Stanislawa’s Gołabki (Stuffed Cabbage)

My mother would make this economic meal in the fall, when cabbage and tomatoes were available and inexpensive. Polish comfort food. Incidentally, “Gołabki” translates to “little pigeons.”

You will need a large container. The size depends on the size of the cabbage, but the pot or bucket must allow the cabbage to be completely covered with water. Most recently, I had an unusually gargantuan head of cabbage, so I had to boil two large pots of water and used a plastic garden bucket. Not exactly what they teach at the CIA, I imagine, but it worked nicely.

Ideally, make this one day ahead. It’s better reheated.

1 head of cabbage
1 lb. ground sirloin
2 cups of cooked rice
1 onion diced
2 heaping teaspoons chopped garlic
3 medium tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
½ cup sour cream
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoon Salt
~1 teaspoon Pepper

Wash the head of cabbage and cut out the stem. Boil one or two pots of water. Again, it depends on how much water you need. Once the water is boiling, either place the cabbage into the pot or pour the water into the larger container (such as a bucket) and pour in the boiling water. Place something over the cabbage to weigh it down, so it’s somewhat submerged. Let the cabbage sit in the water for about 45 minutes to an hour so the leaves soften from the heat. Meanwhile . . .

Fry the diced onion in 2 T butter, until golden.

Beat the two eggs and combine with the ground beef and one teaspoon, each, of salt and ground black pepper. Add the fried onions and garlic. Knead until the egg and pepper are well incorporated into the beef. Next, add the cooked rice and knead to incorporate into the beef.

Remove the cabbage from the water. Drain the pot and add 2 tablespoons of butter. Heat it just enough so the butter melts and turn off the heat. Carefully remove the cabbage leaves; avoid tearing the leaves. Throw out the outer layer.  Place a large dollop of the beef mixture on a leaf and wrap the leaf around the meat. Arrange the bundles in the pot. Then add water until it almost covers them. Arrange slices of tomatoes over the top, and add about 1 teaspoons of salt and some additional black pepper. Sprinkle a bit of ground cloves over the top. Turn the heat up to high.  Once the water is rolling, reduce to a simmer and cook for 1-1/2 hours.

Remove the gołabki and remove most of the water, leaving about two cups in the pot. Strain to remove the tomatoes. Reserve the tomatoes. Add the ground cloves and sour cream and whisk furiously for a couple of minutes. Using a flour sifter, add the flour and continue to whisk vigorously until you have a smooth sauce. (Alternatively, add 3T flour to ¼ cup of water and mix well until smooth; add to the water.”) Add the tomatoes and heat to thicken the sauce.

Place a pair of the cabbage rolls on a plate and ladle sauce over them. Pour the sauce over the gołabki and serve with bread and butter.

Note: Add lemon or vinegar if you prefer a sourer flavor.

Grilled Chile Lime Shrimp (Marinade)

Gavin served these at his July 27, 2013 party, along with grilled chicken thighs. Excellent!

1 pound sweet Georgia sustainable white shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped chives/cilantro/Italian parsley leaves
Squeeze of lime juice
Ground black pepper

Combine the shrimp with the rest of the ingredients. Grill until just opaque. Serve immediately.

Chimichurri For Grilling Chicken or Pork Tenderloin

Gavin served grilled chicken thighs at his July 27, 2013 party. He also served grilled shrimp (Chile Lime Shrimp Marinade).

1 cup packed flat leaf parsley sprigs
1/2 cup EVOO
Juice of 1 large lemon
1/4 cup each: fresh oregano leaves, packed cilantro sprigs
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp each: ground cumin, crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each

Combine parsley, EVOO, lemon juice, oregano, cilantro, garlic, cumin, red pepper, salt in a food processor or blender: process until pureed.

Reserve 1/2 cup of the puree for serving: refrigerate. Place pork tenderloins in a large food storage bag: put remaining puree over pork. Refrigerate 2 - 12 hours, turning occasionally.

Prepare the grill for medium heat. Remove pork from marinade, wiping marinade off pieces. Grill pork turning often until cooked to 160 degrees, 15-25 minutes, moving to cooler parts of the grill to avoid burning. Let stand 5 mins. Slice pork: serve with reserved sauce.

