Gołąbki means little pigeons, a name usually explained by the plump shape of the rolls nestled side by side in the pot, though linguists have offered other theories and the pigeons have never commented. They are among the most loved dishes of Polish home cooking: tender cabbage leaves wrapped around minced pork, sometimes with beef, mixed with rice or buckwheat groats and onion, then cooked slowly in broth. Polish families make them for weddings, holidays and big family gatherings, and also on any ordinary weekend when there is time to roll a few dozen.

The classic sauce is tomato, enriched with a spoonful of sour cream; in other homes it is mushroom. Cabbage rolls are found right across Central and Eastern Europe, from Hungary and Romania to Russia, but Polish cooks will tell you, with some justice, that theirs are the most generous.

Rolling them is the kind of companionable job that fills a slow morning, and the oven then does the rest. They reheat beautifully, so make a big batch and let the race weekend take care of itself.

Softening the cabbage

Ingredients

• 1 large head (about 3 lb / 1.4 kg) green or savoy cabbage
• 1 tablespoon fine salt

Method

1. Fill the very large pot two thirds full of water, add the salt and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, cut deeply around the core at the base of the cabbage with the small knife, angling the blade inward, and pull the core out to leave a cone shaped hole.
2. Lower the whole cabbage into the boiling water, cored side down. After 2 to 3 minutes, use the tongs to peel off the outer leaves as they soften and lift them onto the tray. Keep going, turning the cabbage, until you have 14 to 16 large leaves.
3. Lay each leaf flat with the outside facing up. Shave the thick central rib with the knife held flat, so it is as thin as the rest of the leaf, without cutting through. Chop the inner leftover cabbage for lining the pot.

The filling and rolling

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (150 g) long grain white rice
• 2 tablespoons (30 g) butter
• 1 large onion
• 1 lb (450 g) ground pork
• 8 oz (225 g) ground beef
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons dried marjoram
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups (480 ml) chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 bay leaf

Method

1. Put the rice in the medium saucepan with 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) water and a pinch of salt, bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 8 minutes. Drain and let it cool for 10 minutes.
2. Melt the butter in the frying pan over medium heat, add the onion and cook, stirring often, for 7 to 8 minutes. Let it cool for a few minutes.
3. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Put the pork, beef, cooled rice, onion and its butter, egg, marjoram, salt and pepper in the large bowl and mix with your hands for 1 to 2 minutes. Fry a teaspoon of it in the pan to taste for seasoning, and adjust.
4. Lay a leaf flat, rib end toward you. Put about 1/3 cup (roughly 3 oz / 85 g) of filling near the rib end, shaped into a short log. Fold the rib end over the filling, fold in both sides, then roll it away from you into a snug parcel. Repeat with the remaining leaves.
5. Line the bottom of the casserole with the chopped leftover cabbage. Pack the rolls in snugly, seam side down, in one or two layers. Tuck in the bay leaf and pour over the hot stock.
6. Cover with the lid or tightly with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Check after 1 hour and add a splash of water if the dish looks dry.

The tomato sauce

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon (15 g) butter
• 1 tablespoon (8 g) all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) tomato passata
• 1 cup (240 ml) cooking liquid from the rolls
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) sour cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or parsley
• to taste fine salt and black pepper

Method

1. While the rolls finish baking, melt the butter in the medium saucepan over medium heat, add the flour and whisk for 1 minute.
2. Whisk in the passata, then the cooking liquid spooned carefully from the rolls, and the sugar. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, whisking now and then.
3. Take the pan off the heat. Whisk the sour cream in a small bowl with a ladle of the hot sauce, then stir it back into the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the sauce over the rolls on warm plates and scatter with dill or parsley.

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