Passport & Plate - Halupki (Stuffed Cabbage)
USA | Friday, March 14, 2014 | 9 photos
Ingredients
2 c rice (can use brown or white)
2 small pkgs pork neck bone
3 lbs ground beef (lamb and/or pork mixture works, too)
3 eggs
2 28oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 32 oz jar sauerkraut
1 medium to large head cabbage
1 small jar of tomato juice (optional)
How to prepare this recipeBoil cabbage. Put cabbage in a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Once the cabbage has been boiling for a bit (20-30 minutes), while the cabbage is still in the pot of water, using a knife and a pair of tongs, gently start cutting around the stem/core of the cabbage (not too deep as you’ll need the leaves intact as much as possible) to help release the leaves. The leaves will start to pull away from the cabbage head fairly easily when they’re boiled sufficiently. So if you’re having a hard time separating the leaves from the head, let it boil a bit longer and then try again. (Note: You can try to cut out the stem/core before putting it into the pot, but if it’s too hard to get your knife around it, you can do it once the cabbage has been boiling in the pot.) As you pull the leaves gently off the head of cabbage, place on a cookie sheet or large plate to let them cool.
Cook rice according to package directions. Set aside to cool.
Cook pork neck bones in a sauté pan filled halfway with water. Skim the top foam a couple of times while cooking, until neck bones have turned a light to medium brown color. Once the neck bones are cooked, place on the bottom of a large stock pot. The neck bones should cover most of the bottom. This will not only keep the cabbage rolls from burning while cooking, but will add flavor to the Halupki.
While the cabbage is boiling and the rice is cooling, break up the ground beef in a large bowl. Add half the rice and 3 eggs. Mix using your hands. The mixture should be wet but not too loose (it should easily hold the shape of a meatball). If it seems too loose or watery, just add some more rice.
Before you begin rolling your cabbage rolls, check each leaf to see if the stem/spine is too thick. If it is, you can gently and carefully shave off part of the spine with a knife. Don’t remove the spine completely; you only want to remove some of the thickness of the spine to make rolling easier.
Take one cabbage leaf in your hand, with the spine/stem facing upward toward your arm, and the leaf dangling over your fingertips. Place a small handful of meat into the ‘pocket’ of the leaf (by the spine/stem). Start to roll toward the end of the leaf, firmly holding the meat mixture inside. Then tuck each end into the side of the roll. (Note: You can also roll like a burrito: top down, ends in, and roll to the end of the leaf. But you’ll need to add a toothpick to hold the roll together as it cooks…and you’ll need to remember to remove the toothpicks before eating! Using the ‘tuck’ method, you’ll be securing the roll by pushing the loose ends in which holds it together during the cooking process. No need for toothpicks!) Continue this process until you’ve used all of the meat mixture.
Add some of the crushed tomatoes to the bottom of the pot, on top of the cooked pork neck bones. Add a little of the remaining rice, too. Not too much. This will serve as a bed for the cabbage rolls.
Gently add the cabbage rolls to the pot, largest rolls first. Give them a little room in-between—don’t pack them in—to allow the heat to travel up the pot and cook more evenly. (In the stock pot pictured, we had approximately 5 cabbage rolls per layer; more top using the smaller rolls.)
Once you have your first layer in the pot, add some of the sauerkraut and crushed tomatoes. Continue layering cabbage rolls, then sauerkraut and crushed tomatoes until you reach the top of the pot. (If you have more rolls than fit in the pot, grab an extra pot and layer the same as the stock pot.)
Be sure there is enough liquid to cover the rolls. If not, add more water or add some tomato juice. And don’t be afraid to dump any extra sauerkraut juice over the top, too!
Put the stock pot on the stove and cook on medium-low to medium for 2 1/2 hours then set to simmer for another hour or so.
The story behind this recipeThis recipe makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Although the ingredients are simple and easy to find (and economical!), it was considered a treat in our house due to the amount of time it took to make. And boy, was it a special day when we came home from school or practice to the smell of boiling kraut and tomato sauce as we raced up the back stairs of the house!
Growing up in Northwest Indiana, Halupki was part of our culture. Although Halupki is technically a Slovak dish, our Irish-English-Croatian family took it in as our own. As did most other multi-ethnic families in our town.
Whiting, Indiana is a small city on the southern shore of Lake Michigan and full of many different cultures. German, Irish, Slovak, Croatian, Hungarian, Greek, Mexican, Polish and others. With a church to match each group. Almost every week in the summer, each church in town held a picnic in one of the local parks which included lots of music and food representing the heritage of that church. The whole town came to celebrate. It was quite the social event and a chance for the best cooks in the church to showcase their expertise and knowledge of the food.
As cultures blended, and as parishioners moved to new neighborhoods and began attending their new neighborhood church, their recipes went with them. All of these almost sacred dishes, passed down through generations of families, were being celebrated at all church events and homes across town no matter your background.
A friend told me a story years after we grew up and moved away about his love of Halupki. They didn’t have it very often because his father told them it was Depression food—and since he had eaten enough of it then, he didn’t want to relive the memory. He’s right. It was cheap, filling and extremely tasty. Oh the irony.
I cooked this meal with my mom, and when she travels to visit my siblings around the country, without a doubt the menu request at the top of their list—it’s always Halupki.
