How to prepare cabbage for cabbage rolls

Cooking a whole head of cabbage: how and how much to cook cabbage for cabbage rolls

So, the initial data:

cabbage - 1 fork;
pan - min. 5 liters.

The heads of cabbage that we buy in winter are no longer young. They are strong, dense and do not come apart easily. Now we will look at a method where you need to boil a whole head of cabbage for separation.

Place a large pot of water on the fire. Large enough so that it can accommodate both cabbage and water, which, by the way, should be enough to cover the forks. Turn on the heat and bring it to a boil.

Meanwhile, use a sharp knife with a sharp long blade to cut out the stalk.

When the water boils, lower the whole cabbage into the pan. Leave it there for 2 minutes and carefully remove it onto a board with a slotted spoon. Do not turn off the pan yet and do not remove it from the stove.

When you can touch the fork, remove the top leaves. They have become softer and separate well. As soon as we feel that we are starting to shoot poorly, we put the head of cabbage back into the pan.

We repeat the procedure as many times as we need leaves.

If you get more than the planned number of cabbage rolls, under no circumstances throw away the extra ones. Cool, dry a little, put in a regular plastic bag and put in the freezer. When you decide to cook cabbage rolls again, you will already have cabbage ready for them. All you need to do is take them out of the freezer, defrost them and separate them from each other.

Stew, boil, bake - ways to prepare cabbage rolls

Stuffed cabbage rolls are prepared in a saucepan, pressure cooker or cast iron. They can also be baked in the oven or convection oven - the dish will turn out especially juicy if you wrap it in foil. The option of stewing in a thick-walled frying pan is possible. Choose a cooking method based on your kitchen equipment and taste preferences.

You can cook cabbage rolls in a regular saucepan

An interesting rich taste can be achieved if the cabbage rolls are first fried in vegetable oil until golden brown and only then brought to readiness by stewing.

The taste of the finished dish also depends on the cooking time. The meat filling can be ready in just 40 minutes: then the cabbage can remain crispy and the filling dense. If you simmer cabbage rolls for 1.5-2 hours, the food will turn out as juicy as possible.

This is interesting:

In the 18th century, a fashion for everything French came to Russia, including French cuisine. At that time, in rich houses it was customary to serve roasted pigeons wrapped in cabbage leaves and cooked on a grill. In poor families, an analogue of this dish was galushi - the same cabbage leaves with minced meat. Peasants used simpler fillings, for example, millet porridge, and less often chopped meat was added to the minced meat. But by analogy with fried birds, people began to call galushi cabbage rolls.

Classic recipe - cabbage rolls with rice and meat

Ingredients:

1 head of cabbage;
1 kg minced meat;
200 g rice;
5 tbsp. l. tomato paste;
400 g sour cream;
1 medium onion;
vegetable oil for frying;
black peppercorns, ground black pepper, bay leaf, garlic and salt to taste.

Cooking procedure

Remove the top leaves from the cabbage and boil it for 5 minutes in boiling water. Separate the leaves.
Rinse the rice and boil it in salted water until half cooked.
Peel the onion and pass through a meat grinder.
Combine the ingredients for minced meat in a bowl: meat, chopped onion, ground pepper, salt, 3 tablespoons of tomato paste. Stir.
Form envelopes with filling. To ensure that the cabbage rolls keep their shape, they can be secured with threads or wooden skewers (toothpicks).
Fry the cabbage rolls over medium heat until golden brown.
Place the cabbage rolls in a saucepan or slow cooker for further stewing. Place bay leaf and peppercorns in a container.
To prepare the sauce, take 1 liter of water. Add the remaining tomato paste and sour cream to it. The taste will be richer if you prepare the sauce using the water in which the cabbage was boiled.
Pour the sauce over the cabbage rolls and simmer until done. Cooking time depends on the size of the envelopes with minced meat.

Instead of tomato paste in this recipe, you can use ketchup or fresh tomatoes minced through a meat grinder.

When purchasing tomato paste for cabbage rolls, pay attention to the amount of salt in its composition. This determines how much you will have to add this seasoning to the minced meat.

This is interesting:

Residents of hot countries valued food not for its taste characteristics, but for its ability to remain fresh for a long time. It has been proven that minced meat in grape, nettle or horseradish leaves does not spoil for several days.

