Polish Gołąbki (stuffed cabbage)

From GRIP

My Dziadzia and Busia Opalewski used to whip up some mean gołąbki (stuffed cabbage) and if you can withstand the smell of boiling cabbage taking over your house, then this dish is definitely worth it.

A set of great-grandparents, the Sobczynski's used to make czernina (duck's blood soup) but due to the difficulty of buying a live duck and nerve to slit its neck and have the still-beating heart drain the blood, we'll just take it one recipe at a time.

Gołąbki is a standard in Polish cookery and can be readily found during Pulaski Days or the Polish Festival.

1 lb. ground meat 1 head of cabbage 1 yellow onion, diced 1 green pepper, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup rice, 16oz. tomato sauce butter salt and pepper to taste 4 potatoes, chunked

• Remove cabbage core and boil until soft but not mushy
• Separate cabbage leaves and remove as much of the spine as possible without damaging their shape
• Cook rice (in 1 c. water, bring to simmer, let steam covered for 15-20 min.)
• Saute onion, pepper and garlic in butter until translucent
• Add meat to veggies and cook until meat is browned (leave the grease and add any desired spices)
• Combine rice into meat and veggies
• Let mixture cool off a bit and add 1 to 2 tbsp. of filling on each cabbage leaf
• Fold up each leaf like a burrito
• Place rolls side by side into stove top safe dish with a little melted butter on the bottom
• Add chunked potatoes to fill in any empty space
• Fill dish with tomato sauce and water to barely cover the gołąbki
• Bring to slow boil and simmer uncovered for 2 hours

If the smell of boiling cabbage is too noxious to rouse the appetite, use the same filling to make stuffed peppers.