Best Bonnies Ukrainian Cabbage Rolls Recipes

BONNIE'S UKRAINIAN CABBAGE ROLLS

Steps:

• 1. Cook the rice and set aside (3-4 c. after cooking) 2. Core the cabbages well, removing the heart and the dense, curled centre leaves with a strong spoon. 3. Set cabbages, hollow side down, in a large baking pan in 1-2 inches of water. Cover and steam/ boil them in a 400 degree oven for about 60-90 minutes. Every 10-15 minutes, remove the outer leaves that are becoming transparent and pliable, BEFORE they become fully cooked, thready and fragile. Slice away the back of the heavy centre vein on each cooked leaf, so the leaf is whole (Not cut down the spine) and 'roll-able' but of uniform thickness (no ridged spine) 4. Set aside each prepared leaf and wait for the other leaves as you prepare the filling 5. Combine all "Filling" ingredients together and stir well. The mixture will be sloppy, but will form a mound when dropped from a large spoon. Fill each leaf with about 2 T of filling. Roll core end once over filling - fold in ends - finish rolling. Poke finger into each end to secure the loose ends of the leaf. Use outside leaves on bottom of roaster to prevent scorching. Put end of rolled leaf towards bottom. Cover rolls with sauce (see recipe above) Cover with loose (raw or steamed) cabbage leaves and cores. Protect your oven with a large oven liner on the rack just below the roaster Bake at 375 F for about 6-8 hours, or until outer protective cabbage leaves are dark and scorched. To test for doneness, the largest cabbage roll, from the centre of the pan, should cut with a fork. Keep cooking until this is the case. When caabage is out of season, old, or heavily veined, longer cooking times are required.

REAL UKRAINIAN CABBAGE ROLLS

Steps:

• Take core out of center of cabbage.
• Place head of cabbage in a large pot of Boiling water, cored side down. Cover and simmer as the leaves become pliable remove with tongs and place in a colander that has been placed on a cookie sheet to catch excess water.
• When done removing all the leaves that can be used, (there will be the center of the cabbage that is too small for use, but do save it!).
• Place leaves on a cutting board and shave down the "vein" or if the leaf is large enough cut in half on either side of it.
• Dice bacon and onion and place in a frying pan cook until tender but bacon is not crisp.( DO NOT DRAIN OFF FAT!)Cook rice as pkg. directs BUT remove from heat while rice still has a hard kernel in the center.
• Add rice and bacon mixture together along with the garlic, dill and the veg oil.
• Place a spoonful (tbsp) in center of leaf tuck in the sides and roll.
• Place in a foil pan or roaster until all leaves etc. are done.
• To bake either use enough water to just cover the rolls or for a different taste, mix one can tomato soup (AYLMERS is best) with i/4 can water and pour over top. Use the leftover cabbage leaves from the core to put over top to prevent scorching; cover with foil.
• Bake at 325°F for 1.5 to 2 hours.

UKRAINIAN CABBAGE ROLLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 2 quart casserole dish.
• Steam the whole head of cabbage until it is al dente. Meanwhile, in a saucepan bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent; stir into cooked rice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Cut the leaves off of the cabbage and cut the larger leaves in half. Spoon 1 tablespoon of rice into a leaf and roll tightly. Place rolls in prepared casserole dish, stacking in layers. Pour tomato juice over the rolls, using enough just to cover.
• Cover and bake in preheated oven for 2 hours.

EASY UKRANIAN CABBAGE ROLLS (VEGETARIAN)

Steps:

• Remove outer wilted cabbage leafs.
• Place cabbage in a microwaveable bowl with a tiny amount of water and cover with plastic wrap. Make a small hole to let steam out.
• Place in microwave and cook on high for 5 minutes.
• Take the cabbage out and turn it over in the bowl, re-cover and cook on high for another 5 minutes.
• Remove and let cool.
• Use 2 tablespoons of margarine to "grease" a casserole dish (a lasagna pan is about the right size). Place aside.
• Once the cabbage has cooled carefully remove each leaf one by one and lay aside ready to be stuffed.
• Rinse the rice under cold water and boil it until tender (hint: for some reason I can never make perfect rice so I boil it in more water than necessary, then drain and rinse it once it's cooked. This way I get rid of all the extra starch and the rice texture is great, not gluey which I hate).
• Once the rice is prepared set it aside also.
• In a separate skillet add half the the margarine and melt at low heat.
• Add all the chopped onions and sautée at low heat until they turn very light brown.
• In a bowl, mix the rice, the onion mix, salt and pepper.
• Now, one at a time, place a small amount of rice mixture into each cabbage leaf (Note: the volume of mixture will change depending on the size of the cabbage leaf). Starting at the bottom of the cabbage leaf, start rolling it by completing one full roll, fold the sides in, then complete rolling.
• Place each cabbage roll in the greased dish and cover with tin foil.
• Cook at 375° for at least 50 minutes or until the cabbage rolls start lightly browning.
• Serve with a veggie burger, or veggie meatloaf and some veggie gravy. Yum!

UKRAINIAN MEAT FILLED CABBAGE ROLLS

Steps:

• Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sautee onion in butter until tender. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool. When the onion is cool enough to handle, mix together the ground pork, bread crumbs, egg, salt and pepper until well blended.
• Place the head of cabbage in a large pot, and add enough water to cover the cabbage halfway. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 2 minutes. As the outer leaves become translucent and soft, remove them one at a time by peeling them off with a wooden spoon. Trim off the thick ribs at the leaf stem.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish, and line the bottom with outer cabbage leaves. Lay a few more leaves on a clean work surface. Place a large spoonful of the pork mixture at the base of each leaf. Roll up towards the top. Repeat until filling is used up. Arrange the finished rolls over the leaves in the dish, and pour in just enough broth to cover the rolls. Place extra cabbage leaves over the top.
• Cover, and bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven. When finished, drain off broth from the dish into a small saucepan. Whisk together the flour and sour cream. Gradually stir the sour cream into the broth. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until heated, about 5 minutes.
• To serve, arrange cabbage rolls on a platter, cover with sauce and sprinkle with dill. This goes perfectly with homemade noodles, or millet kasha.