Chopped Kale Salad

After a whirlwind trip to the east coast to photograph colleges for University Icons (21 days, 4,000 miles and over 80 schools), we stopped for a two day visit with our friends Anne and Tobey in the upper reaches of West Virginia. Their magnificent house, situated on numerous wooded acres on the Potomac River, just outside of Shepherdstown, WV, was a perfect respite after 3 weeks of road travel. Anne served a chopped kale salad, which was accompanied chicken thighs and chicken sausage that Tobey masterfully grilled. Carolyn had previously made a kale salad, but it was made with large leaves that were a struggle to chew. Anne used curly kale leave that she chopped into fine pieces. That made a big difference and we loved it. Last night we reproduced it, but with baby kale (also finely chopped). The quantities are merely a guide. This recipe does not require exactitude and is based on 2 servings. The best part is that it’s easy and quick to prepare. We believe it’s gluten free too.

2 large handfuls of baby kale, chopped
1/8 cup pine nuts, toasted (I like them well toasted!)
3/4 cup Shredded (Kirkland brand) Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
salt
black pepper (freshly ground)

Combine the kale, nuts and cheese in a large bowl. Combine the lemon juice, oil and spices in a jar. Add the lid, shake vigorously and pour over the salad. Toss to mix everything together.

Serve with grilled Italian chicken sausage (Whole Foods) and/or grilled boneless/skinned chicken thighs that have been seasoned with Italian spices and salt.

Wild Rice Stuffing with Hazelnuts and Dried Cranberries

Bon Appétit | November 1999

Ann Zieglemaier served this as a side to crab cakes , served over a simple salad at a dinner at her house (1-25-13).  -jb

Yield: Makes 12 to 16 servings

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 large onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
6 3/4 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
2 cups wild rice (about 13 ounces)
2 cups long-grain brown rice

2 cups dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups hazelnuts, toasted, husked, coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped green onions

Melt 1/2 cup butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Add chicken broth. Bring to boil. Add wild rice. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Mix in brown rice; cover and simmer until rice is just tender and most liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes longer.

Stir cranberries, parsley and thyme into rice. Cover and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes longer. Mix in hazelnuts and green onions. Season generously with salt and pepper.

To bake stuffing in turkey:

Loosely fill main cavity with stuffing. Butter ceramic baking dish. Spoon remaining stuffing into prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake stuffing in dish alongside turkey until heated through, about 30 minutes.

To bake all of stuffing in baking dish:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 15x10x2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Cover dish with buttered foil, buttered side down; bake stuffing until heated through, about 40 minutes.

Green Lime Salad

One of our all-time favorites.

1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
soft lettuce greens (i.e. Boston lettuce)
white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced very thin

Mix ingredients and shake well to thoroughly mix ingredients. Toss with the salad and mushrooms.

Scampinski–Shrimp & Pasta

serves four

The pasta:

If you can find a pasta store that sells fresh pasta, by all means get fresh fusilli. The dried variety works, of course, but the taste and consistency of fresh is superior.

1/2 cup of olive oil
2-3 dashes, Tabasco
2-3 dashes, Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 teaspoon, Salt (or even slightly less)
1/4 teaspoon, Black Pepper
3/4 teaspoon, Garlic powder
1/4 cup Parsley flakes
32-40 fresh, medium shrimp (i.e. 24 to the lb. size), peeled & deveined. (note: Slice open and clean both the backs and bellies. This is painstaking, but not only is the shrimp cleaned, but the sliced edges curl up nicely during cooking.)

1-1/4 lbs. Fusilli pasta (or Rotini)(Fresh pasta, if available)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Preparation:

Combine the first seven (7) ingredients in a bowl. Add the shrimp and mix well. If possible, prepare this in the morning and let it sit in the fridge (covered).

Place dinner plates or pasta bowls into a 180 deg. F oven. Or, if microwave safe,  heat them them in a microwave for a minute or two before serving.

Bring three to four quarts of water to a rolling boil and add pasta along with 3/4 teaspoons salt. Drain when done, add 1/4 cup olive oil and stir. Set aside.

Place the shrimp mixture to a 12” skillet (I use a non-stick type) and arrange them so that each is lying down flat. Sauté over a medium-high flame until they are cooked through half way and beginning to brown (perhaps five minutes). Then flip each shrimp and to sauté for another 2-3 minutes.  Add the drained pasta and mix everything. Cook on a high flame for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese. A dry white white (suggestion: Vernaccia di San Gimignano) pairs well. And, whenever possible, serve with a Green Lime Salad.