Dołąbki are a blessing of Polish traditional cuisine. They are tasty, filling and can be prepared with various modifications. Today we serve you a traditional recipe for this dish.
Traditional recipe – ingredients
To make 14 stuffed cabbage rolls you need:
- 700 g minced pork
- 100 g rice
- 2 onions
- 1 white or Italian cabbage
- 1.5 liters of stock or broth
- 600 g tomato puree
- 1 tbsp flour
- spices: salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon powdered paprika, 1/2 teaspoon thyme
Making
- Put meat in a bigger bowl. Boil rice, let it cool and add to meat. Peel onion, grate, add to meat with rice. Season with salt (about half a teaspoon), pepper (1/4 teaspoon). Mix everything and knead well with the palm of your hand. Form small oblong chops.
- Cut out the center of the cabbage, then put it in a large pot of boiling water (cut side down), cook for about 10 minutes over low heat. Flip the cabbage over and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove the cabbage from the boiling water and once it has cooled down, strip it of its leaves, gently cut off the thickening of each leaf, then put the prepared portions of meat.
- Roll up like croquettes (first put the leaf over the meat on one side, then fold the sides inwards, then roll up the remaining part of the leaf as tightly as possible to the end). Not all of the cabbage needs to be used.
- Line the bottom of a large and preferably wide pot with several cabbage leaves (such as those that have been torn). Place the cabbage rolls on top, seam side down. Boil the broth in another pot and pour it over the stuffed cabbage rolls. Put it on the gas, cover and cook for about 45-60 minutes until the cabbage is soft. During cooking do not stir the stuffed cabbage rolls, alternatively shake the pot gently.
- Pour the cabbage rolls broth into another pot. Add tomato puree and flour previously mixed with a few spoonfuls of cold water. Bring to a boil and season with salt, pepper, dried oregano, thyme and paprika. Cook for 10 minutes uncovered.
- If you are adding cream, you should distribute it gradually with the sauce, adding it a spoonful at a time to the cream while stirring. Pour into the pot with the rolls and cook the whole thing for a few minutes over low heat, shaking the pot from time to time to distribute the sauce evenly.