Gołąbki - Polish cabbage rolls

Polish food is one of the most famous foods in the Western world. Along with Pierogi - Polish dumplings, Gołąbki - Polish cabbage rolls are a favourite not just with people of Polish origin but with anyone that has the honour of biting into these tasty traditional dishes. Once eaten, you will come back for more, guaranteed. These cabbage rolls are well worth boiling and separating the cabbage leaves (the tricky bit). I can vouch that once cooked these cabbage rolls are addictive. I used a mixture of minced beef and pork and the result was some really delicious, tasty and juicy cabbage rolls. If you find it you can also add some minced veal as well. The accompanying tomato sauce gives it the Eastern European taste, the tanginess of the tomato sauce, the sweetness of the caraway seeds, the herbiness of the marjoram and parsley...oh, heaven! Give them a go, you will not be disappointed. You will need...

For the Gołąbki - cabbage rolls

• 1 large cabbage head
• 750g minced beef & pork
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cooked rice, cold
• 250ml (1 cup) tomato passata + ½ cup tomato passata
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• A knob of butter, for frying

For the tomato sauce

• 300ml (1 ½ cups) beef stock
• 1 heaped tablespoon tomato paste
• 175ml (¾ cup) tomato passata
• ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 30g butter
• 30g plain flour

How to...

1. Start by boiling a very large pot of salty water. Now put the cabbage core end up and using a paring knife remove the hard core. Put the cabbage in the boiling water and boil for about 10 minutes. At this point some of the leaves will start to come off, that is what we want. After 10 minutes, carefully take the cabbage out of the boiling water, be very very careful as it will be very hot. Use 2 large spatulas or ladles when doing this process. Leave to cool slightly. When slightly cool, start peeling off the cabbage leaves with extreme care (remember they are the star ingredient of the dish). Separate them and put them flat on a platter and set aside to cool further.
2. Now it is time to prepare the filling. Start by frying the onions and garlic in the butter until brown (about 5 minutes on medium heat). Set aside to cool. In a large bowl add the minced meat, cooked rice, grated carrot, passata, eggs, cold fried onion/garlic mixture and salt & pepper. Put a pair of gloves on (optional) and mix by hand until all ingredients are incorporated, do not mix too much or else the meat will toughen. 
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
4. Now here comes the fun part, firstly if the spine of the leaf is too tough carefully trim it with a sharp knife). Now spread the cabbage leaves end bit away from you, put some filling (about a tablespoon or more...this depends on the size of the leaf), now roll the sides first and roll up all the way up to the stalk/spine part. Stack them up into a casserole next to each other (see picture).
   
   Keep going until all the filling is used up. If you have spare leaves or torn leaves save them so you can cover the rolls in the end. 
5. Now fill the casserole with water half way up to the rolls and add the half cup of passata. Spread the torn/spare leaves on top, cover and put into the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
6. Whilst they are cooking away, start the tomato sauce by melting 30g butter, add the flour and cook stirring constantly for about 2-3 minutes. Add all the other sauce ingredients and stir until thickened, lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, make sure you keep on stirring or it will stick to the bottom of the pot. Turn off the heat and remove from the heat.
7. After 30 minutes take the cabbage rolls out of the oven and pour the tomato sauce on top, cover again and put in the oven for another 30 minutes.
   
8. Take out of the oven, let stand for about 10 minutes and serve hot with a couple of spoonfuls of tomato sauce on top. Gołąbki can also be enjoyed cold as appetizers...an absolute delight!!
   

Enjoy!!

R&A

Meatloaf

Meatloaf needs no introduction whatsoever. According to Wikipedia, meatloaf originated in Europe, mainly in Germany and Belgium and is also closely related to Dutch meatball. Although, in the 5th century Roman cookery collection called Apiciusas, minced meat was mentioned. The infamous American meatloaf has its origins in scrapple, a mixture of ground pork and cornmeal served by German-Americans in Pennsylvania since Colonial times. Actually, the contemporary version of the American meatloaf has been a must on every American cookbook since the late 19th century. In our version we used only beef but feel free to mix two or three types of meat like lamb or even pork. We found this recipe when we got married in one of Amanda's cookbooks and we adapted it and made it our own ever since. Just give our version a try and you will love it. We serve it with a kind of sweet and sour tomato sauce. So for a loaf you will need...