Lenten cabbage rolls

Cooking vegetarian cabbage rolls, in fact, differs little from conventional recipes. The only difference is the filling. Here is one simple option.

Ingredients:

0.5 cups rice;
1 small carrot;
300 g champignons (you can also use shiitake, chanterelle or porcini mushrooms);
100 g tomato paste;
salt, pepper, garlic to taste.

Cooking procedure

Boil the rice until half cooked.
Wash and grate the carrots on a coarse grater. Cut the mushrooms into slices or cubes.
Mix rice, mushrooms and carrots. Add tomato paste and salt to the minced meat. Stir again.

Important:

All mushrooms, except champignons, must first be boiled and fried in vegetable oil.

What are cabbage rolls called in different countries?

Holishkes – Israel.
Doves (hulubky) – Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Golabki – Poland.
Sarma – Croatia and Serbia.
Zelevi Sarmi – Bulgaria.

Lazy cabbage rolls

Ingredients:

300 g minced meat;
400 g fresh cabbage;
1 onion;
2 small or 1 large tomato;
1 clove of garlic;
1 small carrot;
herbs, salt, pepper, other seasonings to taste;
vegetable oil.

Cooking procedure

Peel and cut the onion and garlic into small cubes.
Grind the carrots on a medium grater.
Heat oil in a frying pan. Fry the onion in it until translucent. After this, add the grated carrots and continue cooking over low heat until the vegetables become soft.
Boil the rice in salted water over medium heat for 10 minutes. Rinse it.
Finely chop the cabbage.
Finely chop or grate the tomatoes.
Mix all ingredients except cabbage. Add spices. Stir again.
Simmer the mixture in a thick frying pan over low heat for 20 minutes. To prevent the minced meat from burning, they need to be stirred from time to time. You can also add a little boiled water.
Place shredded cabbage in the pan. Mix with minced meat. Simmer with the lid closed for 15 minutes.
Add prepared rice, mashed tomatoes and chopped herbs to the pan. Stir. Cook for another 15 minutes. Lazy cabbage rolls, like traditional ones, are usually served with sour cream.

This is interesting:

In literature, cabbage rolls were first mentioned in the 5th century BC. In the writings of Aristophanes, the dish is described as “cabbage leaves with meat.”

A simple dolma recipe

This article would be incomplete if it did not include the Asian prototype of cabbage rolls - dolma. We offer an adapted recipe that uses available products.

Ingredients:

0.5 kg lamb;
0.5 kg grape leaves;
3 tbsp. l rice (it is better to use round);
2 medium onions;
You can use different seasonings to taste: salt, pepper, garlic, cinnamon, cilantro, parsley, thyme.

Cooking procedure

Separate the meat from the bones, grind it through a meat grinder or finely chop it with a knife.
Cook the rice until half cooked.
Mix rice, minced meat, finely chopped herbs and seasonings.
Form the dolma. To do this, place a small amount of minced meat in the middle of a grape leaf and roll it into a tube or envelope.
Simmer the dish for 1-1.5 hours in a cauldron.

Dolma will turn out tastier if you put lamb bones on the bottom of the pan and cover them with grape leaves. To make the leaves softer and easier to wrap the minced meat in, keep them in boiling water for a few seconds.

How to remove leaves from cabbage for cabbage rolls

When the cabbage is not too dense and you understand that you can separate the leaves without boiling the whole head, proceed as follows.

At the base (near the stalk) we cut the topmost leaf and remove it. Then we find the next one and cut and remove it in the same way.

In any case, the cabbage rolls removed for cooking are too hard. They will not be wrapped in the “envelope” as they should. They need to be made softer.

This is also done using boiling water. Boil water in a saucepan. Already a smaller amount than with the first method. Place the leaves in boiling water one at a time for a few seconds and remove.

Ready!

Warm up in the microwave

In the oven you can quickly get cabbage leaves for cabbage rolls. To do this, simply put a head of cabbage with the stalk in the microwave and turn it on at full power for 5-6 minutes. After this, the leaves will be easily removed; all that remains is to trim them at the base. If the fork is large, then the procedure should be repeated several times until all the leaves necessary for rolling the cabbage rolls are removed.

