Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage: Comfort Food from the Old Country:

It’s finally cold in Atlanta. Well, I should say cold for Atlanta; time for some Hungarian stuffed cabbage; real comfort food from the “old country”.

This mouthwatering (and heart warming) was created by my Hungarian grandmother. I suspect her recipe originated in Hungary and was then modified in New York years later, since it contains key ingredients found only in modern supermarkets; nevertheless, it’s a noble, decadently rich dish; intensely flavorful, sweet and spicy and fit for a cold winter’s night.

I once had a Russian friend from St. Petersburg who scoffed when I told him I was preparing stuffed cabbage for dinner. I believe he was thinking, “An American is going to serve a Russian guy a traditional eastern European dish?..Hah!”

I had the last laugh when he went for seconds.

Give yourself a few hours to prepare this one; however, it’s even better on the second day so make it ahead of time. Hungarian stuffed cabbage also freezes well.

Nana Birdie’s Stuffed Cabbage – serves 5+ (approx 3 pieces each)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large head of green cabbage
• 2 lbs ground beef, lamb or veal
• Two - 11 oz cans Manischewitz or Rokeach tomato with mushroom sauce (note: do not substitute!)
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup dark brown sugar - packed
• 10-12 well-crushed large ginger snaps or 20 well-crushed small ginger snaps
• ½ cup raisins
• 1/2 grated onion
• 1 egg
• 2 tbs ketchup
• 1 tbs water
• 1 tsp Hungarian paprika
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 4 chopped garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup crushed “Tam Tam” or Dare-Vinta 8-grain crackers

IMPORTANT! You absolutely, positively must, (and I repeat) MUST use Maneschewitz or Rokeach tomato sauce! This is tantamount. You'll find it on the ethnic food aisle, near the Borscht and the jars of Gefilte fish (those fleshy blobs floating in jars of gelatin). What ever you do, don't get sidetracked by those oh so tempting items. Just get two cans of tomato sauce.

CABBAGE:

Remove the ‘tough” dark green outer leaves.

Separate as many leaves as possible. Start by slicing the base of the topmost leaf with a knife, then gently peel the edges of the leaf until it pulls away from the head. Try not to tear the leaf too much. Continue removing the leaves until you can no longer separate any more from the head. You should be able to get 14-16 good leaves out of a large head of cabbage. The smaller broken inner leaves may be used to line the cook pot so the rolls don’t burn.

Boil the leaves in two lots or in two large pots of cold water. The tougher, “outer” leaves should be boiled for 4 minutes until the leaves are pliable and not fully cooked. The inner leaves should only take 3 minutes. Remove the leaves gently from the pot(s) and set aside to cool. The two or three largest leaves may be split in half so you have enough for 16 rolls.   Note: Keep a window cracked and the stove fan “on”. You are cooking cabbage.

MEAT:

Grate the onion into the meat. Add the beaten egg, grated onion, ketchup, water, paprika, pepper, garlic and cracker crumbs. Mix and form into balls. I use a ½ cup measuring cup to measure out just the right amount of meat. Your meat mixture should yield 16 balls.

SAUCE:

Empty the Tomato Mushroom Sauce into a large bowl. Stir in the vinegar, lemon juice, brown sugar, ginger snaps and raisins.

Line a heavy, cast iron pot with the extra pieces of cabbage. Then roll each ball in a cabbage leaf (or half leaf). Start rolling from the soft end of the leaf towards the stem. Don’t roll them too tight, but do make sure the meat is covered. Arrange the rolls neatly, stem side down, in a heavy, covered, cast iron pot and pour the sauce over it all.

Cover the pot and simmer it allover a low light for approximately 2 1/2 hours. Check frequently to make sure the sauce is not burning to the bottom of the pot.

Hungarian stuffed cabbage is a sweet saucy dish that goes well with either boiled or baked potatoes, or any kind of broad noodles. My favorite side dish is even more decadent. It’s potato pancakes, (also by Maneschewitz). If you’re not familiar with potato pancakes (also known as  "Latkes", they’ve been affectionately classified as one the “Jewish weapons of mass destruction”, indubitably because they are deep fried and if not prepared correctly, quite heavy.

Hopefully after you’ve prepared, served, eaten and digested this dish, you’ll become a fan, - or you’ll want to reach for one. Ok, cabbage with raisins is not for everyone, but like my Hubs, my grandmother’s stuffed cabbage supplies food for thought, is somewhat complex and is most often worthy of comment. If you do try this recipe I’d love to hear how it turned out.

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