Monday, December 5, 2011

cabbage rolls without the rolls

we love cabbage rolls - like love 'em! but sometimes we aren't in the mood for all of the fussing around that comes with them. and we have now perfected a recipe for having your cabbage rolls without the fuss, nor the rolls. it tastes just as delicious as cabbage rolls. the following recipe is the exact same recipe that i use when making actual cabbage rolls, as well.



cabbage rolls without the rolls

1/4 of a cabbage, shredded
1lb of hamburger
2 cups of basmati (or whatever you have) rice
4 big handfulls of sauerkraut (try making your own - sauerkraut is very easy to make and is so good for you!)
1 can of tomatoe puree (hopefully your own home-canned)
1 can of whole tomatoes (again, hopefully your own home-canned)
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
a splash of apple cider vinegar WITH the Mother
a dollop of unpasteurized honey
a large knob of butter
a splash of worcestershire sauce
fresh (or dried) oregano
a dollop of sour cream for serving
sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste

1. pour your tomatoe puree into a large stock pot and heat on low to medium heat. add the vinegar, garlic, honey, oregano, salt and pepper. chop up your whole tomatoes and add. add the handfulls of sauerkraut and don't squeeze it out. taste for seasoning and adjust to taste.

2. put your rice in the rice-maker or make your rice according to instructions on the box. we use a rice maker and add a small bit of almond oil - the almond oil really brings out the flavour in the basmati.

3. heat your hamburger over medium-high heat. splash some worcestershire sauce all over it and mix to combine.

4. when the hamburger is finished, strain and then dump it into your tomatoe sauce. don't clean the pan that the hamburger was cooked in - put it back on the burner.

5. add a large dollop of butter to the pan that the hamburger was cooked in. toss your shredded cabbage in and saute until just tender.

6. add the rice and cabbage to the tomatoe sauce. stir. taste and adjust seasonings if required.

7. serve and enjoy! if you love cabbage rolls - you will love this!

7 comments:

  1. Hey Kymber,

    This is a great recipe you have here ! I love, love cabbage rolls too, but you know ... a lot of work when feeling rushed or lazy. I've been craving them lately, and with an organic head of savoy cabbage in the fridge ... I'll get started later and make your version.

    Thanks for sharing and have great day ! :))

    ReplyDelete
  2. Helga - thanks for stopping by! i hope that you enjoy your cabbage rolls without the rolls...and with you being German...you will understand that cabbage rolls MUST have sauerkraut in them...whether they are traditional rolls or not...the sauerkraut is a MUST! (my mother was Polish/Ukranian/Norwegian - a fantastic mix!)

    anyway - i don't know why but i am not receiving emails from this blog when comments are left? am trying to fix this problem...anyone have any ideas?

    again Helga - thanks for stopping by. i feel that you are a sister from another mother...and i have only one other sister like that. it is truly a blessing to find someone so dear on the internet of all places.

    i hope that you are well and keep you in my thoughts and prayers daily.

    your friend,
    kymber

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kymber - I just had to tell you that the cabbage rolls without the rolls were sooo good. I dished up twice and thought of you with every bite. Oh, for sure that sauerkraut really did wonders. Never can use it much because ( Alan ) my husband won't eat it. He says he'll blow up if he does ... I say go outside and deal with it . Just don't scare away the animals, bahaha !

    Really, a sister from another mother ... I feel happy you said that, because I feel the same way. We will meet one day and hit it off - I just know it ! Actually, I'm really a loner with no friends, but now I have one.

    Take care my friend,
    Helga

    ReplyDelete
  4. Helga, dear friend, soooo glad that you enjoyed them! as for Alan...on nights that you serve sauerkraut - he will just have to sleep in a tent in the yard...sorry Alan - bahahahah! but hey...you live in BC...it's not that bad! sorry again Alan - bahahahah!

    as for being a loner, i was one too for much of my life. but since starting these blogs i have made many friends - people i have never met - and yet consider them, and their opinions, to be very important to me. you are one of the best and i am very glad to have you.

    you know - i really do hope that we meet! i think that we would hit it off immediately and then be screeching fools for hours.

    you most definitely have a friend, my dear. and i pride myself on being a very good and sincere friend!

    thank you for always visiting the blogs and leaving such supportive comments...i really appreciate that, Helga!

    your very sincere friend,
    kymber

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sounds and looks delicious!!! I wonder if it would be okay without the rice?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Tango - i am sure that it would be fine without the rice. we have also found that we like to add even more tomatoe juice and make it more like a soup. i am sure the soup with hamburger, cabbage and sauerkraut WITHOUT the rice would be delicious as well!

    ReplyDelete
  7. my all time favorite comfort food - my grandmother made them for me when I would come to visit, but she called them Gulumpkies. I never thought of making them in a non-roll form, but even now I don't think that I could do it...it just seems so wrong to me....and what would my grandma think?

    ReplyDelete