In all methods, it is desirable to remove coarse veins and leaf bases. You can beat them with a culinary hammer, but it is better to twist only the softest part of the cabbage, and use the rest to prepare cabbage.

How to separate cabbage leaves for cabbage rolls by freezing

If you have a lot of time on your hands. For example, you planned to cook cabbage rolls for tomorrow. You can prepare cabbage for them in a very simple way that does not require any cooking or other heat treatment. This method is freezing.

All you need to do first is cut out the stalk. Then put the cabbage in a bag and put it in the freezer for 24 hours.

After this time, we take out the forks, put it in a colander or sieve, which we place over a bowl. Let it defrost like this for several hours. It should melt completely. During melting, water will drain from it.

After which the sheets come off easily.

A couple of tips:

Freeze either a large head of cabbage or 2 at once. Then you can freeze the extra leaves again and have a reserve for later.
Place the cabbage in the freezer the morning of the day before cooking. Then the next evening you can cook cabbage rolls for dinner.

Easy and simple, but long.

Description of preparation:

In order to give a more attractive appearance to the finished dish, before serving, cabbage rolls in cabbage leaves can be baked in the oven or lightly fried in a frying pan until golden brown.
In accordance with your taste preferences, you can add sour cream, mayonnaise, herbs, your favorite spices to the dish, or prepare a sauce using these products. Below you can find a detailed list of products and a description of how to prepare delicious cabbage rolls in cabbage leaves. Purpose: For lunch / For dinner Main ingredient: Meat / Vegetables / Cabbage / Minced meat Dish: Hot dishes / Cabbage rolls

How to separate cabbage leaves for cabbage rolls: steaming

To prepare cabbage for cabbage rolls, it is also steamed. How to do this, we choose depending on the size of the fork and the steamer (cooker). If forks fit in it, everything is simple.

Remove the stalk. Bring water to a boil in the bottom of a double boiler. We place the cabbage at the top. Cover the lid. Let stand for 15-20 minutes and remove.

Let it cool, take it apart and then use it to make cabbage rolls.

Now about if the cabbage does not fit into the steamer. What to do then? Take a large saucepan and boil water in it. We place a colander or sieve over the pan, into which we already place the cabbage forks. Steam for about the same amount of time.

Take your time to disassemble the steamer or structure in case the inner sheets do not come off well. We'll just put it back and hold it for another 5-10 minutes.

3:1 in favor of meat, or How to make the right minced meat

You can stuff the dish with a variety of products. Traditional for Russian cuisine is the filling of buckwheat or rice groats and minced meat. Stuffed cabbage rolls can also be lean; in this case, mushrooms and various vegetables are added to the dish. Some countries even make a sweet filling from fresh or dried fruits.

Stuffing for cabbage rolls should consist of two-thirds meat

To prepare the classic filling, the cereal must first be boiled until half cooked. It is better to take mixed minced meat, which contains equal parts beef and pork. You can also use finely chopped meat. In “correct” cabbage rolls, the filling consists of 2/3 meat and 1/3 rice or buckwheat.

Rice for minced meat should be boiled for 10-12 minutes

Salt and ground black pepper are used as spices. Chopped onions and garlic are also added to the minced meat. You can add piquancy to traditional minced meat with herbs, grated cheese or sour cream.

This is interesting:

In Asian countries, minced meat wrapped in large plant leaves is called dolma. This dish is traditional for Turkey and neighboring countries. Dolma is often prepared in the Caucasus. As a rule, lamb is used for minced meat, and the filling is wrapped in grape leaves.

Wrap it up please

To prevent cabbage rolls from losing their filling during cooking, you need to roll the leaves correctly. The minced meat is placed on the inside and covered with the petiole zone. Then you need to trim the filling, tuck in the sides of the sheet and form neat envelopes. Their size depends on your taste preferences, just keep in mind that small cabbage rolls cook faster. Very large cabbage leaves can be cut into 2-3 pieces.

You can wrap minced meat in the leaves of various plants.

Important:

If this is your first time preparing cabbage rolls, it is better to play it safe and secure them with a toothpick or special chef’s thread.

How to cut cabbage for cabbage rolls with water

This method of preparing cabbage for cabbage rolls is cold. No water, steam or other “hot” methods. Just you, cabbage, a knife and water.

