Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Roll 'Em Up, Then Eat 'Em Up


Anytime I'm feeling under the weather, I think comfort food.  My body feels like crap.  I wish I was dead.  And the only thing that will make me feel better is diving into a plate of some good old fashioned poor food.  Yesterday, my craving was Polish stuffed cabbage rolls, or Golabki (pronounced ga-WUMP-kee).  I can't remember the first time I ate stuffed cabbage rolls.  I want to say it was somewhere in Pittsburgh.  That place is crawling with Pollacks...and THANK GOD!!!  Ya'll know how to make a meal that makes a girl feel MUCH better.  Here's how I made mine:

What You Need:
1 head of green cabbage
1 1/2 cups of cooked rice (read the directions on the back of your rice to get 1 1/2 cups cooked.  I used Minute Rice because I was sick and had no time to make 25 minute rice...don't judge)
1 lb. of ground beef (use the fattening stuff....ok fine...you don't HAVE to, but I did...fat makes me feel better)
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 good tablespoon of sriracha (if you've never had it, you're missing out on life)
1 can of tomato sauce (I use Hunt's...it's salty and delicious.  I could drink it...I actually did)
Salt & Pepper
2 tablespoons of butter (You can substitute olive oil,  if you wanna be healthy, but I wanted BUTTAH) and when I'm sick...I get what I want.

Here's What To Do:
Cook your rice, season it with salt and pepper and add in some butter for a little love.  Cook your cabbage in boiling water for about 10 minutes, until the leaves easily pull off, you will have to cut off the core to do this, so keep that in mind.  Saute your onion and garlic in a tablespoon of butter until soft and season with salt and pepper.  Get out a large bowl.  Add in your ground beef, uncooked, to the bowl.  Add in your rice and onion and garlic.  Salt and pepper AGAIN.  Yes, I realize this seems like a lot of salt and peppering, but when you eat it, you will understand why you take this step with every layer you cook.  Add in the sriracha.  Now unpeel the first few layers of your cabbage off and throw it away.  These pieces are usually pretty dirty and disheveled.  Now take off the next 8 or 10 leaves.  There will be a thick vein in each piece.  Cut this out in a v-shape, because this will make them easier to roll up.

Next, stuff those babies full of your delicious meat mixture:


Roll up both sides, then roll it up like a baby burrito and place into a baking dish that has a few splashes of tomato sauce on the bottom so they don't stick.  Do all of your cabbage rolls like this and them pour the rest of your tomato sauce on top.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for about 2 hours.


I didn't eat my cabbage rolls just yet.  I let them cool and them put them in the fridge, because food like this ALWAYS tastes better the next day.  But my roommate came home and couldn't keep her grubby hands outta them (I kid, I kid, she very nicely asked me if she could try them because she couldn't get over how good they smelled).  So I graciously gave her the first taste and she told me they were one of the best things she's eaten in a LONG, LONG time.  Made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  And they will do the same to you.  So make 'em, bitches!

If I offended any Pollacks in the writing of this blog, I sincerely apologize.  And will make it up to you by feeding you delicious stuffed cabbage rolls.

1 comment:

k said...

They make this here but German community and call it something else. Little bro had one at Oktoberfest last weekend while I stuffed my face with bierocks, another comfort food that will make your sick body happy! Feel better!

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