Gołąbki (pigeons)

Every Pole knows Gołąbki. Although the dish itself takes a very long time to prepare, it is more than worth trying. It’s just yum! Ps-don’t ask me why it’s called “pigeons”

Ingredients:

1 medium size fresh cabbage
2 cups of rice
Minced meat 0.5 kg
Tomato puree
Salt
Pepper
1 chicken stock cube

Preparation:

Remove the stump from the cabbage, place the cabbage in a large pan, fill with water and bring it to boil. Make sure water covers the cabbage all the time. The boiling itself will take quite a lot of time so in the meantime you can prepare the stuffing.

Boil the rice. It has to be soft. If a bit overcooked, do not worry. Let it cool down. Once cold, mix it with the meat. Use your hand. It’s the best mixer ever invented.

Add salt, pepper for the taste.

When the cabbage is boiled separate the leaves. Make sure you do not tear them and be careful, they will be extremely hot. When separating the leaves, make sure the next layers are soft as well. If not, keep boiling.

Place a cooled down cabbage leaf on a chopping board, spoon the stuffing and place it in the middle of the leaf. Wrap the leaf ends to the middle and turn over so that the wrapping does not open.

If you have any cabbage leaves left, place some on the bottom of an oven proof dish and put the first layer of “pigeons” on it. Cover with leaves and place another layer of “pigeons”, then cover with leaves.

Put a chicken stock cube into a bowl of boiling water and dissolve it. Add tomato puree, making a tomato sauce. Pour it into the dish. Make sure the sauce spreads evenly and covers all “pigeons”.

Place in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes in 180-190 degrees.

Freshly wrapped “pigeons” can also be frozen. If cooking from frozen, follow the same steps, but allow 1-1.5 hours