Golumpki ( Busia's Polish Cabbage Rolls)

"Pronounced gaw-WUMP-kee, literally meaning 'little pigeons'. Probably the best known Polish food. The ground meat & rice type in tomato sauce are the most common, but the seasonings and stuffings vary from region to region. The dish is hearty and delicious--and known by other names throughout Eastern Europe.

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% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

I usually start by parboiling my cabbage leaves enough so they are pliable and easy to handle. I set them on a draining dish towel to cool. Then I begin to make my filling:

Step 2

I put 1/2 lb. ground beef and 1/2 lb. ground pork in a large bowl. I saute in butter, 2 large diced onions, 3 minced garlic cloves, until they are translucent.

Step 3

Pour over the meat. Then I cook 1 cup of rice and put that on top of the onion/garlic mixture in the bowl. Allow rice to cool until you can touch it without burning your hands.

Step 4

Now add 2 teasp. garlic powder, 2 teasp. onion powder, 1/2 tsp. mace, 1/2 tsp. MSG, 1 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 1/2 tsp. pepper. Now by hand, mix everything in the bowl thoroughly until well blended.

Step 5

Your next step is to TRIM the tough middle cabbage vein from the outside of each leaf. Continue to do that to all the leaves. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Step 6

Now spray a casserole or lasagna pan with Pam Spray and set the tiny cabbage leaves on the bottom covering entire bottom of pan.

Step 7

You are now ready to start rolling the cabbage rolls. Place the cabbage leaf with bottom of large vein facing you. Take about 12 cup of meat mixture and place at end of cabbage leaf. Gently and firmly, roll away from you to just cover the top of the meat. Bring both sides of cabbage up over the sides of meat and then continue to roll until cabbage is all rolled up over the meat. Now place in pan on top of the tiny cabbage leaves. Continue to do this until all meat and cabbage leaves are used. If cabbage leaves are really big, use a little more meat to roll up into it and if smaller cabbage leaves, just use a little less meat before rolling.

Step 8

Now I take 2 cans of Campbell's tomato soup and put into the same large bowl you had the meat mixture in. Fill each of the soup cans with warm water and add to bowl. Combine completely. Pour over the cabbage rolls. The tomato soup mixes with the meat juices and steam that escapes from rolls and makes a wonderful sauce to serve with the cabbage rolls.

Step 9

Cover your Dutch oven or Lasagna Pan when your Golumpki while cooking in oven. You can also stack them in a Dutch oven instead of a Lasagna pan. If using Lasagna pan, cook in oven for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Everyone's oven is different. If cooking on top of stove in a Dutch Oven pot, cook on medium heat for 1 1/2 hours. When done, tomato soup should be thickened. And there ya go; this was my grandmother's recipe. I'm 72 and have passed it down to my girls. Hope you enjoy.