21 January 2021

Golumpki Soup - Cabbage Roll Soup

Golumpki Soup - Cabbage Roll Soup / www.delightfulrepast.com


The idea for Golumpki Soup popped into my head one day when I was craving Golumpkis - Stuffed Cabbage Rolls. That's something a friend and I always make together, and I didn't want to do it without her. Plus, it's soup weather. So I thought I'd make a soup of it.

Just as I was getting ready to call her to say I'm bringing her a new soup, she called to say she'd had a rough night and wasn't feeling well today. The prospect of a soup delivery really cheered her up. I just got back home when she called to say how much she loved the soup.

It's a hearty soup, good in its own right, but not golumpkis. So I do hope you'll try both and let me know what you think. Making golumpkis is a project, but making golumpki soup is a doddle. Warning: The next paragraph may shock you or gross you out. 

I just learned that some people don't wash cabbage! Whaaaattt? Seriously, please wash your cabbage. Not just the outside. There can be not just a little garden soil but worms or other insects inside the cabbage. I have seen them for myself!

Here's what I do: Remove the outer leaves, cut into wedges, cut away the core, slice the wedges, put the sliced cabbage in the salad spinner, fill with water, swish it around, drain it, and repeat. If I'm roasting the wedges, I carefully wash each wedge and reassemble.

Your thoughts?

PS Also, you might try my regular meatless Cabbage Soup.

Golumpki Soup - Cabbage Roll Soup / www.delightfulrepast.com

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Golumpki Soup


(Makes about 4 quarts)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup (3 ounces/85 grams) chopped yellow onion
1 pound (16 ounces/454 grams) very lean ground beef
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
2 packed tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 quart lower sodium chicken or beef broth
1 28-ounce can petite diced tomatoes
1 cup (8 fluid ounces/237 ml) water
1 pound green cabbage (about 1/2 medium head) cored and sliced into 1/8-inch shreds
1/2 pound (8 ounces/227 grams) carrots, peeled and sliced or chopped
1/2 cup (3.5 ounces/99 grams) uncooked long-grain white rice

Note: This makes quite a thick soup, but you can add an additional 2 cups of broth or water for a soupier soup.

1 In 5.5- to 6-quart Dutch oven, heat oil and cook onion for 5 minutes. And ground beef and cook, breaking it up, until very well browned. As it's cooking, stir in paprika, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and the marjoram. Once it is well browned (I hate gray ground beef!), stir in the brown sugar and vinegar.

Note: If your ground beef is not very lean, drain off the fat before adding seasonings.

2 Stir in the broth, tomatoes, water, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Then add the cabbage and carrots. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes.

3 Stir in the rice. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. If you like a thinner soup, add more broth. Taste and adjust seasoning.

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Jean

46 comments:

Angie's Recipes said...

It looks delicious and very warming..perfect for the season!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Angie. Wish I still had some!

TONY said...

A great vegetable soup Jean. I like the idea of paprika, marjoram etc. I have never heard of Golumpkus before. I was about to do a google search, it sounded Russian to me, and then I saw the link you provided.

"My version is the one a very close friend grew up with. She used to make it with her mother, a Russian-born German with maybe some sort of Polish connection."

That is the history of the 1930s 1940s and 1950s Germany in one. We visit Berlin quite often because our son Sam lives there and our granddaughter Emma is of course German. Visiting various museums and galleries in Berlin and talking to Sophies parents, who were East Germans we have heard the lot!! So to speak.

Irene said...

I love the idea of all the flavour of cabbage rolls with very little of the work!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Tony. Yes, I remembered your having a grandchild in Germany. It's wonderful that you get to visit the family there quite often. I don't often do German food, but I do like a number of dishes besides golumpkis: pork or chicken schnitzel, red cabbage with apple, apple strudel.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Irene, I knoooooowww! Isn't that fun! Thank you.

Lynn and Precious said...

Love hot soup in the winter. This sounds easy and delicious. Thanks Lynn

Thomas "Sully" Sullivan said...

Worms? Extra protein? Does this apply to lettuce as well? Don’t think I like my protein that fresh. That said, I’ll stick with cole slaw but pass on cabbage rolls. I’d say “not my cup of tea,” but tea hasn’t made my menu either. Yeah. Incorrigible. Mea culpa. You are a gold mine of info, all the same. If you have a recipe for worms that involves cremating them before serving, I’m open to it…

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Lynn. I hope you'll try it soon.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Sorry, Sully, worms are not on my menu! Glad to be "a gold mine of info," even if it's info you yourself won't be using! :D

Lowcarb team member said...

Many thanks for this recipe and link ...

All the best Jan

The Liberty Belle said...

Mmmm! This looks like a comforting and tasty soup. I'm sure that your cherished friend really appreciated it. Have a great day.

Phil in the Kitchen said...

