UPDATE | Holy Apostles Parish tries its hand at making ‘comfort food’

NOTE: Holy Apostles Parish’s last day to order stuffed cabbage is Feb. 13, with pickup from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at St, Stephen of Hungary worship site, 854 Wilson Ave., Youngstown. For orders call Dorothy Skebo at 330-783-2252. The next sale is Feb. 19.

YOUNGSTOWN

Though the stuffed cabbage crew at Holy Apostles Parish uses different techniques to make the ethnic food, the result is a tasty comfort food.

Mary Rose Purton, parish secretary for 18 years, said the stuffed cabbage crew volunteers are from the parish’s two sites. Sts. Peter and Paul Church, 421 Covington St., uses the Croatian recipe with tomato soup and St. Stephen of Hungary Church volunteers follow a Hungarian one with tomato juice. One method is rolling and tucking the ends of the cabbage, and the other technique is folding in the cabbage edges and rolling from one end.

“But the results are very similar and both very good,” Purton said. “The main thing is that the filling must be secure inside the cabbage leaves.”

The crews alternated work details when the parish experimented with stuffed-cabbage sales from September through December last year. “The sales did very well,” she said.

The sales were conducted as advance orders only. Up to 125 dozen were ordered and that’s probably the maximum the crew can handle.

Purton said the Rev. Joseph Rudjak, pastor, suggested the sale as a fundraiser. He dubbed Holy Apostles “stuffed cabbage headquarters.”

There are plenty of names for the ethnic food but the taste remains the same. The food is known as pigs-in-a-blanket by Americans, sarma in Croatian, totat kapusta in Hungarian, holuby in Slovak, golabki in Polish and holubtski in Ukrainian.

The fundraiser is being conducted to supplement the parish’s finances. It also sponsors Friday night bingo at Aut Mori Grotto Hall, 563 N. Belle Vista Ave. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. with the first game at 6:40 p.m.

The parish advertises for the sale in advance and customers phone in orders. During the week of the sale before pickup day, Purton said about 1,500 cabbages are bought. “Thursday is preparation day when the crew steams the cabbage, makes the rice and sautes the onions,” she said. The volume made usually takes about 10 pounds of onions and 10 pounds of rice. “Everything is hand mixed,” Purton said.

Later, the crew of about 15 volunteers gathers again at St. Peter and Paul, which has a commercial kitchen. The meat is mixed with seasonings, rice and onions. Then the rolling begins. As the cabbage rolls are made, they are placed in 17 roasters for cooking about 31/2 to 4 hours. After they’re cooked, a dozen rolls are placed in foil pans with covers. Sauerkraut and chopped cabbage are added between layers.

Pickup takes place on an announced date. The food can be reheated and eaten immediately or frozen for later use.

“We put the ingredients of the stuffed cabbage on the label,” Purton said. “People like the convenience of being able to freeze it.”

Purton said the stuffed cabbage volunteers “like to be involved” and work as a team.

She noted the project also serves as a “teaching experience” for those who would like to learn how to make the ethnic food.