Vegan Mofo Day 20.5!

Fitting in one more recipe here for the last day to make up for my sucky posting this past week. This one is an amazing one though so ENJOY!!

Gołąbki!!!!! (or stuffed cabbage rolls)

RECIPE:
The Cabbage:
2 large heads of green cabbage, cored

Boil a large pot (approx. 1-2 gallons) of salted water. Submerge cored cabbage. Continue to boil until cabbage leaves are pliable. Drain. Cover in cold water 5 minutes. Set aside.

The Stuffing:
1 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled & finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can tomato paste (6 oz.)
2 tbsp red wine
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp paprika
1.5 cups uncooked rice
12 oz. Yve's Veggie Cuisin Meatless Ground (you could use 1 cup TVP or some tempeh if you prefer, find a flavor and texture you enjoy [whilst saving the beef & pork traditionally used in this recipe])

Cook your rice until ALMOST done. Set aside. In another pan saute onion & carrots over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add garlic, continue for another 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, parsley, wine, mostly cooked rice, meatless ground, & some salt & pepper to taste. Mix for 2-5 minutes. Remove from heat.

The Sauce:
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 18oz. cans crushed tomatoes
1 cup veggie stock
1.5 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tbsp tofutti sour cream
10 oz. button mushrooms, sliced

Saute garlic in oil over medium high heat for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes & stock. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the vinegar & brown sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste. Remove from heat. Use an emulsion blender to blend until mostly smooth (my mom prefers chunkier, Joe prefers smooth, do whatever makes you happy peeps). Add tofutti sour cream in slowly & stir with spoon. In separate pan saute mushrooms with oil for approx. 10 minutes. Add mushrooms to tomato sauce.

To assemble & cook:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Carefully peel off cabbage leaves (I usually set aside the first 2 leaves because there is always a little dirt left no matter how much I clean them & they're usually ripped up a little or too huge to roll-DO NOT THROW AWAY THOUGH! You'll use them later). Just to one side of vein take a heaping scoop of your filling. Wrap it up burrito style (tuck the non vein end over, then fold the side that the filling is close to over & roll). Place little cabbage-burrito into pyrex baking dish or roasting pan SEAM SIDE DOWN. Keep up this process using the larger leaves of the cabbage first until your filling is all gone (this filled 2: 13"x9" meatloaf sized pyrex dishes for us). Cover the stuffed cabbages with sauce (leave some sauce aside for after they are cooked). Cover with any unused (the biggie leaves we set aside!) cabbage leaves & any smaller unused leaves (they will keep your rolls from burning in the oven). Cover dish with aluminum foil or lid. Place in oven & bake for 1.5 hours. Remove from oven & allow to cool.

To Serve:
Place rolls on plate. Top with some heated left-over tomato sauce & a dollop of tofutti sour cream. Chop some sprigs of parsley & sprinkle on top. Serve with your favorite red wine or some Warka or Żywiec beers from the motherland! Na zdrowie!!




REVIEWS:
Alex: an old family favorite this dish reminds me of winter in Michigan. Great stick to your ribs & keep you warm kind of dish. Rolling these reminds me of good conversations & eating them reminds me of amazing family dinners! Love making & eating these!! DELICIOUS! :D

Joe is half asleep right now as I type this up (it IS 1AM after all) but he still managed to mutter out in his sleep when questioned "It's so good, I love them". So from the mouth of a half asleep non-Polish kid they're truly delicious!