Holly’s Halishkas – New Age Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

I’ve waited patiently for one of my posted dishes to fill the house with the irresistible home cooking aroma of my youth. Ah, I’ve arrived. These are among the best halishkas I’ve ever tasted. I would proudly serve them at a dinner party. I sampled one as soon as I removed the casserole from the oven…just to check for doneness and desirability. Then another…just because.

New Age Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

• 1 head of cabbage (regular, savoy or any large green leaf)
• 1 lb ground lamb, beef, turkey or mixture of your choice of meat or meat substitute for a vegetarian version
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1/2 lb mushrooms, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 c grated carrots
• 1/2 c quinoa, raw (or raw rice if you prefer)
• 2 T chopped parsley
• 1 T fresh oregano, chopped fine (or less if using dried)
• 3/4 t thyme
• 1/3 c pine nuts, lightly toasted (optional, but wonderful)
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Core cabbage deeply, then if necessary, immerse in a large pot of boiling water for 1 minute, removing outer leaves, repeating until  leaves are all separated. The leaves on my cabbage separated easily after coring, so that I skipped the boiling water step. Shave down thick part of center rib using a small paring knife to make folding easier. Lay spare or torn leaves on the bottom of the casserole to prevent the cabbage rolls from sticking.

Sauté garlic, onion and mushrooms until softened, then combine all filling ingredients, placing 1-2 tablespoons of filling on center of each leaf, adjusting amount of filling according to size of leaf. Fold the sides and bottom towards the center, covering filling, and roll towards the core, thicker end. Insert the cabbage rolls in the casserole.

New Age Stuffed Cabbage Sauce

• 1 28 oz can tomatoes, liquified in food processor
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1-2 T sugar, or more to taste
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Mix sauce ingredients and pour over the cabbage rolls, adding water as required to cover. Cook, covered in a 325 degree oven for 2 – 2 1/2 hours.

New Age Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Print Ready Recipe

Final notes:

• Thanks to my super cook sister, Julia Richardson, for ingredient and preparation advice.
• Read all kinds of interesting stuffed vegetable recipes in Adventures in American Cooking
• Check Squidoo for more information on cabbage rolls than any normal person would ever want to know.
• For a video lesson on stuffed cabbage rolls check out Martha Stewart.
• Thanks to my brother, Eric, for sending me this S**t New Age Girls Say.
• Enough about stuffed cabbage, read about Unstuffed Cabbage
• For good karma, share this recipe with 3 people you love, or even just like, by forwarding a link to Jittery Cook. Sharing is good for everyone. If you are lucky, maybe they’ll make the New Age Stuffed Cabbage Rolls for you.