Golubtsy

Golubtsy is a Russian dish that my Ukrainian grandmother Ethel use to make.She also cooked tomatoes and other vegtables fresh out of the garden. The Golubtsy along with my home made sauce will just pop in amazing flavor in your mouth when served together!

Serves 16

2 hours cooking time

14 prep time

1 (One) very large cabbage's outer 16 leaves [Or more if two leaves are necessary to wrap due to a smaller cabbage.] (Remove core of cabbage to make outer leaves come off more readily. Cooking of whole cabbage- using center cabbage in another recipe or as a sidedish- makes leaf removal easier/without breakage. Or take outer leaves of raw cabbage and cook them only before stuffing Golubtsy.)

16 oz. Philadelphia Cream Cheese Whipped

3 tbls. Mrs. Dash Italian

14 oz. whole grain brown rice (I use 4 bags 10 minute rice.)

2 1/2 cups shaved Parmesan cheese

3 lbs. ground meat (I used beef and pork this time.)

4 large eggs

1. Boil large pot of water that is salted for flavor and add either entire cabbage with core removed(You will need something heavy to hold cabbage to submerse completely.) or outer leaves only and cook until tender.

2. Cook rice according to directions in a separate pot.And when the rice is done rinse with cold water briefly to cool and strain. (This is where the cook in bags come in handy...no mess!)

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.And mix all of the ingredients including the cream cheese, meat, rice, Mrs. Dash, eggs and cheese with hands until blended.

4. Scoop approximently one cup of filling at the base[This is where the stem was.]of each cabbage leaf and proceed to roll from bottom towards the top of the leaf folding side flap of each leaf to envelope the filling making a 'pillow like' pocket that the filling is completely enclosed in it's casing.Lay each Golubtsy in baking dishes seam side down not touching each other.

5. Cover with preferably my homemade tomato sauce (or broth to be served with sour cream) and bake in a 350 degree oven for 80 minutes spooning sauce/broth on occasionally during cooking process. Serve or freeze for later!