Cooking Around the World: Polish Golabki

I’ve been talking about how much I love food on my blog for a very long time, practically since I started this thing a few months ago. Between the awesome food tours that I go on to having crazy delicious dining experiences, it’s safe to say that I’m a foodie. I just LOVE food!!!! Especially foods that come from other cultures. So I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to introduce a new series here on Ania Travels called “Cooking Around the World with Ania Travels” where I’ll be sharing with you some of my favorite recipes from around the world. Each recipe is my take on a famous dish that I have eaten somewhere in this world but it is modified to my particular diet (90% pescatarian, once in a blue moon I'll throw in some chicken). There will be tons of flavors, vegetables, spices, oriental flavors, and seafood. Each recipe can easily be modified or substituted to your liking.

Let’s start with one of my favorite Polish comfort dishes ever. Golabki (GAW-WUMP-KEE)! Polish golabki are probably one of the most famous dishes ever and they are simply: stuffed cabbage rolls, something my mother and grandmother used to make all the time. These are usually stuffed with rice and meat with a tomato sauce and different spices depending on the region. My family would always have these made with mushrooms for Christmas Eve, and I remember ALWAYS taking off the cabbage when I was younger and just eating the insides. It’s funny how taste buds change as an adult, now I love the cabbage but make veggies ones for myself all the time. Here's my recipe for Polish Golabki.

Makes 4-6 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 large heads cabbage head with big leaves, core removed
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 large onions, peeled and minced
• 3 cups cooked long grain rice
• 4 cups fresh mushrooms
• 1 tsp Salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tsp finely chopped garlic
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• .5 tsp parsley
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups tomato juice
• 2 cans condensed tomato soup

Directions

Preheat over to 400 degrees

1. Fill a pot (big enough to submerge the cabbage head) with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Bring the cabbage head to boil for about 10 minutes. Transfer the cabbage to a colander in the sink to drain until it cools.
2. When the leaves are tender gently peel the leaves (you might have to peel a couple layers then return back to the water if not cooked all the way through). The goal is to have 15-20 medium to large leaves for the rolls. Use a paper towel to pat dry the leaves. Discard the cabbage cooking liquid once done pealing all of the leaves. Tip: Use kitchen shears to snip away any soggy or tough parts of the cabbage.
3. Melt butter in a skillet and add the onion. Cook for about 5 minutes, until lightly brown. Add the mushrooms and garlic to the skillet and cook until tender/brown.
4. Mix in the rice and season with salt, pepper, paprika, and parsley.
5. Spread the 16 to 20 cabbage leaves on a working surface and divide the filling evenly among the leaves, placing it near the bottom of each leaf. Carefully roll up the leaves, tucking in the sides so the stuffing is contained.
6. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with the remaining butter. Rest the rolls seam sides down packing them closely together, but not overlapping.
7. Whisk together the tomato soup and tomato juice and pour into the pan so the rolls are covered. Sprinkle with remaining paprika.
8. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
9. Remove cover and bake for another 10 minutes to brown the cabbage lightly.
10. Serve the cabbage rolls immediately pouring the sauce over them when serving.

Smacznego!

Did you love this recipe? Did you make some modifications of your own? Tell me what you thought in the comments below.

Xoxo Ania Travels 💜