Holubtsi, Ukrainian Stuffed Cabbage

How can anyone resist  Holubtsi, “little pigeons,” the endearing Ukrainian name for stuffed cabbage rolls? Variations of this traditional, comfort food abound throughout the region. Most are meat-and-rice-filled and stewed, though some are fried. In contrast to meat and rice rolls, these Holubtsi are very climate protective. Low in fat but high in fiber and flavor, they are stuffed with toasted buckwheat groats, loads of aromatics, mushrooms, and herbs, then baked in a chunky fragrant Rosé Sauce. Tender and flavorful, these little pigeons will feed a crowd. Serve as starter or entrée, topped with plenty of vegan “smetana” (sour cream) from strained soy yogurt, and a good sprinkling of chopped dill and parsley. Making Holubtsi is a lengthy affair, like lasagna, so I like to break up its elements and make them ahead of time over several days. They are worth the effort!

Prep 2½ hours to strain soy yogurt for garnish plus 30 minutes to blanch the cabbage, 45 minutes to make the filling, and 30 minutes to stuff the cabbage

Bake About 1 hour

Makes about 20 cabbage rolls

Soy Smetana

6 cups of cultured soy yogurt, strained to make dairy-free sour cream

Filling

1 ½ cups unsalted vegetable broth, homemade or from a 32-ounce carton, heated

1 tablespoon porcini powder from ⅓ cup dry porcini mushrooms, or to taste

2 tablespoons no-sodium dehydrated soup vegetables, ground

1 cup raw buckwheat, lightly pan toasted

2 medium carrots, cut in a small dice

1 large yellow onion, cut in a small dice

2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves

3 cloves garlic, minced

10 ounces white button or mixed varieties of mushrooms, cut in a small dice

A fistful of fresh dill, roughly chopped

A fistful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped

4 to 5 scallions, white and green sections, sliced

Up to ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 to 3 tablespoons aka (red) miso paste, or to taste

Rosé Sauce

4 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half, roasted

1 red onion, cut in a medium dice

2 tablespoons dry vermouth or unsalted vegetable broth to deglaze pan

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 26-ounce carton or jar strained tomatoes

1 tablespoon dried oregano, or to taste

1 cup unsweetened soy milk, or to taste

1 packed cup fresh basil leaves

½ cup soy yogurt

Cabbage

1 large firm medium-large Savoy or green cabbage, cored and blanched

Garnish with plenty of chopped dill and parsley.

Make Smetana Sour Cream

1. To make soy yogurt smetana, spoon the yogurt onto a 2-foot square of unbleached muslin. Use string to tie it up into a bag and suspend it over the sink or put it in a strainer set over a bowl. Strain it for 2 ½ hours. Scrape the thick sour cream into a bowl, tightly cover, and refrigerate until you plate and serve the holubtsi.

Make the Filling

1. Pour the vegetable broth into a small saucepan. Cover and bring to a low simmer.

2. Use a coffee or spice grinder to create a powder out of the dried slices of porcini mushrooms. Measure a tablespoon and store the excess in a tight-lidded jar, placed in a cool, dark cupboard.

3. Grind the dehydrated vegetables in a coffee grinder to make powder. Stir it into 1 ½ cups hot water.

4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the raw buckwheat groats and lightly roast, stirring frequently for 3 to 4 minutes— just until the groats turn golden and fragrant. Stir in the heated broth, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and maintain at a gentle simmer 7 to 8 minutes or until the broth is mostly absorbed and the buckwheat kasha is just partially cooked. Transfer it to a bowl.

5. Reheat the skillet for 2 minutes on low. Add the diced yellow onions and carrots, cover, and sweat the aromatics until the onion slowly softens and releases its water, about 10 minutes. Check to ensure that the pan hasn’t dried out or that the onions and carrots aren’t browning. If so, add a little water and lower the heat.

6. Stir in add the garlic and thyme.

7. Cook for 1 minute then stir in the mushrooms and porcini powder. Cover the pan and cook for about 10 minutes.

8. Remove the cover to allow the moisture to evaporate. Stir in the chopped parsley, dill, and scallions.

9. Remove from the heat, stir in the partially cooked kasha. Season with black pepper, half the miso paste, stirring the mix well to distribute the miso. This is our Holubtsi filling.

