Romanian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Sarmale)
Christmas Recipes Pork Easter Recipes Meat Dishes Rice Romanian
After making the meatball soup, I moved on to preparing the sarmale. In our region, we make small cabbage rolls, using half a cabbage leaf, so you can eat 10 at a time. And they are so well balanced, not overly fatty - I even eat them without bread, just with sour cream.
Ingredients
1 cabbage head (fresh or fermented)
8 thick slices smoked bacon (or smoked ham hock)
5 sprigs of dill
5 sprigs of thyme
150 ml tomato sauce
1 tablespoon salt
a little vinegar
Filling
700 g minced pork (500 g lean meat + 200 g bacon/fat)
350 g short-grain rice
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons homemade vegeta
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 green bell pepper, grated
6 finely chopped parsley stems
1 medium onion (about 100 g)
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon paprika
100 ml tomato sauce
Yield: 35 small cabbage rolls
How to prepare romanian stuffed cabbage rolls (sarmale)
- If using fresh cabbage, blanch it whole in plenty of water with a little vinegar until the leaves soften enough to roll. If using fermented cabbage, use it as is, no blanching needed.
Then separate the leaves from the head and trim the hard parts near the stem. Depending on the leaf size or how big you want your rolls, you can leave the leaf whole or tear it in half. In our region, we make small rolls so I tore the leaves in two. Very torn leaves and the cabbage core are chopped. - For the filling, use minced meat that contains some fat for better results. I listed the ratio of lean meat to bacon since I ground the meat at home. The meat should be ground only once through the meat grinder, it should not be too fine.
- Saute the grated onion in 2 tablespoons of oil until soft, remove from heat and mix with 1 teaspoon of paprika.
- In a large bowl, mix well all the filling ingredients, including the sauteed onion, finely chopped parsley, and the 100 ml of tomato sauce.
- On the bottom of a tall pot, place half of the chopped cabbage, 4 slices of smoked bacon, and the dill.
- Form the cabbage rolls using one cabbage leaf and one tablespoon of filling. You can form them by hand if experienced, or on a plate as shown in the photos below: place the leaf on a plate; at one end put a tablespoon of filling. Fold up the long sides and roll from the opposite end.
- Arrange the rolls in the pot, stacking them on top of each other. You will get about 35 small rolls. On top, place the remaining bacon, remaining chopped cabbage, thyme, and pour 150 ml tomato sauce. Place a small plate on top of the rolls.
- In another pot, heat some water mixed with 1 tablespoon of salt, then pour this water over the rolls until they are fully covered.
* if using fermented cabbage, do not add salt to the water covering the rolls! - Simmer on the stovetop with the lid on, on high heat until it starts boiling, then reduce to medium-low for about 45 minutes. Check one roll to make sure they are cooked before turning off the heat.
* cooking time depends on the size of the rolls
* you can also cook them covered in the oven for 2-3 hours at 180C - Serve with sour cream.
Blanched cabbage leaves
Trimming the leaves
Ground meat
Sarmale filling mixture
Mixing the filling well
Forming the roll - step 1
Forming the roll - step 2
First cabbage roll is ready
Covering the pot bottom with cabbage and smoked meat
Arranging the rolls in the pot
All the rolls in the pot
Adding the remaining ingredients on top
Covering with water and a small plate