Very comforting and perfect for winter. I hated cabbage as a kid but I love it now. I grow as much as I can and I certainly wash it carefully because I know what loves to live inside it. I remember finding some very unpleasant visitors inside a cabbage in a French restaurant but the waiter was deeply offended that I dared to complain.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank you, Jan! Happy January!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank you, Liberty! I'm glad to share my soup with her because my husband isn't a real soup fan! He likes a little soup as part of a meal, but she and I can just eat soup breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Phil, that is soooo funny! But that is precisely why I don't order many cabbage dishes in restaurants! Maybe I'll try growing my own cabbage this year.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Love hearty soups like this! And I think I'd like the soup version better than the traditional cabbage rolls. I love the flavor of cabbage rolls, but just not that much of a fan of the concept (probably because for whatever reason I just don't enjoy putting them together; no problem making enchiladas however - go figure!). Such a fun recipe -- thanks.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, John. I usually only make a dozen enchiladas at a time, but I always make about 6 dozen golumpkis. That's a whole lotta rolling! So, yeah, I think I'll be making the soup more often. :D

ellen b. said...

I've made our Russian version of Golupstzi but haven't tried a soup version. This looks delicious!

Dee | GrammysGrid.com said...

Some people are so nasty, don't know how they survived this long. I guess I just assumed everyone washed their fruits and veggies!! Oh my goodness, this looks and sounds so good!! It's going on my list to try as I've never heard of it before now. Thanks so much for linking up with me at #AThemedLinkup 40 for Soup Recipes, open until January 27. Shared on social media.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Ellen. AND for giving me the Russian name for golumpkis (I sort of collect words!).

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks so much, Dee. I've even seen cooks on TV (can't remember who just now) say just remove the outer leaves and you're good to go!

Cocoa and Lavender said...

I’ve never had golumpki, I imagine they taste fantastic considering these ingredients. However, your soup gives you all the flavors without the extra work of making the cabbage rolls. Love this! Also, even here in Tucson, it is soup weather and this sounds very comforting.

Victoria Zigler said...

Glad you were able to cheer your friend up with a soup delivery.

Also... What? Those things have been in the ground, and people don't wash them? You have to at least give your veggies - and fruits too - a bit of a wash. I mean, I'm totally blind and can tell they need it...

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, David. And you can make it even meatier, if you like. But I do like it heavy on the vegetables.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank you, Victoria. I suppose some people think if you peel the outer leaves away, that tight ball of leaves is perfectly clean, not realizing that insects could have gotten in. PS I love your sense of humor about your blindness.

Sherry's Pickings said...

hi jean
i love cabbage and i love cabbage rolls so i bet i would love this soup! Yum!
cheers
sherry

Anonymous said...

It's Gołąbki not golumpki. And they're Polish.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Anonymous, whatever, but I'm afraid a lot of people would say otherwise. :-)
According to Wikipedia: "Gołąbki are also referred to as golombki, golumpki, golabki, golumpkies, golumpkis, gluntkes, or gwumpki. Similar variations are called holubky (Czech, Slovak), töltött káposzta (Hungarian), holubtsi (Ukrainian), golubtsy (Russian), balandėliai (Lithuanian), Kohlrouladen German (or sarma a Turkish loan-word, commonly applied to some South Slavic versions, particularly in the Balkan region), kåldolmar (Sweden, from the Turkish dolma). In Yiddish, holipshes, goleptzi, golumpki and holishkes or holep are very similar dishes."

Sandi@ Rose Chintz Cottage said...

Well, I have never heard of golumpki before, Jean, but that soup sounds splendid! It's comfort food weather here too and I just know my hubby would really go for a "cabbage" soup. Perhaps a meal for St Patricks day instead of corned beef and cabbage. {He's very proud of his Irish heritage.} It sounds really savoury and filling. Thanks for the recipe and enjoy your weekend.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks so much, Sandi! It DOES seem like a good substitute for corned beef and cabbage! Hope he likes it.

Marilyn @ MountainTopSpice said...

This soup sounds like the perfect antidote for your friend's under the weather feeling! I've never made golumpki soup, but I have on occasion included cabbage in vegetable soup, it adds such a robust lovely flavor! Many blessings to you :)

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks so much, Marilyn. I love cabbage in vegetable soup, too. Added flavor and nutrition!

The Lazy Gastronome said...

I love cabbage - thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party. Have a great week.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank you, Helen!

Dee | GrammysGrid.com said...

CONGRATS! Your post is FEATURED at #AThemedLinkup 41 for All Things Love and Valentine’s Day from my previous linkup for Soup Recipes, open until February 7.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Dee! Much appreciated.

Dee | GrammysGrid.com said...

Dropping by again to say thanks so much for linking up with me at the #UnlimitedMonthlyLinkParty 21, open until February 26. Shared again on social media.

Gloria Baker said...

Love this soup! Looks delicious!!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank you, Gloria! Wish I had some today, it is soup weather!

Pauline Wiles said...

Yes, it's definitely soup season. This looks like perfect comfort food and of course I love that it's so much easier than the full golumpkis undertaking ;)

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank you, Pauline. Every once in a while I have to remind myself that something doesn't have to be a "full undertaking" to be good! :D

Jeff the Chef said...

This is fantastic! I love galumpki, so I'm Sure I'd love this soup!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks so much, Jeff! I hope you do!

Carole said...

Lovely presentation too! thanks

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank you, Carole! I like to make it look pretty!