This recipe for Gołąbki, or stuffed cabbage as they are commonly known, is my grandma's and mom's version of this traditional dish. Like so many ethnic dishes, there are countless variations depending on the region. I have found that most Gołąbki served in the Detroit area (and elsewhere in Michigan) comes baked in some kind of tomato gravy or sauce. Elsewhere, I've seen it served with sour cream or even topped with a mushroom gravy.

While you can surely enjoy these Gołąbki when they come out of the oven, they will only get better in flavor and texture the NEXT DAY! We would often have these on a Sunday, so they were made on Saturday, or even on Friday if time permitted.

Preparing stuffed cabbage takes time it is not a quick prep meal! But it's well worth the effort.

1 large head or 2 medium heads of cabbage (you want at least 24 good, full leaves to wrap your filling in, plus another 10 or so to line the roasting pan the leaves you use for the lining don't have to be perfect in shape, size or condition)
1 cup dry rice (cook in 2 cups water)
2 lbs ground pork
1 lb ground chuck
2 medium onions, diced fine
6 TBSP butter
3 cubes chicken bouillon, crushed (or 3 tsp granulated chicken bouillon)
salt and pepper
2 cans (10.75 oz) condensed tomato soup or 1 can (26 oz) condensed tomato soup
water
4 TBSP brown sugar

Extra gravy for serving (if desired)
1 can (10.75 oz) condensed tomato soup
water
1 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp pepper

Rinse raw rice in sieve under cold water. Transfer to medium sauce pan and add two cups cold water. Bring to a boil. Stir. Reduce to simmer and cover. Cook 2025 minutes until water is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from heat and remove cover. Fluff rice with fork. Allow rice to cool completely and fluff with fork again. You don't want any clumps.

In a large skillet, melt 6 TBSP butter and add diced onion. Season with salt and pepper. Over medium heat, slowly cook onions until soft and golden brown. Watch your heat be careful not to burn the onions, stir them often until they caramelize and soften. Remove from heat and set aside.

Get the largest pot you have and fill it about 3/4 way with water and put on heat. You can make your meat filling while the pot comes up to a boil.

In a large bowl, combine pork, chuck, cooked rice, cooked onions, chicken bouillon, and season well with salt and pepper. Gently mix all the ingredients together (I use clean hands for this job). Set meat mixture aside.

Carefully using a knife (I use a paring knife for this job) cut into the bottom of the cabbage around the core (stem). Try to go in about two inches and at an angle. You want to remove the core area from the cabbage so the leaves will remove easily. Using a large carving fork or some other tool to securely hold the cabbage, gently lower it into the boiling water. Give it a few minutes in the water and then with a pair of tongs gently start to pull the leaves away from the cabbage one by one. Put leaves in a colander or bowl lined with a towel to wick some of the water away.

Once you have all the larger leaves removed from the cabbage, use a paring knife to trim down the center vein that goes through the leaf. These are tough, and making rolling the leaf difficult, so trim it down (see video) or remove it altogether.

Make your sauce/gravy for inside the roasting pan. Use you condensed tomato soup, and then add one half of the can with water (this will help you rinse the can to get the remnants of the soup out of it). Bring it up to a simmer, stir well, and then take it off the heat. Your sauce is now ready.

The amount of filling you use depends on the size of the leaf you are using, so you will get a feel for it. Typically, the filling might be the size of two golf balls, or if you want to weigh the filling start with 3 oz portions and go up or down from there. Shape the filling in a football or oval shape, roll the leaf entirely around the filling, then tuck in the sides so what is left to roll is even on both sides. Roll up the rest of the way and put in roasting pan. Continue to roll until all your filling is gone.

Before you put a second layer of Gołąbki in the roasting pan, ladle some of your tomato soup sauce over the first layer and sprinkle with a couple tablespoons of brown sugar. When you finish putting the second layer in the roasting pan, repeat using the remaining sauce and sprinkle top layer with brown sugar.

You should have some leaves left over or hopefully you saved the leaves that were torn or not good for rolling. Use those leaves to lay over the top of the stuffed cabbage. This will protect them from heat.

Put lid on roaster. Bake about 2 hours at 300325 degrees. Remove from oven. They can be served immediately, but they are even better the next day or second day. Let cool down, leave in roaster and put in fridge. Warm in 300 degree oven for about an hour.
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