Gołabki – Light steamed ”doves”
So today I have a cravings for gołąbki today, it is a very traditional polish dish. Gołąbki means doves, because that’s the shape of the dish 🙂
Today I have a craving for gołąbki, a very traditional Polish dish. Gołąbki means doves, because that’s the shape of the dish. All the ingredients are available at this time of year in the shop, so that’s what I will have on my table today.
The version will be light, so I will use minced meat, but this time it will be turkey. Personally, I prefer to grind the meat at home rather than buy it ready ground. If you have a grinder or blender for this, you can try it.
A method of preparing
Wash the cabbage thoroughly, remove the thick parts and put the leaves in a steamer or a pot with water and a strainer. Cook for a few minutes. Wash and grind the meat. Add garlic, chopped onion, shredded carrot, egg and spices. On each leaf place the meat stuffing and very carefully wrap it. Cook in the steamer for about 30 minutes.
Heat the tomatoes in a pot. Add salt, pepper and finely chopped garlic. Let it simmer and then add some dill. Place the doves in the sauce.
Getting the leaves off without tearing them
The leaves are the part that decides whether this works. Cut the core out of the cabbage first, then steam the whole head for a few minutes: the outer leaves loosen and peel away one at a time without the tearing you get from pulling at a raw head.
The thick rib at the base of each leaf has to go, and shaving it flat with a knife is better than cutting it out, because a hole in the middle of the leaf is where the filling escapes. A leaf that is properly softened folds without cracking. If it cracks, it needs another minute of steam.
Turkey is lean, so the filling needs help
Minced turkey has far less fat than pork, which is what makes this version light and also what makes it dry if you treat it the same way. The grated carrot, the chopped onion and the egg are not there for flavour alone: the vegetables release moisture as they cook and the egg holds everything together.
Do not overwork the mixture. Mixed too long, minced meat turns dense and the filling ends up springy rather than tender. Combine until it just holds, and check the seasoning by frying a teaspoon of it in a pan first, since you cannot taste a raw filling.
Why steaming rather than boiling
Thirty minutes in a steamer keeps the rolls intact and keeps the flavour inside them. Simmered in liquid, the parcels take on water, the leaves soften past the point of holding, and much of what makes the filling taste of anything ends up in the pot.
Seam side down, packed snugly so they cannot unroll, and no need to weigh them down. They are done when the filling reaches 74 degrees at the centre, which for rolls this size is about half an hour. Poultry is not a place to guess.
The sauce, and keeping them
The sauce is made separately and the rolls go into it at the end, so it stays a sauce rather than turning into the liquid the rolls were cooked in. Simmer it long enough to lose the raw tomato edge, about ten minutes, and add the dill off the heat, since it loses its scent within a minute of boiling.
Gołąbki are better the next day, once the filling has taken up the sauce. They keep three days in the fridge and freeze well for three months, best frozen in the sauce. If you would rather have dinners like this one planned into the week with a shopping list, that is what the Diet & Training by Ann app does.
Steamed turkey cabbage rolls
Ingredients
Method
- Cut the core out of the cabbage, steam the head for a few minutes and peel off the leaves one at a time.
- Shave the thick rib at the base of each leaf flat with a knife.
- Grind the turkey and mix it with the chopped onion, one grated carrot, one chopped garlic clove, the egg, salt and pepper, combining just until it holds.
- Place the filling on each leaf and wrap it carefully.
- Steam the rolls seam side down for about 30 minutes, until the filling reaches 74 C at the centre.
- Heat the tomatoes with salt, pepper and the remaining finely chopped garlic and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Take the sauce off the heat, stir in the dill and place the rolls in it.
Notes
Frequently asked questions
Cut the core out first, then steam the whole head for a few minutes. The outer leaves loosen and peel away one at a time, which does not happen when you pull at a raw head. If a leaf cracks as you fold it, it needs another minute of steam.
Shave it flat with a knife rather than cutting it out. A hole in the middle of the leaf is exactly where the filling escapes while the roll cooks.
Because minced turkey has far less fat than pork. The grated carrot and the chopped onion release moisture as they cook and the egg binds everything, so they are not optional here. Avoid overworking the mixture too, since mixed too long the meat turns springy rather than tender.
Steaming keeps the parcels intact and keeps the flavour inside them. Simmered in liquid, the rolls take on water, the leaves soften past the point of holding, and much of the taste ends up in the pot. About 30 minutes is right, until the filling reaches 74 degrees at the centre.
Yes, once the filling has taken up the sauce. They keep three days in the fridge and freeze well for three months, best frozen in the sauce. Dinners like this one come planned into the week with a shopping list in the Diet & Training by Ann app.
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