That, and a Stuffed Cabbage

I didn’t grow up eating stuffed cabbage. Thinking back, it’s surprising my grandmothers didn’t cook them. Matzo balls, brisket, knishes, chopped liver, these were the Jewish foods of my youth. (Although I wouldn’t touch chopped liver at the time.) No stuffed cabbage.

My introduction to stuffed cabbage, at least in memory, not taste, was Mel Brooks’s 2,000 Year Old Man, which was definitely part of my youth. Asked by straight man Carl Reiner how he managed to stay alive for so long, Mel Brooks discussed his very strict diet; nothing but cool mountain water, 10^o below room temperature…that, and a stuffed cabbage.

About 15 years ago I started the tradition of preparing a holiday dinner for my family. I decided to try cooking stuffed cabbage. I didn’t know recipes or what it should taste like, I just thought it was a traditional Eastern European Jewish food that would go with the meal. So I turned to a trusted source for solid, time-tested recipes, The Joy of Cooking. I followed the recipe to a T. In a sweet and sour tomato sauce, they looked right when I served them, but I didn’t know what to expect.

They were an immediate hit, bringing back a flood of memories from family and guests. My mother and her sister recalled their grandmother’s and mother’s stuffed cabbage, which didn’t include rice. Apparently my grandmother did make them, but stopped before I came on the scene. It was my uncle though, who grew up in a religious Brooklyn family, who gave them the most praise. They were exactly right; the textbook balance of sweet and tart. The cabbage blanket cooked, supple and perfect, holding its shape around the filling, moist and tender, with ground beef, rice, and shredded carrot. “Did you use ginger snaps in the sauce?” my uncle asked. “That’s what the recipe called for,” I responded. “Then it’s the right recipe,” he said, starting a debate about whether or not the cookies belonged. There was also debate about raisins.

I have made stuffed cabbage for the holidays ever since, and they’re always delicious. I’ve modified the Joy recipe only a little over the years. Sometimes ground turkey instead of ground beef. A little more of this and a little less of that other years. And now I bake them in a deep dish roasting pan (i.e., a lasagna pan) instead of simmering them on the stove top. I’ve grown tired of scrubbing the pot when the bottom inevitably burns, no matter how low the heat, even if I’m using my thick-bottomed Dutch oven. Minor modifications to the recipe, all of them, and they always come out just as good.

After all these years, stuffed cabbage have become part of my holiday tradition. It makes sense that the 2,000 Year Old Man included them as part of his very strict diet, in addition to cool mountain water. He thought they were delicious and loved them, and I do too.

Stuffed Cabbage

This recipe has been modified from the 1997 edition of The Joy of Cooking. The stuffed cabbage rolls are best cooked a day or two ahead of time and reheated for serving, and leftovers can be frozen to defrost and reheat at a later date.

Makes 12 to 16 cabbage rolls, about 2½ hours, including 1½ hours unattended

1 lb. ground beef (or turkey or chicken)

1 large egg

½ cup breadcrumbs

½ cup uncooked white rice

1 large carrot, grated

2 medium onions, finely chopped, divided

1 clove garlic, finely minced or pressed

1½ Tbsp. plus ½ tsp. kosher salt, divided

¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1 medium head green cabbage

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

½ cup dry white wine

1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes in puree

½ cup raisins

½ cup brown sugar, packed

8 ginger snaps

Juice of 1 large lemon

½ tsp. powdered sour salt (citric acid, available online or in supermarkets that sell kosher foods)

1. Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil and add 1½ tablespoons of kosher salt.
2. While the water is coming to a boil, make the filling in a large bowl. Add ground beef (or turkey or chicken), egg, breadcrumbs, white rice, grated carrot, one of the chopped onions, garlic, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, pepper, and ½ cup water. Use your hands to combine well. Set aside.
3. When the water comes to a boil, cut the core out of the cabbage using a paring knife, going as deep as you can. Put the head of cabbage (and any leaves that might have come off) stem side down into the water. Allow the outer leaves to soften for about 5 minutes and then remove them with tongs, being careful not to rip or poke holes in them. Leave the head of cabbage in the water, allowing the next layer of leaves to soften before removing them with tongs. Drain leaves that you have pulled off the head and place them in a bowl where they will cool until you can handle them. Repeat, softening and removing remaining leaves, until the head of cabbage is a little smaller than a softball and the leaves are too small for stuffing. Remove what is left of the head of cabbage, set it aside, and allow it to cool.
4. Cut off a portion of the stiff stem of each leaf so that it is supple for stuffing. Place the leaves on a flat surface, core end facing you, interior side up, and place an inch-thick log of stuffing in the bottom-center, leaving about 1½ inches of cabbage leaf on each side. Fold the sides of the cabbage leaves over the log and roll from the bottom up. The rolls should not be too tight so the rice can expand while cooking. Set aside, seam side down and continue rolling until all filling and leaves are used.
5. Preheat oven to 350 ^oF.
6. Chop 1½ cups of unused cabbage.
7. Add vegetable oil to a 5-quart heavy-bottom pot and heat on medium-high. Add chopped cabbage and remaining chopped onion. Cook, stirring frequently until golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.
8. Reduce heat to low and add white wine. Simmer for 5 minutes.
9. Break tomatoes into pieces with your hands and add them, along with puree. Raise heat to medium-high and add 1 cup water, along with raisins, brown sugar, gingersnaps, lemon juice, and sour salt. Stir, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
10. Spread a layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of a deep dish roasting or lasagna pan (approximately 9 x 13 inches). Pack in the cabbage rolls, seam side down, and cover with remaining sauce, making sure some of the liquid fills the spaces between the rolls. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1½ hours. Serve hot, or cook a day or two beforehand and allow to sit in the refrigerator until ready to eat. Reheat and serve hot.

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