 4 diced cloves of garlic in 4 tablespoons of butter.  Add one 32 oz. can of crushed tomatoes, 4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup of light brown sugar, 1 cube of beef bouillon and salt and pepper to taste. You might add more vinegar or sugar depending on the taste you want.

Mix the meat mixture thoroughly.

I like to cook my stuffed cabbage on a bed of sauerkraut but you can skip this if you want.                                                       

 I cover the sauerkraut with a layer of the sauce.

 Peel the outer leaves off of the head of cabbage and dunk them in boiling water until they start to wilt.  Cut out the thick spine. Place a scoop of meat on the cabbage.

Roll the meat in the leaf tucking the cabbage in as you go.

                                              

 Lay the rolls seam side down on the sauerkraut.

 This recipe makes 16 large rolls.

 Cover them with the remaining sauce.

Cover the pot and cook them in a 350 degree oven for about 2-1/2 hours.  I am feeding them to my workers today with mashed potatoes and corn.  In my neck of the woods these are also called 'pigs in a blanket'.