Classics · Ukrainian

Holubtsi

Name: Holubtsi
Prep time: 1 h
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 szt White cabbage (approx. 1.5 kg); 800 g Pork-beef mince; 150 g Long-grain white rice; 2 szt Onion (for filling); 1 szt Onion (for sauce); 2 szt Carrot; 700 ml Tomato passata; 200 ml Sour cream 18%; 500 ml Broth (cube or homemade); 3 łyżka Oil; 3 szt Bay leaf; 5 szt Allspice berries; 2 łyżeczka Salt; 1 łyżeczka Ground black pepper; 1 łyżeczka Sweet paprika; 1 szt Parsley (bunch)

Time

+ 1h 15' chilling

Diff.

medium

Kcal

420

/ serving

Servings

Gather 16 ingredients before cooking

Scale

Units

01 You'll need check when you have it

02 To finish last minute: ~60 min window

Step 01 of 09

Blanch the cabbage

1 szt

Cut the core out of white cabbage (approx. 1.5 kg) (1 szt) with a sharp knife — angle it around the stem and remove a cone-shaped piece. Place the whole head in a large pot, cover with boiling water. Cook for 10-15 minutes. As outer leaves soften and turn translucent, peel them off with tongs. Set aside on a plate.

Tip

Instead of peeling raw cabbage (leaves tear), we soften it in boiling water. Then they come off like petals.

Step 02 of 09

Pre-cook the rice

150 g

Cover long-grain white rice (150 g) with boiling water (twice the rice volume), salt it, cook 10 minutes on low heat. It should be half-cooked — it will finish in the oven. Drain and cool.

Tip

Raw rice in the filling will stay raw — the baking time is too short. That's why we cook it ahead.

Step 03 of 09

Sauté onion for the filling

2 szt

3 łyżka

Dice onion (for filling) (2 szt) finely. Heat oil (3 łyżka) in a 24 cm cm pan over medium heat. Cook the onion for 7-8 minutes until soft and lightly golden. Remove from heat and cool.

Step 04 of 09

Mix the filling

800 g

150 g

2 szt

2 łyżeczka

1 łyżeczka

In a large bowl, combine pork-beef mince (800 g), cooled long-grain white rice (150 g), sautéed onion (for filling) (2 szt), salt (2 łyżeczka), ground black pepper (1 łyżeczka) and sweet paprika (1 łyżeczka). Knead by hand for 2 minutes — the mixture should be uniform and slightly sticky.

Step 05 of 09

Roll the holubtsi

1 szt

From each white cabbage (approx. 1.5 kg) (1 szt) leaf, trim the thick rib at the base — use a flat knife to shave it down so the leaf is thin there. Place a spoonful of filling (about 3 tablespoons) near the thicker end of the leaf. Fold the sides in, then roll from base to tip. You should get 14-16 rolls.

Tip

Without trimming the rib, the leaf won't roll — it will crack. Check each leaf before rolling.

Step 06 of 09

Make the sauce

1 szt

2 szt

3 łyżka

700 ml

500 ml

200 ml

3 szt

5 szt

2 łyżeczka

Dice onion (for sauce) (1 szt), grate carrot (2 szt) on large holes. Heat oil (3 łyżka) in a 24 cm cm pan, cook the vegetables for 5 minutes over medium heat. Pour in tomato passata (700 ml) and broth (cube or homemade) (500 ml), add bay leaf (3 szt), allspice berries (5 szt) and salt (2 łyżeczka). Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream 18% (200 ml).

Tip

Add sour cream after removing from heat — in hot sauce it will curdle and form lumps.

Step 07 of 09

Arrange in the dish

Pour a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Place the rolls seam-side down, packed tightly in a single layer (or two if needed). Pour over the rest of the sauce until they're nearly covered.

Step 08 of 09

Bake covered

Cover the dish with foil or a lid. Bake at 180°C°C for 60 minutes. Check a roll with a knife — it should slide in without resistance.

Step 09 of 09

Serve

1 szt

200 ml

Chop parsley (bunch) (1 szt). Serve the rolls topped with sauce from the dish, a dollop of sour cream 18% (200 ml) and a sprinkle of parsley.

Bon appétit

How did it turn out?

Enjoy — now it's a matter of patience and a good table.

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