The Paulochik Family Halupki Recipe

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Following is an excellent account on making stuffed cabbage rolls, also known in Slovak cuisine as holúbky, holupki, pigs in a blanket, plnená kapusta and possibly other variations on the same theme. 

This recipe reminds me a lot of the method that my wife's grandmother uses, and it goes to show that good things such as this are well-nigh universal. Like Mr. Paulochik, she would always simmer them in a pot on the stovetop, and would also add sauerkraut and tomatoes. I am particulary respectful of the way this method is explained; there is a lot of common sense here, along with helpful information that you simply can't quantify into a measured recipe. When I am making Grandma Mary's pigs in a blanket, I also rely on how the meat mixture smells to know if I am on the right track.

From http://www.iarelative.com/recipe/halupki.htm, with full credit going to Mr. Paulochik:

 The Paulochik Family Halupki Recipe as taught by Andrew Paulochik (born 1897 in Vinne, Slovakia) to his son Edmund Paul (born 1932 in Spangler, PA), who taught his son Paul Michael (born 1959 in Windber, PA): 

 We still use this original recipe, which is sized for about 60 halupki - enough to feed 15 to 20. I've found they can be frozen about 2 months and still taste good, up to 4 months and still taste decent.  
WARNING! Do not attempt this recipe with a cold or stuffed nose. Adding the dry ingredients to the meat is based on smell, not measured amounts - grandpa butchered animals on the farm and was a cook in the Hungarian Army in WW I, and he figured you can't count on the animals to give the same quality meat every time! Also, wash hands well and mix the meat with bare hands!!! Rubber or plastic gloves leave a taste behind, and even wooden mixing spoons just don't do the job.

Cabbage - 2 heads for this recipe
3 lb. Ground chuck
3/4 lb. Ground pork
Salt & pepper
2 eggs
Garlic powder
Paprika
1/2 of a 2" onion, sauteed in 1/4 lb. butter 
Just under 1 cup rice and equal amount water
1 large can (28 oz.) Silver Floss sauerkraut
1 large can (28 oz.) Hunts Tomato Sauce
1 large can (28 oz.) Hunts Crushed Tomato 

Prepare the cabbage - puncture the core with a knife, and boil about 45 minutes (if using two heads, boil separately). After cooling, prepare the leaves - pull them off the head in as large a piece as you can. You'll probably have to take thin slices off the spines and thicker veins. 

Mix the meat together and smell it. Remember the smell of the meat. Sprinkle on a little salt and pepper, and knead the mixture by hand. Smell again. Keep adding salt and pepper until it just barely masks the smell of the meat. 

Cook the rice until all the water is absorbed. Set aside. 

Mix the eggs into the meat mixture. Smell the mixture - remember the smell. Sprinkle in a little garlic powder and paprika; knead well. Keep mixing in small amounts of garlic powder and paprika until you can detect a garlic smell. Add the juice from the sauerkraut, the rice, sauteed onions, and 1/3 cup of the tomato sauce. Mix thoroughly. 

Put a small amount of oil in the bottom of a BIG pot. Roll a small handful of the meat mixture into a firm oval; wrap with a cabbage leaf. Tuck the edges into the roll. Line the bottom of the pot with the halupki; cover with a little bit of the sauerkraut, some tomato sauce, and a layer of leaves. 

Keep building layers, using the "bad" and small cabbage leaves for the layering. Top with the crushed tomatoes, remaining sauerkraut, and the very top is cabbage leaves. Add enough water to totally cover. 

Stick a wooden spoon down to the bottom (CAREFULLY, along the side of the pot) to break any air bubbles between the layers - do NOT puncture any of the halupki! - and add more water, if necessary. Repeat this several times, because air between the layers will make a terrific mess when the pot begins to boil! 

Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down; simmer for at least four hours, then keep warm until served. We always prepare the halupki the night before - simmer two hours, turn off the heat overnight (do NOT refrigerate!! Just leave the pot on the stove), and simmer another two hours the next morning. 

Serve with mashed potatoes and milk - although a dry white wine also works well. A lot of work, but well worth it!

I tried to contact Mr. Paulochik in order to open up a dialogue with him.  I wanted to ask about the 2-inch onion, boiling the cabbage for 45 minutes and a couple of other things; however, the email I sent was undeliverable, so I can only tell you to use your own judgement where these two items are concerned. It seems to me that the stated size of the onion is too small, and that the boiling time for the cabbage is quite long; however, I cannot say for sure. As for leaving them over-night half-cooked and covered on the stovetop, I'd definitely try it, to see how the flavour develops - but in today's world, I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone else. I am confident that the acid and salt content along with the two cooking stages would preclude any food-borne problems, but this would be my decision to make - you must make your own.

In any case, this is a truly unique and valued first-hand archive of a much-loved food tradition in Slovkaia, and I am honoured to help to preserve it.

Ron