“Some foods are
so comforting, so nourishing of body and soul, that to eat them is to be home
again after a long journey. To eat such a meal is to remember that, though the
world is full of knives and storms, the body is built for kindness. The angels,
who know no hunger, have never been as satisfied.” ~~Cinnamon and Gunpowder by
Eli Brown
I am sorry to have taken so long to
post, but the last five months have been a whirlwind of both extreme joy and
painful loss. The above quote hits home about our connection to comfort,
family, and food. And it was through the preparation of food for my family that
I found solace in a time of loss...the loss of my Uncle Mike Vaskie.
The Vaskie's connection to family
through food runs deep, and I am certainly not the only who practices the art
of cooking. My cousin Julie is an amazing cook, and I would put her
from-scratch-baking up against any pastry chef, and my cousin John not only
smokes some of the best pork and brisket, but he also makes gumbo as if he were
born and bred in the bayou of Louisiana. Jeannie, well, Jeannie didn't catch
the cooking bug like the rest of us, but she buys a mean cocktail shrimp
platter for every holiday! I guess our family is no different than any other.
We have our traditional foods passed down through generations, as well as new
traditions that the younger generations have added. No one loved the family
get-togethers, the laughter, the constant singing, and the food more than
Uncle Mike.
"To be home again" for
me, as well as for many of my family members, is often connected to the foods
from Great-Grandma Rosie's kitchen, which were then passed to Grandma Ige, who
then spent many an hour teaching me how to get as close to Rosie's Hungarian
masterpieces as possible. No one was a greater supporter of my desire to
learn the art of familial cooking than my Uncle Mike. He praised my creations
often, and I received great joy from watching him enjoy any dish I made. I can
still recall some of the dishes I made that became his favorites: navy bean
and ham soup, tortellini with meat sauce, chocolate raspberry cheesecake.
The last time I talked with Uncle
Mike about food, he had asked me to explain step-by-step how to make my flash
fried brussel sprouts. It was that conversation, and his constant hounding
for me to write a book, that prompted me to begin my blog. Uncle Mike was
a foodie. Plain and simple. And although he enjoyed trying all foods, his
eyes seemed to light up the most when Grandma Rosie's signature dishes hit the
table. Because he loved them so much, here is the recipe for Great-Grandma
Rosie's Cabbage Rolls.
Rosie's Hungarian Cabbage Rolls
I have worked on perfecting Rosie's cabbage rolls for years, and although I think I'm close, I don't think I will ever know all of her secrets in order to get them just like hers.
For her version of Hungarian Cabbage Rolls you will need the following: 2 small to medium heads of green cabbage; 2 pounds of ground beef; 1/2 a medium onion, small dice; roughly 1 cup of minute rice; two cloves garlic, minced; 1 can sauerkraut; Hungarian sweet paprika; 1 large can of tomato juice; salt and pepper to taste.
To begin, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and then reduce to a slow boil.
The first, and most difficult step in making cabbage rolls, is detaching the leaves from the heads of cabbage. Grandma Rosie always chose small to medium sized heads, believing large heads of cabbage were too tough. The big, outer leaves should be used to line the bottom of the soup pot used to simmer the cabbage rolls. Then, sprinkle a bit of sauerkraut on the leaves.
When the outer leaves are removed, place a head in the pot of hot water in order to loosen the leaves. The trick is to remove the leaves without tearing them.
This will allow you to easily separate the leaf from the head. Take care not to tear the leaf.
Next, I take the knife and shave a bit of the hard vein on the back of the leaf. This will allow for easier rolling later, as well as removing a tough portion of the cabbage.
Continue to remove leaves in this fashion. When it becomes difficult to remove leaves, place the head back into the hot water in order to loosen the next set. You will have a portion of the head left over since once the leaves become too small, you won't be able to stuff them properly. Reserve the hot water.
Once you have the leaves removed, set them aside and grab a large mixing bowl to make the meat filling. In the bowl, place the ground beef, onion, garlic, rice, 1 to 1 1/2 cups of tomato juice (you want the mixture to be a bit sloppy), 2 tablespoons of paprika, and salt and pepper to taste.
I find it easiest to mix with my hands. Once everything is fully incorporated, the meat filling should look like this:
Now it's time to roll out the cabbage rolls. The key is to keep the rolls small and tight. Grandma Rosie and Grandma Ige always made small cabbage rolls. To begin, take a cabbage leaf and place it curved side down on the counter or cutting board. Place a dollop of meat filling at the stem end of the leaf.
Take the stem end and roll it up over the filling, tucking it tightly.
Fold both sides toward the center, again, keeping the roll tight.
Once the sides are folded over, roll the filling toward the end of the cabbage leaf. Place the roll in the pot with the seam side down. Continue to fill, roll, and place the rest of the cabbage leaves in the pot, packing them tightly in a single layer.
On top of the layer, sprinkle sauerkraut and about a 1/2 cup of tomato juice. Begin a second layer of rolls. When the second layer is complete, sprinkle with sauerkraut and tomato juice again. Continue in this fashion as needed.
Once all of the rolls are finished, cut up the remaining cabbage heads in chunks and place in the pot. Take the hot water you set aside and pour it slowly over the cabbage rolls. If the rolls are not covered, add more water until they are cover. Sprinkle with paprika and salt and pepper to taste.
Cover the pot and bring to a slow boil. Once the pot reaches a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours. After the cabbage rolls have finished simmering, place them in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. When removed from the oven, the cabbage rolls will look like this:
Carefully spoon the cabbage rolls into a bowl. Serve as a meal or as a side.
Enjoy!
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