Golabkis! - Polish Comfort Food

There's really no pretty way to photograph a golabki.

What's a golabki you ask? Well, golabkis, pronounced as: GO-wump-kees, or GO-lump-kees, GO-wonk-kees, or my favorite, GO-boink-kees are a Polish dish of meat-stuffed cabbage leaves with either a sweet/sour tomato sauce or even sauerkraut. They're exactly like stuffed green bell peppers except, well, you use cabbage leaves!

I can't remember if my mother made them, but I've had them before I met my husband, who is only two generations off the boat! His family is Polish and they used to eat these back in the day, so I was happy to make them for him. They're really good, especially with mashed taters!

This is another loverly recipe I snagged from The Cooking Forum. Thanks Diane!

Diane’s GOLABKI

a 3 # head of cabbage
½ # ground beef
¼ # ground pork
¼ # ground veal
1 ½ C cooked long grain rice
1 small onion, chopped
1 egg, beaten
salt & and pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp ground horseradish
1 C condensed tomato soup
2 T brown sugar
1 T vinegar
1 C beef broth

Remove the core from the cabbage, place cored end down in large pot with an inch or two of water & steam for 15-20 min. Or what I do is freeze the whole head the night before I make these, defrost in the sink for a couple of hours--then cabbage leaves are just as pliable as steamed. When ready, CAREFULLY peel down leaves by placing the cored end up and doing one leaf at a time (if steaming).

Mix ground meats, egg, onion, rice, salt, pepper, garlic and horseradish. Scoop out about 1/2 C of mixture and GENTLY pat into an oval. Place the oval on thickest part of cabbage leaf and roll once. Then tuck edges over the rolled part & continue to roll. Place all rolls into heavy pan that is lined with a few cabbage leaves, layering rolls as needed.

Mix undiluted soup, beef broth, brown sugar & vinegar and pour over rolls. Cover and bake in 350° oven for 2 -2 1/2 hrs.

Also can be made in casserole form. Just layer steamed cabbage leaves with a layer of meat and rice mixture, another layer of cabbage leaves. Pour sauce over all and bake.

Note: I made double the sauce because I found I needed (wanted) more gravy!

Spring Has Sprung

Our Meyer's Lemon tree is chock-o'-block full of lemon blossoms, more than it ever has had before. Wish you could smell these!

It Ain't Easy Being Green

But it sure can be yummy sometimes! I bring you Key Lime Cupcakes with Key Lime Cream Cheese icing for you lucky Irish folk out there today. Or really, anyone who loves all things limey.


Key Lime Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes
Recipe source: Bon Appetit

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup self-rising flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter (8 tablespoons)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 T of *lime zest
2 1/2 T of lime juice
Green food coloring (I used paste)
3/4 cup of butter milk

Mix flours and salt together, set aside. Beat butter till light a fluffy, add sugar and continue to beat until incorporated and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down butter mixture in between each egg. Add lime zest and lime juice (batter will look curdled) and mix well. Add food coloring to reach a color you like. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk, starting and ending with flour mixture. Mix till incorporated.

Preheat oven at 350°. Pour batter in paper lined muffin tins 1/2 full. Bake 20 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool in muffin tin 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes to cool on a cake rack. Ice with Key Lime Cream Cheese icing.

*I used regular, store-bought limes as Key Limes aren't in season right now and are hard to come by.

Key Lime Cream Cheese Icing

1 stick butter
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese
1 T lime zest
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Add lime zest, confectioners sugar, and vanilla extract and beat until combined.