Halupkies: They Don’t Call it Pennsyltucky For Nothin’.
September 19, 2011 by: Cavan
Being married to a person from Eastern Pennsylvania has introduced the Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine element to my repertoire. Whether it’s halupkies, pierogies, just about anything else that ends in “ies”, or the 147 uses for kielbasa I really like this kind of cooking. It’s simple but very flavorful. (I do have to disclose that I didn’t cook this dish–Whitney did).
I’m pretty sure this is the one dish that has been passed down in her family that she’s been willing to alter. We cooked this dish with tomato juice for years, but had a discussion one night about the ingredients and it was suggested to try V-8 instead. She reluctantly tried it but the results were indisputable.
To make this you’ll need:
- 3/4 pound ground pork- lightly cooked (not quite browned)
- 3/4 pound ground beef- lightly cooked (not quite browned)
- Small Onion-chopped
- Cabbage—Large Head
- Sour Kraut—Large Can (and I mean the large can)
- 1/2 cup cooked white rice
- Chicken Broth (for cooking the rice)
- 32 oz of V-8 Spicy Hot Vegetable Juice
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Pepper
- 3 tsp Italian Seasoning
Cook down pork and beef so that it starts to turn but isn’t quite browned. Drain and mix the meats with cooked rice, chopped onion, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning. (I recommend cooking your rice in chicken stock. It adds flavor and if you pick up anything of my style of cooking it’s add layers of flavor when and wherever you can).
Place head of cabbage in a pot, stem down, with 2-3 inches of water to steam (approx. 7 min). When cabbage is cool enough to handle but still pliable peal the leaves off whole.
Place approx. 3/4 cup of meat mixture in each cabbage leaf and wrap like a burrito–tucking the ends under.
In a tall pot place a layer of sour kraut and 1/2 cup V-8 on bottom of pot. Then place a layer of halupkies-about 3–then a layer of sour krout-continue to layer. 1 is a serving but a person that’s really hungry may eat two.
Add 1 cup water and cook on medium low for one hour. After one hour, pour in remaining V-8 juice and continue to cook for 30 mins.
You’ll just want to remember that you’re cooking cabbage; so if you’re having guests over the day you’re cooking this you might want to consider hanging a sign on the front door that says: OUR HOUSES DOES NOT NORMALLY SMELL THIS BAD.
Serve with mashed potatoes.
Italian spices in Halupkies, REALLY! Pa Dutch would be mortified. Also, check spelling in 2nd line under photo of dish tsk, tsk, tsk lol
Thanks professor Al! I edited my spelling and have assigned myself detention.
your detention CANNOT be served in a bar–unless i’m with you.
And dad and I were discussing this today, and felt the need to mention we are pretty sure this is Hungarian or Polish… those PA Dutchers get too much credit
I’m calling you Big Heather from now on, sis.
I know this is an old article… but just my .02 cents… all those wonderful dishes you mentioned are of polish/slovak decent… not pa dutch. My wife is from Johnstown PA and is from Croatian decent. We have pierogi’s 1-2 times a month and no holiday or family get-together is without halupki’s (aka piggies or pigs in a blanket) or kielbasa.
I am going to make this sometime this week. If looks fabulous.
my x-mother-in-law made these with a few additions. She always added a little chopped green pepper to the filling, omitted italian seasoning, and the secret ingredient….a little fennel sprinkled in the pot. They were always amazing and served with mashed potatoes.