Gorky's Cafe Golabki (Stuffed Cabbage)

Gorky's Cafe in LA was a one-of-a-kind restaurant located in the garment district. It was named after the 19th century Russian writer, Maxum Gorky; but featured Polish, Russian and other Eastern European foods. All the dishes were made from scratch, they even baked their own bread and had a micro brewery before it became fashionable. The Golabki is one of my favorites especially because of the sauce. This recipe can easily be made as a vegetarian dish which is how I make it.

• Ready In: 1 hr 55 mins
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 8 golabki

Ingredients

• 1  large cabbage (with extra large leaves)
• 1 1⁄2 lbs ground beef (or for a veggie version, use cooked bulgar or cooked buckwheat)
• 2  cups rice, cooked
• 2  eggs, slightly beaten
• 1  cup onion, chopped
• 1  cup carrot, grated
•  salt and pepper, to taste

• SAUCE

• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 1⁄2 cups water
• 1  cup brown sugar
• 1⁄4 cup vinegar, apple cider

Directions

1. Set the oven temperature to 350 degrees and start by making the sauce, by combining all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and simmering it for about 10 minutes, reduce the sauce until it is slightly thick, set aside.
2. Cook the cabbage in a large pot of boiling water, until tender, takes several minutes; then cool and core the cabbage carefully, and separate the leaves.
3. Combine beef, (or bulgar or buckwheat) rice, eggs, onions, carrots and salt and pepper, mix well; roll the filling into 8 balls; place each ball on the lower third of a large cabbage leaf; tuck in the sides and bottom of the cabbade leaf and place, steam side down, in a baking dish.
4. Pour sauce over the cabbage rolls, cover, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 10 minutes longer or until slightly browned.