Let's go to the sink. Using a knife, cut off the very first (top) cabbage leaf at its base.

We direct a stream of water of moderate force into this cut.

Use your fingers to move the sheet away so that water flows under it through the cut.

We loosen the sheet with our fingers, the water gets deeper inside into the space between it and the rest of the fork.

And the leaf comes off completely. It takes much longer to describe this process. In fact, 2-3 seconds are enough to remove.

However, after disassembling the cabbage, before you start cooking the cabbage rolls themselves, the leaves will still have to be dipped in boiling water. Since they are fresh, they are elastic and cannot be rolled.

Savoy cabbage varieties

Among the varieties of Savoy cabbage for growing in gardens, it is worth noting the following:

Alaska F1 is a late-ripening hybrid. The leaves are strongly vesicular, with a thick waxy coating. The heads of cabbage are dense, weighing up to 2 kg, have excellent taste, and are suitable for long-term storage.
Vienna early 1346 is an early ripening variety. The leaves are dark green, heavily corrugated, with a faint waxy coating. The heads of cabbage are dark green, round, of medium density, weighing up to 1 kg. The variety is very unstable to cracking.
Vertus is a mid-late variety. The heads of cabbage are large, weighing up to 3 kg, with a piquant taste. For winter consumption.
Vertu 1340 is a medium-late yielding variety. The leaves are gray-green, with a waxy coating. The heads of cabbage are flat-rounded, weighing up to 2.5 kg, of medium density, stored until mid-winter.
Virosa F1 is a mid-late hybrid. The heads of cabbage have good taste and are intended for winter storage.
Golden early is an early ripening variety. Heads of cabbage are of medium density, weighing up to 0.8 kg. An excellent variety for fresh use, resistant to cracking of heads.
Cosima F1 is a late-ripening, productive hybrid. The heads of cabbage are medium-sized, dense, weighing up to 1.7 kg, yellowish when cut. Stores well in winter.
Comparsa F1 is a very early ripening hybrid. The heads of cabbage are light green, medium density, resistant to cracking.
Kroma F1 is a mid-season hybrid. The heads of cabbage are dense, weighing up to 2 kg, green, with a small inner stalk, suitable for long-term storage. The taste is excellent.
Melissa F1 is a mid-season hybrid. The heads of cabbage are highly corrugated, of medium density, weighing up to 2.5–3 kg, with excellent taste. Resistant to cracking of heads of cabbage, well stored in winter.
Mira F1 is a very early ripening hybrid. Heads of cabbage weighing up to 1.5 kg, do not crack, and have excellent taste.
Ovasa F1 is a mid-late hybrid. Its leaves have a strong waxy coating and a coarse blistered surface. The heads of cabbage are average. Plants are resistant to adverse weather conditions and are slightly affected by mucous and vascular bacteriosis and Fusarium wilt.
Savoy King F1 is a mid-season hybrid with a large rosette of light green leaves. Plants form large and dense heads of cabbage.
Stilon F1 is a late-ripening hybrid. The heads of cabbage are blue-greenish-gray, round, resistant to cracking and frost.
Sphere F1 is a mid-season productive hybrid. Heads weighing up to 2.5 kg with dark green covering leaves, medium density, yellow when cut, good taste.
Julius F1 is an early ripening hybrid. The leaves are finely blistered, the heads are round, of medium density, weighing up to 1.5 kg, transportable.

Jollof rice with chicken

Category: Hot dishes Cereal dishes

My wife loves Jamie Oliver, for a long time and unrequitedly. At first I didn't pay attention to it: where is Oliver, and where is she? They are separated by 8500 km. He has a wife, a model, and five children. But recently my wife made me jealous. I started participating on one site in a competition based on Oliver’s recipes, where the main prize was lunch (dinner) with this same Jamie. I don’t know where they would put the “arrow” and how it would get there. But the site (Thank God) happily collapsed, and the winner was never announced. On the eve of Women's Day, I decided to please my wife and prepared dinner for her according to Jamie's recipe. I want to say, as a cook, he is, of course, a cool guy. But I’m also “not a bad person,” and I’m worth something. This dish belongs to African cuisine.