Cabbage Rolls, Beef Goulash and Stuffed Peppers
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009When you think of international cuisine, France always comes to mind as a leader in exquisite tastes. There are, however, many excellent dinner choices from other countries and cultures, which can often become everyday favorites. Unlike some of the rich French cuisine, food from other countries can offer simple good tasting recipes that appeal to the weekday menu. These dishes often become the comfort foods that we all love. Hearty and healthy, this simple fare is typically easy to make and ultimately satisfying.
Here are three hearty dinner recipes that you may wish to prepare for your family tonight:
Cabbage Rolls
| 1 head cabbage | 1 tsp. pepper |
| 1 onion | 1 cup tomato juice |
| 2 cloves of garlic, minced | 1 jar spaghetti sauce |
| 2 cups uncooked rice | 1/4 cup water |
| 1-1/2 tsp. salt | 1-1/2 lbs. ground beef |
Separate the cabbage leaves from the head and steam the leaves until tender. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Chop onion and garlic. In a large bowl combine ground beef, onion garlic, rice, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup of the tomato juice. Mix together with your hands. Wrap prepared cabbage leaf around a small handful of the meat mixture, tucking side edges in to seal the roll. Place each roll in the bottom of a large stockpot, stacking on top of each when bottom is filled. When all the cabbage rolls have been prepared and placed in the pot, add the rest of the tomato juice, the jar of spaghetti sauce, and the water. Cook on top of stove over medium heat until sauce begins to bubble. Reduce heat to low and simmer in a covered pot for approximately 1-1/2 hours. If sauce boils down too quickly, add 1/2 cup more water.
Beef Goulash
| 1 ½ lbs. stewing beef | ½ tsp. salt |
| 4 large onions, sliced | 1 tsp. garlic, minced |
| 2 TBSP. vegetable oil | ¼ cup HP sauce |
| 3 TBSP. paprika | 4 medium carrots, cut into chunks |
| 1 ½ cups water | |
In a large stockpot, sauté onions in hot oil. Add beef, paprika, salt and HP sauce. Cover stockpot and simmer for ½ hour (the meat steams in its own juices). Add 1 ½ cups water and the carrots. Simmer for at least another ½ hour.
Serve hot over egg noodles or rice.
(Optional – you may wish to add a dollop of sour cream on top of each serving.)
Stuffed Peppers
| 6-8 large green peppers | 1 tsp. pepper |
| 1 onion | 1 large can tomato juice |
| 2 cloves of garlic, minced | ½ cup spaghetti sauce |
| 2 cups uncooked rice | 1 package dry beef bouillon powder |
| 1-1/2 tsp. salt | 1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
2 TBSP. cornstarch + ¼ cup water |
Cut off the tops of the green peppers and scrape out the core. Wash peppers to remove all the seeds. Cut off the green pepper around the core and chop into small pieces. Chop onion and garlic. In a large bowl combine ground beef, onion garlic, leftover chopped-up green pepper, rice, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup of the tomato juice. Mix together with your hands. Fill each green pepper with the meat mixture. Do not pack too tightly because the rice will expand. Place each filled pepper in the bottom of a large stockpot, stacking on top of each other when bottom is filled.
Add the rest of the tomato juice, spaghetti sauce, and the beef bouillon powder. Cook on top of stove over medium heat until sauce begins to bubble. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered, for approximately 1-1/2 hours.
About 10 minutes before serving, mix together cornstarch and water. Let simmer until sauce is thickened.
