INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

The Cook & Kitchen Staff are visiting the Ukraine for the holidays  and
are offering you some of the region's most delectable Christmas
recipes.  "Shchedryi Vechir" or "Generous Eve" is the spirited
Ukrainian  celebration of New Year's Eve. In some regions of the
Ukraine, the  celebration is held on the eve of the Feast of St. Basil
on January  14th. It other areas, the New Year's Eve celebration
doesn't occur  until the eve of the Feast of Jordan on January 19th. No
matter when  it arrives, it's a feast of fun, and hearty fare is in
demand. You  may see today's recipe served on many a Ukrainian holiday
table. Why  not try it with your celebrations this holiday season?
Prepare the rice according to the directions on the package. Remove
the core from the cabbage and place the full head in a large pot of
boiling water. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes. Remove the cabbage
from the water and let cool until it's easy to handle. Then remove  the
softened whole leaves from the head and stack them on a platter  for
filling.  Prepare the mushroom filling by placing the dried and bottled
mushrooms in a medium saucepan. Cover with water and bring the
mushrooms to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to simmer
and continue to cook the mushrooms for 1 to 2 hours. Strain off the
liquid and grind the mushrooms in a food processor or blender.
Meanwhile, melt two tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over
medium heat and sauté the two medium chopped onions until
transparent, about 5 minutes. Mix the sautéed onions with the
mushrooms and a dash of salt and pepper to taste.  Sauté the one large
chopped onion in two tablespoons of butter in a  skillet over medium
heat until transparent. Add the mushroom filling  and cooked rice to
the onion. Line the bottom of a casserole dish  with cabbage leaves not
suitable for stuffing. Save about 6 good,  whole leaves and fill the
stem portion of each leaf with 2 or 3  heaping tablespoons of the rice
mixture. Place the stuffed leaves  seam-side down in the casserole
dish.  Prepare the mushroom sauce by melting two tablespoons of butter
in a  large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the 1/4 cup chopped onions
until tender. Add the one cup of freshly chopped mushrooms and cook
for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and blend
well. Slowly pour in the broth and stir constantly until the mixture
thickens. Remove from the heat source and stir in the parsley, then
season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the sauce cool a bit, then
add the sour cream and blend well.  Cover the stuffed cabbages with the
mushroom sauce and bake the  casserole, uncovered, in a 350-F degree
oven for one to  one-and-a-half hours. Serve warm. Makes a great
companion for plain  roast beef.  Posted to
dailyrecipe@recipe-a-day.com by Recipe-a-Day
<recipe-a-day@bignetwork.com> on Dec 24, 1998, converted by MM_Buster
v2.0l.

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