Cabbage Rolls (“Little Doves”) with Mushroom Stuffing in Tomato Broth
Recipe by Anne Applebaum and Danielle Crittenden
There is a reason why this dish is called golqbki in Polish, which means “little doves”. Although cabbage rolls can be too heavy and too filling, when they are made correctly they distinctly resemble delicate cabbage birds, nestled in a simply enhanced broth. They are made with the humblest and simplest of ingredients, yet they are elegant enough for any reasonably festive occasion. When all twenty-seven European foreign ministers met for a celebratory dinner in a fabulous villa in the Old Town of Gdansk, the Polish hosts served tiny cabbage rolls, stuffed with buckwheat kasha, as a first course.
In truth, little doves are closely related to the stuffed grape leaves of Greece, and they ought to be thought of in the same way: A little bit of flavorful, spicy meat or mushrooms wrapped up in something green, with a light, creamy sauce drizzled on top. Serve with a side salad and you have a wonderfully healthful, comforting supper. Arrange them on a platter and you have an exotic appetizer for a dinner party or an addition to a buffet. Allow one or two stuffed cabbage leaves per person for an appetizer and three for a main course.
Ingredients
Savoy or Green Cabbage – 1 large head
Boiling Water – 1 cup
Unsalted Butter – 3.5 tbsp
Minced onion – 1 tbsp
Fresh mushrooms – 1/2 lb. cleaned, trimmed, coarsely chopped
Bread Crumbs – 2/3 cup, dry
Salt –
Pepper – Freshly ground
Tomatoes – 2, sliced into thin rounds
Tomato paste – 1 tsp
Crushed tomatoes – 1 cup, fresh or canned
Chicken broth, vegetable broth or white wine – a splash
Rice – cooked, for serving
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F
Fill a large pot — one in which you can submerse a whole head of cabbage — with water and bring to a boil. (It is helpful to use a pot with a strainer insert, such as a pasta pot, so you can pick up the insert to remove the cooked cabbage, rather than struggle with spoons or tongs.) Add the head of cabbage and parboil for about 10 minutes. Remove and let it drain in a colander in the sink until just cool enough to handle.
Gently pull the outer leaves off each cabbage. (Some of these might be soggy or torn.) Set these aside to line the baking dish. It helps to cut off some of the coarse stem at the beginning and while peeling off the leaves. Your goal is to have 8 perfect medium to large leaves in which to roll the stuffing. Set aside the small leaves for lining the baking dish as well. If you can get more than 8 leaves to stuff, do so — you can never have too many little doves. Pat each leaf dry and set aside on a kitchen or paper towel.
Melt 2 tbsp of the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat, and cook the onion until translucent. Add the chopped fresh mushrooms and continue to cook until all the mushrooms are soft and golden, 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often.
Pour the cooked mushroom mixture into a food processor and add the bread crumbs, a large pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper and process until well chopped and integrated, but not mushy.
Lay out the “choice” cabbage leaves on a work surface and divide the filling among the leaves: The exact portion size for each one will depend on the size of the leaf. (I dollop the filling on with a tablespoon, placing it near the bottom of the leaf). If any stem remaining on the leaf seems especially tough or thick, you can pare it down with a vegetable peeler. Roll the leaves up, folding in the sides and ends so the stuffing is enclosed.
Line the bottom of a 9×12 inch baking dish with any leftover cabbage leaves. (If, after lining the dish, you find you still have a lot of leftover leaves, store them in the refirgerator and eventually chop them, cook in buter, and season with salt and pepper to serve as a side dish for another meal!) Rest the rolls on top, seam-side down they can be crowded together just so long as they don’t overlap. If you run out of room in one baking dish, start a smaller, second one, lining it the same way.
In a small saucepan, bring the reserved mushroom liquid (from the twice cooked mushrooms) to a low boil. Whisk in the tomato paste and, when incorporated, the crushed tomatoes. Allow to boil for a minute or two, until slightly reduced and thickened. Pour over and around the cabbage rolls. The tomato broth should just come just up the sides of the rolls, but not submerge them. If there is not enough broth, top off with a little chicken broth or even dry white wine. Dot the cabbage rolls with 3 tbsp of the butter and layer the tomato rounds over the top. Bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour, or until the tops are golden and slightly crispy.
Remove the rolls to a warm platter, with the cooked tomato slices still on top. Pour the broth into a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and whisk in the remaining 2 tbsp butter. Reduce until the broth is slightly thickened and silky, and adjust the seasoning. Pour the sauce over the rolls and serve immediately.
Because these “little doves” do not have rice in them, they can be served along with a side of cooked rice for a more hearty meal.