Editor's note:This recipe is reprinted fromThe Second Avenue Deli Cookbook,by Sharon Lebewohl and Rena Bulkin.
On Succoth, a joyous seven-day autumn harvest festival (a kind of Jewish Thanksgiving), stuffed foods—most notably holishkes, but also kreplach, stuffed peppers, and strudels—are served to symbolize abundance. Stuffed cabbage has been a staple of Jewish cooking since the fourteenth century, when it was introduced in Russia by Tartars. There are an infinity of recipes for it, both Eastern European and Middle Eastern; ours, in a sweet-and-sour sauce, is of Polish derivation.
Note:When you're confronted with a bin of cabbages, you'll notice that some are quite light, whereas others have the heft of bowling balls. Choose the lightest ones for stuffing; their leaves peel off much more easily.
Ingredients
Makes 7 pieces
Stuffing
Sauce
Step 1
1. In a large bowl, combine all the stuffing ingredients. Stir them with a fork, then mix thoroughly with your hands. Cover and refrigerate.
Step 2
2. In another bowl, thoroughly mix all sauce ingredients. Cover and refrigerate.
Step 3
3. Fill a very large stockpot three-quarters full with water and bring to a rapid boil. While bringing the water to a boil, use a thin, sharp knife to make deep cuts around the core of the large cabbage (cut into the cabbage in a circle about 1/4 inch out from the core). Lift out the core, making a hole about 2 inches wide and 2 1/2 inches deep. This is a bit difficult — persevere.
Step 4
4.制定了一个烤盘整洁的炉子。贴我ong cooking fork into the core hole of the large cabbage, and plunge it (carefully, so you don't splash yourself) into the pot of rapidly boiling water. The outer leaves will begin to fall off. Leave them in the boiling water for a few minutes until they're limp and flexible enough for stuffing; then take them out one at a time, and place them on the baking tray. Try not to tear the leaves. When all the leaves are on the tray, transfer it into the sink and pour the boiling water from the pot over them. Wash the leaves carefully in cold water. With a small, sharp knife, trim off the tough outer spines and discard them.
Step 5
5. Find your largest leaves, and set them out on a plate. Set out all other leaves on another plate. One at a time, line each large leaf with another large leaf or two smaller leaves. (The idea is to strengthen your cabbage wrapping so that the stuffing stays securely inside during cooking. Be sure to align the spines of inner and outer leaves.) Stuff with 3/4 cup of the meat-rice mixture, roll very tightly along the spine, and close both sides by tucking them in with your fingers. The spine should be vertical in the center of tour roll.
Step 6
6. Stir the 4 cups of chopped cabbage into the sauce. Pour 3/4 inch of the sauce into a large, wide-bottomed stockpot. Arrange the cabbage rolls carefully on top of the sauce, and pour the remainder of the sauce over them to cover. Cover pot and simmer for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Serve with boiled potatoes and a vegetable.
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Reviews (52)
Back to TopThis was disgustingly sweet. Was there a typo? Total of 1.5 cups sugar? I can not recommend without big revisions.
dcdarrow222
Seattle
2/18/2021
This is a good recipe for the sweet version of stuffed cabbage, but I prefer the spicier, tarter version which omits raisins and replaces some of the more "confectionery" spices like cinnamon and citrus peel with paprika and a touch of red pepper. Also, I cook mine in a large Dutch oven on the stove, which makes it easier to monitor and more energy efficient. The nice thing about all stuffed cabbage recipes is that they can be tweaked ad infinitum and still turn out good! Great tip on choosing the right cabbage, BTW - thanks!
mginsd
San Diego
12/3/2016
add a pinch of smoked paprika for a change and a handful of yellow raisins
JamieDNYC
New York, NY
11/9/2014
这些都是很好的只有几个adjustments. The meat mixture made enough for at least eight large rolls, with a little left over. Seven rolls and I wouldn't have been able to close the sides of the rolls. I left out the white sugar as I was sure it would make the dish too sweet. The cooking liquid is very soupy at the end, but I'm not a fan of cornstarch, so I covered the cabbage rolls and kept them warm in the oven while I reduced the liquid for 30 minutes. Excellent!
Anonymous
3/31/2013
I used this recipe as a guide and tweaked to my preference. Also I "made" tomato sauce out of various boxed tomato soup flavors offered at the store and that worked perfectly for the flavor profile I was going for. All the core flavors are here for your experimentation - Adjust (or not) and Enjoy!
Brenda12360
Dallas Texas
9/21/2012
I fondly remember my Grandmother's stuffed cabbage but never had the smarts to ask her for her recipe. After looking at about a dozen recipes, this one seemed the closest to what I remember. I did make some changes: I used 3/4 cup brown sugar and left out the white sugar entirely. I also left out the cinnamon. I added 1/2 cup raisins to the stuffing and 3/4 cup of raisins to the sauce. And to push the sour flavor up, I added the juice of 4 lemons and used cider vinegar instead of white vinegar. Next time I think I may use ground lamb instead of ground beef.
etalerman1
The Berkshires
8/5/2012
I found this recipe way to sweet, and I even reduced the amount of sugar in half. We could only eat the rolls which were ok, but nothing special.
marjori
honolulu
6/3/2012
This was a great dish, absolutely not what I had expected, as the sweet flavor was much more present in this than any other stuffed cabbage I have had. But it was great, no alterations needed.
nicolerawlinson
Ballston Spa, NY
4/27/2012
This was delicious and not the least bit weird, as other reviewers have said. Based on prior reviews and my own preferences, I did make a few changes: 1 lb ground turkey + 1/2 lb ground pork (NOT KOSHER!)for less fat and more flavor; brown rice for white (cooked for 30 min); no white sugar; zested the citrus, removed the pith and then chopped into small pieces; because it was available, used Savoy cabbage for the rolls and regular for the sauce.
joycemck
San Francisco
1/17/2012
Without the orange peel, it was excellent. Seemed like a lot of work but it made plenty of food. Tastes better the next day.
aylissa
6/1/2011
Maybe this is one of those type foods you had to grow up with to enjoy. Had a large organic cabbage from my FarmBox program and didnt know what to do with it. Tried this recipe and it was blah. The only flavor was the sweet and sour from the vinegar and sugar. Everything else was just bland.
Anonymous
2/19/2011
Chopmeat is a New York term for hamburger meat.
Anonymous
LA
11/17/2010
I read the reviews about how the rice didn't cook all the way through, so I cooked the rice before mixing it with the rest of the stuffing. The rice cooked quickly while I was prepping the cabbage leaves. I simmered the stuffed cabbage for about an hour and it was delicious and the rice tender. I also don't know what chopmeat is, but I made these with mild pork sausage and they were delish! Will make it again next time I get cabbage from the CSA.
Anonymous
Atlanta, GA
11/14/2010
Oh yes, yes, let me rush RIGHT out and find Meyer lemons and fire roasted tomatoes so that i can get this recipe right. Never mind that my grandmother's recipe that she gave me more than 30 years ago is almost identical to this one -- after all, what is cooking if not impressing the world with irrelevant "tweaks"? Delicious just as is -- cinnamon more or less depending on your taste -- our original recipe called for sauerkraut to line the cooking pot.
Anonymous
Cooperstown, NY
8/25/2010
After reading other reviews, I eliminated the white sugar altogether, and used 1/4 tsp of cinnamon. Also used canned crushed tomatoes instead of tomato sauce, and cider vinegar instead of white. After rolling the mixture in cabbage leaves, I froze in individual servings with sauce (no extra cabbage in sauce) so that I could reheat for lunches at work. Worked great!
mfite
Nashville, TN
7/25/2010
