If you’ve ever been a little girl, you’ve written your name a hundred different ways, taking on various last names belonging to cute boys as your own.  For instance, in third grade I was Mrs. Andrea Kieft taking on the last name of Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome, Randy Kieft.  In the fifth grade I was Mrs. Andrea Hall, taking the name of my older brother’s best friend and one of my first childhood crushes.  There are countless others who shall remain nameless to save myself from complete embarrassment but I’m sure there are piles of crumpled pieces of notebook paper in a landfil somewhere containing evidence of these fairytale marriages of mine.

In May of 1997, I legally became Mrs. Andrea Kelly, marrying Brian Kelly, boasting a genetic makeup of 7/8 Irish.  Not wanting to lose the only Greek descriptor in my name, I dropped my middle name and moved my maiden name to the middle, becoming Andrea Karapas Kelly.  It soon became apparent to me how rarely people use their middle names and how important mine had become.

For 8 years of my life, I was Greek disguised as Irish.  Prior to becoming a Kelly, I had never thought too much about St. Patrick’s Day other than making sure that I wore green so I wouldn’t be pinched.  As a Kelly, meaning the bright-headed ones and the second most common Irish surname, you can’t get away with just wearing something green.  You must wear Kiss Me I’m Irish buttons and hats with shamrocks on them, drink green beer, and attend the St. Patrick’s Day parade EVERY YEAR!  It turns out that the Irish are just as proud of their heritage as the Greeks.

For 8 years, nobody asked me if I was Greek when I introduced myself and this is the one simple thing that I missed most during that time.  It’s amazing how much of your identity is wrapped up in your name.  The Irish thing didn’t really work out for me and it didn’t take long for me to file the paperwork after my divorce to request my maiden name back, however you couldn’t pay me a million dollars to trade those years because they resulted in the cutest, smartest little Irish/Greek girl named Sydney Paige Kelly.

Traditional Greek Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

This spotlight dish represents the part of my life when I was Andrea Kelly but still every bit a Karapas at heart.  Stuffed cabbage rolls, or Lahanodolmathes, are a traditional Greek favorite enjoyed during the winter months.  There are several variations to this recipe but this one is close to the one I grew up with.  My mom made this dish a lot when I was young and claims that it was a favoite of my father’s.  A meat filling consisting of both ground lamb and beef, rice, garlic, and parsley is wrapped in cabbage leaves, an Irish staple, and then covered with tomato sauce and baked in the oven.  This recipe can be served both as a main course or a side dish.  It’s hearty and feels like home, a real comfort food.

Traditional Greek Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet says, “What’s in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”  I’m not sure if this is entirely true but it sounds good in theory.  I’m going on marriage number two and can say with certainty that I won’t be taking his name.  This Juliet will remain a Karapas forever, though I’m working to convince my Romeo that he should become a Karapas too once we take the plunge next year.  He’s not having it!

Traditional Greek Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Andrea’s Traditional Greek Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
(Lahanodolmathes)

 Ingredients:
½ lb ground lamb
½ lb ground beef
¾ cup medium grain rice, rinsed and uncooked
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ c. flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 Tbs. tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large head cabbage
1 – 28oz can crushed tomatoes
½ stick butter, sliced into pats
1 ¼ c. water 

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, combine raw meats, uncooked rice, garlic, parsley, tomato paste and salt and pepper.  Mix well.  Set aside.

Drop whole head of cabbage into pot of salted boiling water.  As leaves begin to separate from the head, remove with tongs and run under cold water to stop the cooking process.  Lay on plate covered with paper towels to drain and cool.  Repeat until you have approximately 15 leaves.  Remove remaining head of cabbage from boiling water and place in colander.  Let cold water run over to cool.  Chop remaining cabbage and set aside. 

Fill each individual cabbage leaf with approximately 2 Tbs. of meat filling.  The larger leaves will need about 3 Tbs. of filling.  Begin at bottom core of leaf, turn both sides in and roll up.  Place in baking dish with the seam side down.  Pour crushed tomatoes over cabbage rolls and top with remaining chopped cabbage.    Pour approximately  1 ¼ c. water around edges of baking dish to create moisture and steam for rice to cook through.  Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour at 375°.