Stuffed Cabbage with Sauerkraut (Holishkes)

When my mom made stuffed cabbage, referred to as holishkes in Yiddish, it signaled a particular occasion or a vacation. This sense has stayed with me since, and—till at the present time—cooking this meal places me in a celebratory temper. The mattress of substances and the roll with the meat and rice plus the added seasonings make it simply too moist and engaging. It’s time-consuming to make however so scrumptious. I at all times make an excessive amount of. I often give some to neighbors or, higher but, freeze for a meal sooner or later.

Through the years, I’ve embellished my mom’s unique recipe with V8 juice and Heinz Chili Sauce. In fact, after I was a toddler, the entire substances have been contemporary and home made. Now I exploit some canned objects like tomato paste. Nonetheless, in terms of the sauerkraut, I at all times make and ferment it myself. It’s also possible to purchase natural sauerkraut in health-food shops or grocery shops.

Recipes and photographs courtesy of Honey Cake & Latkes, Melcher Media 2022, learn the total assessment of the cookbook right here.

Food4Thought: Do you know that it’s at all times a good suggestion to talk phrases of knowledge at a meal? This helps to raise the exercise from a solely bodily one to a transcendent one.

Get more Jewish food thoughts here.

Prep time: 45 minutes
Prepare dinner time: 5 hours
Serves: 4–6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium inexperienced cabbage
• 1 giant onion, half minced and half thinly sliced
• 1 pound floor beef
• ½ cup dried white rice
• 1 giant egg, flippantly crushed
• 2 ½ cups hen inventory
• 1 teaspoon freshly groundblack pepper
• 1 pound contemporary sauerkraut (not canned), barely drained
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (for a quicker bake) or 200°F (for a slower simmer).
2. Use a pointy knife to chop out the central laborious core of the cabbage. In a big pot, carry 6 quarts water to a boil over excessive warmth. Fastidiously drop the most important outer leaves of the cabbage into the boiling water. Boil till the leaves are delicate. After 2 minutes, take away the leaves to a big platter to chill.
3. Shred the rest of the cabbage and put aside.
4. Sauté the minced onion till tender. In a big bowl, mix the sautéed onion, beef, rice, egg, ½ cup of the hen inventory, and pepper. Put aside.
5. In a second giant bowl, toss the shredded cabbage, sliced onion, and sauerkraut.
6. In a 3rd giant bowl, whisk the tomato paste and the crushed tomatoes with the remaining 2 cups inventory.
7. On the underside of a 6-quart casserole dish or Dutch oven, unfold half of the sauerkraut combination to make a mattress for the cabbage rolls. Evenly spoon half of the tomato combination over the sauerkraut combination.
8. To stuff the cabbage, place a cabbage leaf in entrance of you with the stem finish dealing with down and away from you. Place a scoop of the meat and rice combination in the midst of the leaf. Fold the underside (stem finish) of the leaf down towards the highest of the leaf, then fold the best aspect inward and over towards the left. Fold down the highest of the leaf and push the left edge inside to create a pocket. You need the package deal to have some house in it for the rice to swell because it cooks. Place the roll seam aspect down into the ready casserole dish or Dutch oven. Repeat till you’ve got stuffed all of the cabbage leaves and stuffed the dish with one layer of stuffed cabbage. Unfold the remaining sauerkraut combination and the remaining tomato combination on prime.
9. Bake till the sauce is effervescent, about half-hour. Cowl the baking dish with foil or place the lid on the Dutch oven and proceed cooking for five hours at 350°F or 8 hours at 200°F.

Be aware: I didn’t embrace any salt within the recipe. I typically let individuals salt their meals, since many diets require low sodium and every- one’s style is totally different. The result’s higher in the event you cook dinner it at a decrease temperature for longer to let the flavors simmer and mix. You should utilize a sluggish cooker, however I discover the flavors style finest when cooked within the oven. I generally take somewhat of the meat combination and fry and style it to see if extra garlic or salt is required.

Photograph credit score: Ellen Silverman for Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Basis