Golumpki (Gołąbki)
Cabbage, one large with leaves intact
Ground beef, one kilo
Tomato juice, canned (quart)
Eggs, two beaten
Cooked rice (preferably white), two cups
Medium onion, grated
Water, two cups
Sea salt and ground pepper to taste
Preheated oven 350F
- Boil whole cabbage in large, deep pan until the leaves become soft and pliable and then remove it from the pan and cut out the core of the cabbage. Discard it and then place the separated leaves to the side.
- Cook 2 cups of rice
- In a large bowl, mix the cooled rice with the raw ground beef, eggs, onion, salt and pepper.
- Add a half of the tomato juice, reserving the other half for later. Mix well. until it achieves a consistency that makes it easy to scoop.
- Take a single cabbage leaf (the bigger ones are the easiest to work with) and lay it flat. Make a V-shaped cut at the core end of the leaf and discard the V. Take a large tablespoon of the meat mixture and place it in the center of the leaf, below where the core was removed. Fold both sides of the leaf toward the center so they meet. Then roll the cabbage into a ball, starting from where the core was removed to the bottom of the leaf.
- Repeat until all the cabbage and all of the mixture is used.
- Place them in a casserole dish with the folded side down. Layer the cabbage rolls on top of each other if necessary.
- Then put the rest of the tomato juice over all the rolls in the casserole dish. Cover with foil.
- Bake for 50 minutes. Remove the foil and bake, uncovered, for another 15 minutes or until the cabbage rolls are slightly browned.
