~ Five Ways to Enjoy Slovak-Style Stuffed Cabbage ~

When it comes to making cabbage rolls, like meatloaf or meatballs, most cuisines have a traditional recipe for them, and, all make use of on-hand ingredients.  For instance:  If they live in an area suited for raising sheep, lamb is in their cabbage rolls.  If they live in a climate where vegetables grow year round, you'll find veggies like bell peppers and chunky tomatoes in them.  I will, however, go out on a limb and state:  when I say "cabbage roll", you should say "Eastern European", because that is the cuisine they're hands-down most commonly associated with.

Known as holubki to me and many of you*, stuffed cabbage rolls are beloved in every Eastern European household.  Everyone makes them a bit differently, with the constants being: ground meat (beef, pork and/or lamb), cooked rice, steamed green cabbage leaves and a tomato-based sauce.  Because they are labor-intensive, too often they're reserved for holidays or special occasions.  That said, those of us in Eastern European inner-circles know there are other ways to bring this knife-and-fork savory comfort food to the weekday table in almost half the time.

*Note: Here are some other names for stuffed cabbage rolls as per Wikipedia: golubtsy (Russia); golabki (Poland); halubcy (Belarus); holubtsi (Ukraine); kohlroulade (Germany & Austria); sarma (Balkans & Turkey).  The literal translation of the word holubki is:  "little doves" or "little pigeons".

1) Classic Cabbage Rolls on the Stovetop or in the Crockpot:

2) Unstuffed Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls in the Crockpot:

3) Slovak-Style Stuffed Cabbage Soup w/Mini-Meatballs:

4) Slovak Unstuffed Cabbage Stew w/Ground Beef & Rice:

5) Slovak-Style Vegetarian Cabbage & Tomato Soup w/Egg Noodles:

"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti

(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2019)