Russian-Style Stuffed Cabbage

My mother always claimed she didn’t like to cook but had a few specialties she made on occasion. One is her Russian-style Stuffed Cabbage.  It’s a wonderful dish to eat on a cold winter’s day.  

This recipe is from my mother’s Eastern European roots.  It’s sweetened with honey and raisins.

Enjoy this recipe

Ukrainian Stuffed Cabbage

Marilyn Forstadt

This is a family favorite recipe that my mother handed down from the Ukrainian side of her family.

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Course Entree

Cuisine Russian

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

  

• 1 large cabbage
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 medium onions sliced
• 3 cups tomatoes canned approx 1 28 oz can + a little more
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• beef bones
• 1 lb ground beef
• 3 Tbsp rice uncooked
• 4 Tbsp onion grated
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp cold water
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup seedless raisins

Instructions

 

• In a large pot, pour boiling water over the cabbage. cover and let soak for 15 minutes.
• Remove 12 leaves carefully. If leaves are small use 18. (After I removed the leaves I steamed the leaves slightly to further soften them – this is optional)
• Melt the butter in a deep, heavy saucepan. Lightly brown the onions in it.
• Add the tomatoes (I pulverized them in a food processor first) half the salt and pepper, and all the bones. Cook over low heat for 30 minutes.
• Mix together the ground beef, rice, grated onions, egg, the remainder of the salt and pepper and water.
• Place a dollop of meat mixture on each cabbage leaf. Tuck the soft part of the leaves around the mixture and roll carefully.
• Add the rolled cabbage leaves to the sauce. Cover and cook over low heat for 1 1/2 hrs.
• Add the honey, lemon juice, raisins and cook for 30 minutes longer.
• This meal will serve 6 for a main dish and 12 as a 1st course.

A little family history

My mother’s father, Alexander Melinsky, immigrated from Buda, Russia in 1906, before the Russian Revolution, and worked in the coal mines in Pennsylvania and Superior, Colorado.  Her mother’s family came from Slovakia.

My grandfather was lured back to Russia in 1938 after reading Soviet propaganda in Pravda.  He wanted my grandmother and their 4 daughters to come with him but they refused. He headed to the Donbas coal mines in Ukraine, which was then part of Russia, to see what it was like. My mother received a few letters from him but he disappeared and was never heard from again.  

Many ex-patriots were deliberately encouraged to come back to Russia and were murdered by Stalin during the Purge.  It’s sad because we’ve never been able to find out what happened to him.

Discover your Ancestry here

Family traditional recipes make you remember your roots

Although I have never been to Russia or Ukraine, I have been to Poland, where my father’s family is from. I’ve always loved the food I’ve tried from Eastern Europe. My dad’s family immigrated to America in 1879 and were Jewish. The cuisine in Poland is similar to Russia with some differences.

Stuffed cabbage rolls are served in various forms in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

It is a traditional dish in parts of Europe and is served during holidays and special occasions. Polish gołąbki is often made with pork or beef with rice or barley, although the Jewish version does not use pork. The Ukrainian Holubtsi version is sometimes made with corn grits or buckwheat groats. Most versions are made with rice. The difference I found between Polish and Russian is that Polish stuffed cabbage tends to be savory and Russian is sweet and sour.

What I love about this particular recipe is that the honey and raisins give it some sweetness. Substitute the meat with baby Bella mushrooms if you want a vegetarian version.

Updated 12/2023

Do you have a favorite family recipe?  Please leave a comment below.