Holubtsi is a stuffed cabbage dish found in all parts of Ukraine, traditionally served for celebrations like Christmas and New Year. A large fresh cabbage is boiled whole so the leaves can be separated and cooled, then filled with a stuffing of ground beef and ground chicken thighs, boiled rice, and sautéed carrots and onions. The rolls are arranged in a pan with bay leaf, covered in a carrot-onion sauce, braised in the oven for an hour, and served with herbs, micro-greens, radish, and sour cream.
Washington DC
Ruta
Holubtsi
cabbage / oil / carrots / onion / salt / pepper / ground beef / ground chicken thighs / boiled rice / garlic powder / black pepper / water / sugar / bay leaf / herbs / micro-greens / radish / sour cream
Signature Dish
From Prep to Plate
Chef Mykola Yudin of Ruta, D.C.'s first Ukrainian restaurant, shows Seth Tillman how to make holubtsi — cabbage leaves rolled around beef, chicken and rice, then braised in tomato sauce. Plus eastern-style borscht and the Patriot, Ruta's blue-and-yellow cocktail.
Diners in the D.C. area would be hard-pressed to find a better version than Ruta's of holubtsi—fat cabbage rolls filled with ground beef and chicken, rice, carrots and onions and cooked in a tangy tomato sauce enriched with heavy cream.
David Hagedorn, Bethesda Magazine
