White cabbage rolls with goulash sauce – "Golubtsy" in Grandma's Westphalian style

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 large white cabbage, approx. 2 kg
• 3 large onions, each approx. 80 g
• 1 large garlic clove(s), approx. 10 g
• 4 Mettwurst sausages, approx. 200 g
• 250 g basmati rice
• 200 g rice pudding
• 1 kg beef goulash
• 350 ml water
• 1 can condensed milk, 10% fat, approx. 380 g
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1 bay leaf
• Paprika powder, sweet
• 2 dashes of Maggi
• 1 tsp marjoram
• salt and pepper
• Sunflower oil
• butter
• vegetable fat

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 3 hours; Total time approx. 4 hours

classic Christmas dish of the family, Eastern European specialty

To make the white cabbage rolls, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the white cabbage and, as soon as possible, remove 8-10 large leaves. They should be translucent and easy to roll. Flatten any thick leaf veins. Remove the remaining small leaves, trim off any stem ends or thick leaf veins, and cut the leaves into approximately 1 cm pieces. Cook the rice in plenty of salted water until tender, then drain. Add the water, salt, and the first cabbage to a large pot and bring to a boil. As soon as the outermost leaves come off easily (Caution: Do not test with a fork: risk of tearing, the cabbage leaves should be intact), remove the cabbage from the pot (place a sieve over the pot, then invert the pot over the sink with the sieve and let the hot water drain away). Now rinse with cold water. Then very carefully, applying pressure, peel off the leaves one by one and set them aside. If the leaves are not yet translucent, continue cooking. You should have about 8 to 10 large leaves. Do not remove the stem ends, but if necessary, taper them so that the leaves can be rolled without difficulty. Small leaves can also be removed from the inside of the cabbage. Collect these as well and chop them into small pieces (about 1 cm). Remove the stem and only use the softest parts. Meanwhile, cook the rice until tender. Drain the water through a sieve. Cut the Mettwurst into slices about 0.5 cm thick. Dice 1 onion very finely. Dice or press the garlic clove very finely. Place everything in a bowl with the cabbage pieces and rice. Season with salt and pepper and a dash of Maggi, mix well, and let stand for about 10-15 minutes. The mixture should have a light to moderate salt and pepper flavor. The rice can be sticky—this will create the creamy consistency of the filling. Place the filling on each cabbage leaf and wrap it into a roulade. Secure with kitchen string. For the goulash sauce, finely dice 2 onions. Season the goulash meat generously with salt, pepper, and paprika. Fry in small batches in sunflower oil until very dark brown. Then add all the meat to the pot, add the onions, and continue frying over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Mix the flour with 50 ml of water until lump-free. Add to the goulash, heat gently, and then add 300 ml of water, the bay leaf, and marjoram. Simmer with the lid on for about 1 hour. Stir frequently to prevent burning. At the end, season with salt, pepper, and marjoram and add canned milk until the desired consistency is reached. If necessary, add more flour mixed with water. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Preheat the oven to 150°C (top/bottom heat) (do not use fan-assisted oven). Generously grease a large baking dish with butter. Place the roulades in the baking dish and brush with a little vegetable fat. This will ensure they become brown and shiny, but will prevent them from burning blackening as quickly. Place the baking dish in the oven on the middle or bottom rack (depending on the oven) for 1.5 to 2 hours. Once the roulades are golden brown in some spots, they are ready. Serve with the goulash sauce. Notes: This dish can be prepared well in advance. The finished roulades can be kept in the refrigerator for 1 day. They are also suitable for freezing. The goulash sauce tastes best when kept in the refrigerator for 1 night.