SEASONAL COMFORT FOOD IN THE KITCHEN

                    Finding a comfort food that triggers a happy memory in two people who grew up in different homes, in different states, with different ethnic backgrounds can be tricky. Early on in our marriage, I realized that my husband enjoyed a dish of stuffed cabbage that his maternal grandmother would treat him to. My mother also made a soul satisfying stuffed cabbage.
I remember asking my husbands Grandmother about her stuffed cabbage so many, many years ago. The recipe was never written down, however, I remembered that she mixed pork and beef and used tomato juice to cook them in. My mothers recipe was a little different. She used only beef, and had two secret ingredients that made a sublime sweet and sour sauce.

                As years progressed and I became more comfortable at the stove, the two recipes became melded into one. First of course I had to learn how to cook a head of cabbage so as not to rip or bruise the leaves. This was trial and error and something I triumphantly mastered. You have to cook the whole head in a large pot of water until tender and you must be patient. ( So many times I was frustrated by the leaves not being tender enough to fold properly).

                A telephone conversation with my mother left me with a dilemma. She is of the opinion that a recipe with a family secret should remain just that....a family secret. I feel that unless you own a restaurant where diners pay big money to eat your family's secret recipe there is no point. Eventually the recipe will be lost to the world and what a shame that would be. 

                My brother in law was telling us just last week about his favorite pie...it was a banana cream pie. The pie was made for special occasions by his wife's grandmother...a secret recipe. Yes, that secret recipe was taken to her grave and now my brother in law will never get to have another slice of his favorite pie...it just seems wrong to me.

                 My version of Sweet and Sour Stuffed Cabbage

                1 lb. chop meat

                1 cup cooked rice (I use left over cold rice)     

                2 eggs lightly beaten

                1 tsp each salt and pepper

                1 tsp onion powder

                1 tsp garlic powder

                1 tbsp  Worcestershire sauce

                2 tbsps ketchup

                1 cup ketchup

                1 cup tomato juice

                1 cup raisins

                1 large head of cabbage, boiled and cooled...leaves removed one by one.

          Mix the beef, rice, eggs and seasonings together. Add the worcestershire sauce and the 2 tbsps of ketchup to the mixture. The amount of meat mixture that you put into each cooked cabbage leaf is commensurate to the size of the leaf. A large outer leaf will get about 2 tablespoons of meat mixture while a smaller leaf from inside the cabbage will only get one tablespoon. Wrap the leaf of the cabbage around the meat mixture like an envelope and place seam side down in a large heavy pot. Sprinkle a handful of raisins between each layer of the rolls. Add about 1/2 cup of water to the cup of ketchup and pour over the cabbage rolls in the pot. Add the cup of tomato juice to the pot and cook covered, for about an hour and a half on medium low. I usually serve this with mashed potatoes.

                So I am curious...do you keep your family recipes secret or will you share? Will someone in your family be unhappy with you if you spill the beans?

                This post is being linked to Miz Helen's Country Cottage for Full Plate Thursday and Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday.

♥, Susan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                

Comments

[Jenna Ericson]

I'm glad you share your recipes with me. :)

[Carol]

I agree with you, I share. I made all my kids favorites into a photo cookbook so they will always have them. Your stuffed cabbage looks fantastic. Thanks for sharing it!

[carolinaheartstrings]

Looks just terrific. Perfect for the cold weather coming up! Come visit us. We have a terrific sweet potato recipe today.

[My Little Home and Garden]

Thanks for the inspiration. I'd like to give making cabbage rolls a try; I know I like eating them!

[Ebie]

Susan, I love stuffed cabbage. Thanks for the tip of cooking the cabbage. I am going to try the recipe. My daughter would put the raisins on the side, but I eat it.

In some Filipino dishes, we use raisins as part of the ingredients.

Honestly, I give away recipes, no secrets for me.

[Susan]

I totally agree with you about secret recipes and have shared some of my family's recipes over the years. My husband is getting better at eating cabbage so I would love to try your blended family recipe! Thank you for sharing :)

[Miz Helen]

We just love stuffed cabbage and your recipe looks so good, yum! Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great week end and come back soon!
Miz Helen

[Pat]

Like you, Susan, I believe in sharing recipes.
My Ukrainian grandmother made stuffed cabbage all the time but my Mom never copied down her recipe. I was very excited to but the "Mennonite Girls Can Cook" cookbook and find their recipe was very similar in taste to the one my grandmother made. They have a tip that putting a savory cabbage in the freezer overnight significantly softens the leaves so they don't need to be pre-cooked. I never have room in my freezer to try it..lol!

Your stuffed cabbage also sounds delicious --I will have to try it next time. Thanks!

[Jill Harrison]

I agree with what you say about the secret recipes - at some stage they need to be passed on - or they disappear forever - and what a terrible thing that would be. I guess our family don't have any secret recipes - but I have made sure my son and daughter in law has the recipes that my son loves!
Thanks for stopping by my post to say hi on Monday - have a wonderful week.

[Pat Petrovich]

Sounds like a fantastic recipe. I wrote it down and will try it. My daughter-in-law is Polish with her favorite recipe, a good friend is Hungarian and you can't beat his mom's recipe, and I often order a dozen from the best little Romanian restaurant here.... they are all different and all delicious! Thank you!!