10. Taste and correct seasonings as you prefer.

Make the Rosé Sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Place the halved tomatoes, cut side up, on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Sprinkle the dried oregano on top.

3. Roast for 30 minutes or until the tomatoes are softened, sweetened, and darkened on their edges.

4. As the tomatoes are roasting, heat a large skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the diced red onion. Dry sauté for a few minutes or until the onion begins to caramelize and adhere to the pan.

5. Deglaze the pan with a minimal amount of vermouth or vegetable broth, scraping up the caramelized onion sugars from the pan.

6. Stir in the minced garlic and after a minute add the strained tomatoes.

7. Cover, cook at a low simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the roasted tomatoes, the basil leaves, season with ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and 2 teaspoons of miso paste.

8. For a chunky consistency, transfer the sauce to a food processor and pulse until the tomatoes are cut into uniformly small pieces.

9. For a smooth sauce, transfer the sauce to a high-speed blender and purée it.

10. Pour the sauce back into the skillet and heat to a gentle simmer. Stir in the soymilk.

11. Turn off the heat and add as much soy yogurt as you like to achieve Rosé Sauce’s classic pink color and creamy mouthfeel.

12. Taste and correct any seasonings as you like.

Cook the Cabbage

1. Remove any damaged, torn, or tough outer cabbage leaves. Remove the cabbage head’s core with a sharp paring knife, angled to remove the entire core deep inside the cabbage. Boil enough water in a soup pot large enough to cover the entire cabbage head.

2. Blanch those few tough outer leaves first. Remove them after a few minutes when they have softened. Set them aside for now.

3. Add the cabbage head, cut side down, boil it for 5 minutes. Using a pair of tongs, turn the head over so the cut side is on top. The leaves will loosen from the head as they cook. We only want to partially cook the cabbage at this stage, though the softer the leaves, the faster your rolls will bake in the oven. Too soft, however, and they will tear.

4. One by one, gently tease each outer leaf off the cabbagehead with a pair of tongs. Transfer each leaf to a large bowl.

5. The center of the cabbagehead with the smallest leaves will be difficult to separate, so remove it in one piece.

6. Save 2 to 3 cups of the blanching water.

Stuff and Bake the Holubtsi

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.

2. This recipe should make about 20 large and medium Holubtsi. Choose about 25 leaves, and coarsely chop the reserved cooked outer leaves, the small inner leaves, and any very torn extra leaves. We’ll stew them in the pot along with the holubtsi to make a tasty side dish that you can also enjoy.

3. To bake the Holubtsi, you will need a large 10 to 12-quart Dutch oven, overproof pot, or large covered oven-proof sauté pan. Add a few big spoonfuls of the Rosé Sauce to the bottom of the pot, add the chopped boiled cabbage leaves, and top with a little more sauce.

4. To stuff the Holubtsi, first use a paring knife to slice off the leaf’s protruding center vein, making it level with the rest of the leaf. This will facilitate folding the rolls.

5. Start with the largest leaves. Add 2 to 3 heaping tablespoons of the mushroom-kasha filling at the bottom of the leaf, and roll it tightly up, folding in the sides of the leaf as you go into a tidy roll, about the size of a Chinese egg roll.

6. Transfer it to the pot, placing it seam-side down. Cover it with a spoonful of Rosé Sauce.

7. Repeat until you have used up all the kasha filling, Rosé Sauce, or leaves, whichever comes first.

8. Arrange the rolls tightly in layers.

9. After saucing the final rolls, pour in 1 ½ cups of the reserved cabbage water to almost cover the Holubtsi.

10. We will heat Holubtsi low and slow to warm them evenly and avoid scorching. Cover and bake in the oven for an hour. Remove and test their doneness with a paring knife. If it penetrates easily, the rolls are ready. If not, add more the reserved cabbage cooking water if the liquid has receded, and continue baking, checking every 15 minutes.

11. To plate, add a few spoonsful of Rosé Sauce to the plate, arranging one or two Holubtsi on top. Garnish generously with strained yogurt “smetana” and a sprinkling of chopped dill and parsley.