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 green pepper, finely diced [optional]
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1kg minced beef
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs [we used Panko]
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Freshly ground pepper

• 1 cup tomato passata
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp vinegar
• About 4-5 baby onions, boiled, to serve

How to...

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 
2. In a small pan heat the butter and fry the onion, green pepper [if using] and garlic until soft. When done set aside to cool a bit.
3. In a large mixing bowl put the beef, cooked onion, pepper & garlic, beaten egg, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce, oregano and black pepper. Mix well with your hands until well mixed (if you do not like messing your hands up use a wooden spoon) but I believe using your hands will infuse the meat with all the flavours.
4. Now transfer the meat mixture into a loaf pan and press down with your hands. Bake in the preheated oven for about an hour and 15 minutes.. 
5. In the meantime, put the passata, vinegar, sugar and mustard in a small pan and heat through. Set aside.
6. When the loaf is done, drain all the excess fat and carefully invert upside down on a serving plate, top with the tomato sauce and onions. Serve hot!!

Enjoy!!

R&A

Chilli Dogs As They Should Be!!

I have always been a fan of chilli. The hotter it is, the better for me. But what is great with chilli is that you can make as spicy, hot or mild as you like. I love hot dogs and love chilli so a Chilli Dog is one of my favourite dishes ever. Go ahead and try these chilli dogs to impress your family or your friends. The amount of chilli powder you put in this chilli is obviously to your taste so adjust it according to your taste. Make sure you use the best hot dogs you can get your hands on, we use Bockwurst but Wudy, Frankfurters or any other large sausage will do. One thing is for sure that if you prepare this chilli once, you will definitely do it again. Any leftover chilli can be used in burritos, enchiladas or served with white rice or tortilla chips as a meal. If you use a spoonful with each hot dog you will have enough chilli for about 16-20 chilli dogs. So go ahead and give this a go...you will love it...you will need...

For the chilli con carne

• 200g bacon, cut into small pieces
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 700g minced beef
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 cans chopped tomatoes in juice
• 2 tablespoons molasses (Treacle) or 100g dark muscovado sugar or Piloncillo
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons chilli powder (or to taste) 
• 1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper [Caution - Cayenne pepper is very hot]
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 300ml beef stock (We used 1 Knorr stock pot in 300ml boiling water)
• 1 tin red kidney beans, drained and rinsed [optional]

For the dogs

• Hot dog buns (depends on how many you need)
• Hot dogs such as Bockwurst, Wudy, Frankfurters or others

To garnish

• Grated Mature Cheddar cheese
• Finely chopped raw onion (optional)

How to...

1. To make the chilli start by frying the onions in about 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and fry over high heat until brown, stirring frequently. 
2. Add the bacon and garlic. Cook until brownish.
3. Now add the minced beef and stir well with the onions. Cook the beef over high heat stirring occasionally until browned, about 15 minutes. 
4. When the beef is cooked, drain any excess liquid fat and add the chopped tomatoes, molasses, sugar or piloncillo (whatever you are using), stock, cocoa powder and all the spices. (Better add the chilli powder and cayenne pepper slowly so you can adjust to your taste...always taste before adding more). 
5. Stir well and simmer on a medium to low heat for about 90 minutes (or more) until the chilli has a thick consistency. If left too watery it will ruin the buns.
6. Grill your hot dogs until they are slightly charred. 
7. Slice open the hot dog buns, place a hot dog on, spoon some chilli on the dog, add grated Cheddar and chopped onions (if used) and enjoy!!! We dare you to stop at one dog :)

Enjoy!!

R&A