Adding to my food & travel series, this savory recipe for Hungarian stuffed cabbage (also known as toltott kaposzta) highlights another chunk of my good ol’ mixed American ancestry (the Hungarian/Romanian quarter). The cabbage rolls I made are a spin-off of the more traditional version, as I made the dish vegetarian, and I wasn’t able to get my hands on Hungarian paprika.. just the regular kind (hot paprika is a go-to ingredient for Hungarian cooking). The less intense flavor of “regular” paprika didn’t make this dish any less satisfying though! I have included a few photos from my trip to Hungary, back in high school– It was a charming place with very attractive men! (Pics are scanned in so the quality is not so good)
I wish I could expound on this, but it seems like yeeaarrss ago and I’ve long since forgotten the juicy details– I really must dig up my travel journal from back then and jog my memory. I do remember loving Hungary though and being very pleasantly surprised.
Here is my version of the filling for this toltott kaposzta dish:
Lentils (cooked in a rice cooker)
Celery
Paprika
Garlic
Onion
Yellow pepper
Green chili sauce and sriracha
Tomato sauce (over top)
- Cut the core out of the cabbage and boil it for about 3 minutes, until the leaves are soft enough to use (I didn’t cook mine long enough and it made it more challenging to roll them)
- Stuff each leaf with a spoonful or two of the filling you have prepared and roll them up, placing them seam down on the baking sheet
- Drizzle with tomato sauce
- Bake in the oven at 375 for about 25-30 minutesAnd here is another recipe I worked off of.
I made this dish and trekked on over to the bro’s beautiful place to share it with him and our visiting Mumsies! (View of Rosslyn, Potomac River, Georgetown, National Cathedral…so pretty!)
More Hungary:
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