Ukrainian Cabbage Food

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.

UKRAINIAN SWEET CABBAGE VARENYKY (PIEROGI DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• TO MAKE THE FILLING: Cut the cabbages into quarters. Steam until very tender, approximately 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and cool. In a strong but thin linen towel, squeeze as much of the liquid from the steamed cabbage as possible. Squeeze only a small handful at a time. Discard the juice.
• Grind the squeezed cabbage with the fine blade of a meat grinder. Add the cream cheese and softened butter and season highly with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• TO MAKE THE DOUGH: Whisk the egg, milk, water, and sour cream together. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Turn out onto a floured board and knead until smooth and elastic. This may take 10 minutes. Add as little additional flour as possible.
• Put ball of dough under an inverted bowl until ready to use.
• To make the varenyky, cut the dough into 4 pieces. On a floured board roll out piece of dough into a round 1/16 inch thick. Keep rest of dough covered. With a cookie cutter or glass tumbler (2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter), cut the dough into rounds. For each varenyk take 1 round of dough, stretch it a bit with your fingers, and spoon about 2 Tablespoons of the cabbage onto the center.
• Fold the circle in half and press the edges together. Crimp the edges with your fingertips into a decorative pattern if you wish. Be sure to seal the edges well or the filling may fall out during cooking. Put finished dumplings on a towel or tray that has been lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Continue rolling dough until all the filling has been used up.
• Bring a very large kettle of water to the boil. Add 1 Tablespoon salt to the water and cook about 20 varenyky at one time in simmering water until they are tender and float (about 5 to 6 minutes.) Remove to a serving dish with a slotted spoon and dribble with butter and a bit of oil, to prevent sticking. Gently fold the varenyky in the oil. Leftover varenyky can be fried in butter and oil with fried onions.
• Makes approximately 8 dozen dumplings.

UKRAINIAN CABBAGE

Steps:

• Combine the cranberry sauce, tomato sauce, 4 cups tap water and brown sugar and bring to boil.
• Reduce to a simmer and add white raisins. Simmer 5 minutes.
• Core the heads of cabbage and place into a large pot. Cover with boiling water. Cover the pot and cook about 10 to 15 minutes, until cabbage is wilted.
• Remove from hot water. Then cover the cabbage with cold water and separate the leaves. You may have to replace the inner half of the cabbage into the hot water, in order to soften the rest of the leaves. When the rest of the cabbage is done, place that into the cold water and separate those leaves. You will want to tear the large leaves in half.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Drain all of the cabbage well and place the cabbage into a roasting pot. Pour the sauce into the same pot and mix the cabbage and sauce with a wooden spoon.
• Cover pot with lid or with heavy duty aluminum foil and bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes.

UKRAINIAN RED CABBAGE - KAPUSTA

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the apples and the onion and sauté until the onion is tender and translucent, approximately 8 minutes.
• Stir in cabbage and stir until wilted, approximately 8 minutes. Stir in the sugar, vinegar ,salt, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Cover and cook until the cabbage is tender, stirring occasionally, aproximately 10 minutes.
• Add the stock and jam and continue to cook uncovered for 5 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper and serve. Delicious!

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.

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!