MY MOM’S HALUPKI: (AKA. Stuffed Cabbage)
My mom used to make stuffed cabbage on Sundays after church. We called it “pigs in a blanket” or by its Slovak name, Halupki. If you are of Eastern European descendant in Pittsburgh, you’ve probably had some version of this recipe. This recipe takes time but is worth the labor. Enjoy!
Ingredients (double if you have a large family like we did)
One pound of ground pork
1 ½ cups of cooked white rice
One large head of cabbage
One diced yellow onion
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
One tablespoon of olive oil
½ teaspoon of black pepper, more to taste
1 ½ teaspoons of salt, more to taste
1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
One 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
One 28 oz can of tomato sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
Prep:
Cook your rice.
While that is on the stove, heat a large pot of salted water to boil. Make sure the pot is large enough to put your cabbage in. (Don’t overfill it with water like I did this past weekend.)
Put in the entire cabbage and boil for two minutes.
Carefully remove the cabbage using two large serving spoons and put it into a colander to drain.
Once it is cool enough to handle, carefully peel off the outer leaves of the cabbage. The leaves should be soft. The inner leaves will likely start to seem less tender. Put the cabbage back in the hot water for several minutes so it can soften and don’t tear with removal.
You should get about 10 leaves off of the cabbage.
Cut a triangle out from the base of each leave to remove the toughest part of the cabbage leaf. Let them dry on a clean dish towel or some paper towels.
While the cabbage dry, prepare the filling.
Heat your oven to 350 F.
In a large skillet, heat your olive oil, then add the diced onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic, salt, pepper, and sweet paprika. Heat for about a minute until the garlic is fragrant.
Add the ground pork and cook until browned about 5 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and still until well mixed, then add the diced tomatoes with their juices. Simmer for about a minute.
Take off the heat, then add the cooked rice. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Wait until the mixture is cool to the touch, then mix in the lightly beaten egg. (Be patient. You don’t want scrambled eggs)
Prepare for the oven by lining the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with some of the tomato sauce. (You’ll need more to put over top of the assembled cabbage rolls later). If you are cooking for a large family like my mom did and are doubling the recipe, use a roasting pan.
Assembling the Cabbage Rolls
Take a cabbage leaf with the tougher cut side away from you and put in about ½ cup of your filling at the opposite end. Shape the filling into a log.
Fold in the sides of the leaf first, then roll up tightly.
Put the rolled-up leaves in your baking dish or roasting pan, seam side down.
Repeat until all the leaves are filled.
Cover generously with tomato sauce. That keeps the leaves moist while cooking.
Cover your baking dish with foil or put the lid on the roasting pan then cook for 75 minutes. The sauce should be bubbling and the cabbage leaves tender when it’s finished.
Once done, take them out of the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Enjoy!!
My mom used to make stuffed cabbage on Sundays after church. We called it “pigs in a blanket” or by its Slovak name, Halupki. If you are of Eastern European descendant in Pittsburgh, you’ve probably had some version of this recipe. This recipe takes time but is worth the labor. Enjoy!
Ingredients (double if you have a large family like we did)
One pound of ground pork
1 ½ cups of cooked white rice
One large head of cabbage
One diced yellow onion
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
One tablespoon of olive oil
½ teaspoon of black pepper, more to taste
1 ½ teaspoons of salt, more to taste
1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
One 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
One 28 oz can of tomato sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
Prep:
Cook your rice.
While that is on the stove, heat a large pot of salted water to boil. Make sure the pot is large enough to put your cabbage in. (Don’t overfill it with water like I did this past weekend.)
Put in the entire cabbage and boil for two minutes.
Carefully remove the cabbage using two large serving spoons and put it into a colander to drain.
Once it is cool enough to handle, carefully peel off the outer leaves of the cabbage. The leaves should be soft. The inner leaves will likely start to seem less tender. Put the cabbage back in the hot water for several minutes so it can soften and don’t tear with removal.
You should get about 10 leaves off of the cabbage.
Cut a triangle out from the base of each leave to remove the toughest part of the cabbage leaf. Let them dry on a clean dish towel or some paper towels.
While the cabbage dry, prepare the filling.
Heat your oven to 350 F.
In a large skillet, heat your olive oil, then add the diced onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic, salt, pepper, and sweet paprika. Heat for about a minute until the garlic is fragrant.
Add the ground pork and cook until browned about 5 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and still until well mixed, then add the diced tomatoes with their juices. Simmer for about a minute.
Take off the heat, then add the cooked rice. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Wait until the mixture is cool to the touch, then mix in the lightly beaten egg. (Be patient. You don’t want scrambled eggs)
Prepare for the oven by lining the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with some of the tomato sauce. (You’ll need more to put over top of the assembled cabbage rolls later). If you are cooking for a large family like my mom did and are doubling the recipe, use a roasting pan.
Assembling the Cabbage Rolls
Take a cabbage leaf with the tougher cut side away from you and put in about ½ cup of your filling at the opposite end. Shape the filling into a log.
Fold in the sides of the leaf first, then roll up tightly.
Put the rolled-up leaves in your baking dish or roasting pan, seam side down.
Repeat until all the leaves are filled.
Cover generously with tomato sauce. That keeps the leaves moist while cooking.
Cover your baking dish with foil or put the lid on the roasting pan then cook for 75 minutes. The sauce should be bubbling and the cabbage leaves tender when it’s finished.
Once done, take them out of the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Enjoy!!