Stuffed Cabbage (Slow Cooker Method) & International

There are over 400 varieties of cabbage but Savory is thought to be the best for
making stuffed cabbage rolls. It is more pliable and stands up better to long cooking times more so than other varieties.

Cabbage cultivation goes back 4000 years. It was somewhere between China and Mongolia that someone figured out how to preserve cabbage in a brine. This is still a popular method all over the world, from sauerkraut in Europe to Kim Chee in Korea.

It was carried to Europe by the Hun and Mongolian cavalcades and was also an important source of nutrition for troops during the 100 year war. It often was a determining factor if a battle would be won by being able to supply the troops cabbage. It was also discovered by sea captions that it could prevent scuvy during long ocean journeys.

Cabbage was such an important source of nutrition in Europe that an old way to scold children was to say "You shall have water in your cabbage and go barefoot to bed"

Just about in every country cuisine has a stuffed cabbage dish. You could very likely go at least a month having stuffed cabbage from different countries. Rice seems to be a common ingredients but the spices will change according to different countries preferences.






Stuffed Cabbage (Slow Cooker) American-European Style

12 large cabbage leaves
4 cups water
1 pound ground beef or lamb
1/2 cup cooked rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1/4 cup water

Wash leaves . Boil 4 cups water. Turn off heat. Soak leaves in water 5 minutes. Remove, drain and cool.

Combine remaining ingredients except tomato paste and 1/4 cup water. Place 2 tablespoons meat mixture on each leaf and roll firmly. Stack in crock pot. Combine tomato paste and water and pour over cabbage. Cover and cook on Low 8 to 10 hours.











Lahshi Malfuf
(Levantine Arab)





1 large head green cabbage (about 2 3/ 4 pounds)
1 cup medium- or short-grain rice, rinsed under running water until clear or soaked in water to cover for 30 minutes and drained
3/4 pound ground lamb
1/3 cup very finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons baharat
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground allspice berries
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons dried mint
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
Juice from 5 lemons (about 1 cup)
3 1/2-4 cups water

Remove and discard any of the outermost leaves of the cabbage that are blemished. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and plunge the whole cabbage in until the leaves can be peeled away without ripping, about 10 minutes. Drain well and, when cool enough to handle, separate the leaves carefully, setting them aside, and chop the central core. Lay the larger cabbage leaves in front of you and cut out the thick central stem ribs of the leaves with a paring knife, dividing each leaf in two. Leave the smallest leaves whole. Arrange the cabbage stem ribs and chopped core over the bottom of a round stove-top casserole or saucepan a little wider in diameter than a dinner plate.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, knead together the rice, lamb, onion, baharat, allspice, cinnamon, salt, and pepper until well blended.
3. Place about 1 tablespoon of the stuffing along the rib side of each leaf and roll up tightly without folding the sides over. The rice will not expand enough to damage the leaves. Once rolled, the cabbage leaves will look like thin cigars. Arrange the rolled cabbage leaves on top of the cabbage ribs in the casserole or saucepan seam side down. The rolled cabbages should be placed tightly next to each other. Once you've got a single layer, sprinkle with more salt and pepper, 3/ 4 teaspoon mint, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, half the garlic, and half the lemon juice.

Continue stuffing and rolling the leaves and place a layer upon the first layer, making each row and each layer compact and neat. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper, the remaining 3/ 4 teaspoon mint, the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, the remaining garlic, and the remaining lemon juice.

Pour in enough of the water to barely cover the cabbage rolls. Put an inverted heavy dinner plate over the cabbage to hold them down. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, about 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to very low, using a heat diffuser if necessary, cover, and simmer until tender, about 3 to 3 1/ 2 hours. Remove a roll-up to test for doneness. Serve or continue cooking until done.

Makes 6 servings







Sarma, Croatian Cabbage Rolls


1 c cooked rice
1 1/2 lb ground pork
1 lb ground ham
1/2 lb ground beef
1 lg onion, diced
1/8 ts minced garlic
1 egg
1 lg head soured cabbage *
2 qt sauerkraut
1 salt and pepper
1 bacon strips
1 can tomato soup (optional

· To sour cabbage: Core a fresh cabbage head and place in boiling water for 10-15 minutes, or until the leaves soften. One to twotbspp.Vinegarr may be added to the boiling water to sour the leaves, if desired.

If a soured head of cabbage is not used, place cabbage in large pan of water, core head and separate leaves.

Wash each leaf and drain in colander. Wash sauerkraut and drain.

Brown onion lightly in fat. Mix with meat, garlic, rice, seasonings and egg.

Roll a generous portion of meat mixture in each leaf.

Cover bottom of large roasting pan with sauerkraut and place cabbage rolls on top. Alternate sauerkraut and cabbage rolls ending with sauerkraut. Pour tomato soup on top (optional) and cover with strips of bacon.

Cover with cold water almost to top.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for 2 hours. Yield: Approximately 22 sarmas.

Croatian Cultural Society of Minnesota







Steam Stuffed Cabbage
Nguyên Liệu

Make 4 servings

12 cabbage leaves, medium size

12 green onion stems

Stuffing:

1 lb. ground pork

5 tablespoons chopped onion

1 tablespoon salt

2 dash of black pepper

Sauce:

1 cup bouillon

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon hot sauce

2 teaspoon cornstarch



Place cabbage leaves and green onion stems into boiling water for 1 minute to make them tender. Spread cabbage leaf, put 2 tablespoons of the stuffing on it, turn the sides in and roll. Tie each roll with green onion stem. Steam for 30 minutes.
Prepare the sauce with bouillon, cornstarch, tomato paste, hosin sauce; Heat a sauce pan and cook the sauce mixture over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly until done

Transfer the steamed cabbages to a serving dish. Pour the sauce over them. Serve hot with plain rice







Halupkis-Polish Cabbage Rolls

1 gallon plus 1.2 cup water
1 large head cabbage
1 pound lean ground meat
1 1/2 cup cooked rice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 46 ounce can tomato juice
2/3 cup ketchup
tablepoonon ham base obouillonon cube

In a large pot bring 1 gallon water to boil. Deeply core the cabbage head and remove spoiled leaves. Once the water boil submerge the cabbage into the water. While cooking carefully remove any tenderleaves that begin to fall away from the head and set aside to cool. Once all the tender leaves have been removed combine the ground meat and rice. Add the salt and pepper and mix well. Place a portion of the meat mixture in the center of a cabbage leaf. Touch the side and roll to enclose. Place each roll side by side in a roasting pan. Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large saucepan heat the tomato juice, ketchup, remaining water and base over low heat. Once the base dissolves add the tomato juice. Pour the mixture over the rolls and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.