Its cabbage again. Though I will not shred or dice it. I make stuffed cabbage, taking liberties with a Tyler Florence recipe. It has this wonderful comedic name- Galumpkis. The name rolls off my tongue so easily. I say it again and again, happily knowing we are in for a treat. The name is a mouthful and definitely is a mouthful of goodness when you bite into it. A delectible package of pork and breadcrumbs wrapped in cabbage leaves, bathed in a sweet and sour tomato sauce.
The first time I made Galumpkis, we has a field day telling everyone what we ate for dinner. The novelty soon wore off. Now it's stuffed cabbage in its generic form, though the dish is anything but that. It is versatile, savory, spicy and tender. Cabbage is not everyone's favorite. And yet it makes for a healthier wrap than filo pastry or a tortilla. This is one of those recipes that tastes far better than it sounds. Trust me...if it wasn't, Galumpkis would not have repeat performances at our table.
Galumpkis (Or My Amended Version of Cabbage Rolls)
Makes 12 rolls
Sweet and Sour Sauce
1 teaspoon Olive oil
2 cloves Garlic
1 28 oz. can crushed Tomatoes
2 teaspoons white Vinegar
2 teaspoons Sugar
1/2 teaspoon crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Heat olive oil in deep saucepan.
Drop the garlic into the oil and let turn golden brown.
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, red pepper flakes and salt. Be careful, the tomatoes do splatter.
Cover partially and simmer on a low flame for 10 minutes.
Take off the flame and let the sauce cool.
Pork stuffing for cabbage leaves
1 pound ground Pork
3/4 cup Sourdough bread, cut into small cubes
1 Egg
1/2 teaspoon crushed Red Pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground Black pepper
2 tablespoons Canola oil
1 Onion
2 cloves Garlic
1 tablespoon Tomato ketchup
2 tablespoons Red wine
1 cup Sweet and Sour sauce (recipe above)
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 head Savoy Cabbage
To make the stuffing, combine pork, bread cubes, egg, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper in a bowl. Keep aside.
Peel and chop the onion into small dice.
Peel and chop the garlic finely.
Heat a saucepan on a medium flame and add canola oil.
Add the chopped onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes.
Mix in the tomato ketchup and stir well to incorporate.
Add the red wine and let it come to mild boil.
Stir in the cup of sweet and sour sauce and mix well. Take the saucepan off heat and cool.
When cool, add this mixture to the pork and mix well.
Boil a quart of water in a large pan.
Trim the outer leaves of cabbage. Try to keep the leaf in one piece as it is a base for the stuffing. I start by cutting the leaf at the base and then gently easing it off. You will need 12 to 14 leaves.
When the water comes to a boil, throw in a teaspoon of Kosher Salt.
Add the separated cabbage leaves in batches. This depends on the size of the pan. Three of four leaves should float unencumbered in the water for 5 to 7 minutes. Boil all the leaves in this fashion. Drain the leaves and pat dry.
Using a knife cut out the thick stem at the base of the leaf. This will make stuffing the leaf easier.
Lay a leaf on a flat surface.
Place 2 tablespoons of stuffing in the lower center of the leaf. Fold right side and then the left side. Bring the top flap over to make a small package. Keep on a tray seam side down. Use up all the stuffing and leaves the same way. You should get 12 to 14 rolls. Some look neat and the others a little sloppy. It won't matter as they will be covered with sauce.
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Ladle 2 to 3 spoonfuls of sauce on the bottom of a 9 by 13 ovenproof dish.
Nestle the rolls side by side on sauce.
Cover with remaining sauce.
Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
Cover loosely with foil and bake for an hour.
We have Galumpkis piping hot with some green salad.
Notes
Pork could be replaced by ground beef or turkey.
Taking the leaves off the cabbage is tricky. An easy way is to core the cabbage before you cut the leaves.
I did not have Savoy cabbage. Regular cabbage leaves are harder to remove. The above trick works well. Though Savoy cabbage with its bright green wrinkled texture, makes quite a lovely wrap.
Tomorrow's lunch is taken care off!!
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