Dear Eric: When I was growing up, my mother (of Ukrainian descent) made wonderful cabbage rolls, but did not use a meat filling, just rice.
I have looked at recipes and all that I’ve found contain meat.
Could you discuss making cabbage rolls and suggest some filings not using meat?
Mike Soltice
Dear Mike: You are right. There is no shortage of recipes for your standard, meat- and rice-filled cabbage roll. But if you research the topic thoroughly, you’ll discover numerous other ethnically diverse ways to stuff and prepare them. That is not a surprise, given the long history of this humble, but inviting dish.
Troika Foods, a commercial producer of cabbage rolls based in Edmonton, has a history of cabbage rolls on its website at troikafoods.com.
In it the company notes that although the direct heritage of cabbage rolls cannot be certain, it’s lineage can be traced back to Jewish cooking about 2,000 years ago.
Recipes vary among Jewish communities and through immigration cabbage rolls became a common dish served in various parts of Europe, including Ukraine, Poland, Russia and Balkan and Baltic countries. With available ingredients, not to mention taste and traditions, differing from place to place, what goes inside a cabbage roll and how it’s sauced and flavoured can vary greatly.
To highlight that, on about.com/food (search stuffed cabbage) Eastern European food expert Barbara Rolek has published at least 10 different ways to make cabbage rolls.
These include a Bulgarian recipe for stuffed cabbage, called sarmi, which is made with veal, pork, carrots, tomato juice and a yogurt-paprika sauce, and a Hungarian cabbage roll, called toltott kaposztamade, made with ground pork, beef, sliced smoked pork butt and sauerkraut. A Polish-style cabbage roll, called golabki, is filled with pork and beef mixed with a grain such as rice, barley or buckwheat groats.
These and other variations do contain meat, but on the Troika Foods website, it says fillings for Ukrainian-style cabbage rolls, called holubtsi, traditionally contain only rice, because the typical diet of the peasants who originally ate them was largely vegetarian because meat was too costly.
Nowadays, the Troika Foods people note, you will often find Ukrainian-style cabbage rolls with rice mixed with and a little meat, such as beef or bacon.
Mike, what I suggest you do is ask relatives on your mother’s side of the family if they have a recipe for the holubtsi you remember. I’m sure they will, or will know where to find one.
Or you could try my meat-free cabbage roll recipe today. It won’t be like your mom’s, but it will still be tasty.
Savoy Cabbage Rolls with Mushrooms, Vegetables and Dill
Large cabbage rolls are satisfying to serve (and eat) on a rainy West Coast night. These cabbage rolls freeze well. After cooking, eat what you can and then cool and divide the rest among smaller containers, wrap, date and freeze. You can reheat them in the microwave after thawing.
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 75 minutes
Makes: 10 large cabbage rolls
For the rice
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
2 1/4 cups cold water
Place the rice and water in a medium pot. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Cover, turn the heat to its lowest setting, and cook 15 minutes, or until the rice is just tender. Spoon the rice into a large bowl and use as described below.
For filling
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup grated carrot
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 lb. small- to medium-sized white or brown mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a skillet set over medium heat. Add onion, pepper, carrot, garlic and mushrooms and cook until tender, about six minutes. Add the vegetables to the rice, then cool to room temperature. Next, mix in the eggs, dill, salt and pepper and use as described below.
For the sauce:
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3/4 cup vegetable stock or white wine (or mix of both)
2 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1 (14 oz./398 mL) can diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 bay leaves
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Heat oil in a skillet set over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until tender, about four minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and gently simmer 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside until needed.
For the rolls and to finish
10 large savoy cabbage leaves (see Note)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill, for sprinkling
Preheat the oven 350 F. Bring a very large pot of water to a boil. Add the cabbage to the boiling water and cook until just tender, about four to five minutes. Cool the cabbage in ice-cold water and drain well. Trim off the tough, lower part of the vein running through the centre of each leaf and discard.
Set the cabbage leaves, curved side down, on a work surface. Spoon an equal amount of the rice mixture into the centre of each leaf (the leaves will look quite full, but the rice will compact when rolled). Fold the sides of each cabbage leaf over the filling and tightly roll. Set the cabbage rolls, seam side down, in a large casserole. Pour over the sauce. Cover and bake in the oven 75 minutes. Sprinkle the rolls with the fresh dill and serve.
Note: Frilly green savoy cabbage is sold at most grocery stores. The savoy cabbage leaves I used for this recipe were quite large, about 20 centimetres wide and 15 centimetres tall. If you can’t find a cabbage that yields leaves that large, cook a few extra to ensure all the filling gets used up.
Eric Akis is the author of the hardcover book Everyone Can Cook Everything. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
