Stuffed sauerkraut rolls – Sarmale

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 1 head of white cabbage, pickled whole or 2 small heads
• 500 g pork rind, raw
• 50 g lard
• 50 g sweet paprika powder
• 20 peppercorns, whole
• 1 tsp caraway seeds, crushed
• 3 tbsp sour cream
• 3 tomatoes, peeled, diced
• 500 g sauerkraut, if desired
• 700 g minced meat, mixed
• ½ cup rice
• 1 medium-sized onion(s), finely chopped
• 1 tsp oregano, dried
• 1 tsp savory, dried
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cube of stock
• 200 ml water
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
• Pepper from the mill
• 1 garlic clove(s) for the sauce

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

an old family recipe from Romania

You can buy the cabbage heads in Turkish grocery stores under the name “Sarma cabbage.” The leaf texture shouldn’t be too coarse. Caution: When pickling cabbage heads, pay attention to the salt in the brine and rinse any removed leaves if necessary! For the filling, boil the rice in water with the stock cube, then mix the remaining liquid with the meat and the other listed ingredients. Let the mixture simmer for a while and season again to taste. It should be tangy. Carefully cut out 1/3 of the stalks on the underside. Separate the head into individual leaves. Taste the cabbage; if it tastes too salty, rinse, and briefly rinse if necessary. Cut the remaining stalks from the leaves and set them aside. Separate any leaves that are too large and form not-too-large rolls with the cabbage leaves and filling. Depending on the size, the leaves are cut into pieces that should be about 8-10 cm long. This should make between 80-90 rolls from one head. Cut any leaves that are too small and the inside of the cabbage head, including the stalks, into fine noodles. In a large pot, first place a layer of rind and diced tomatoes, then a layer of the chopped remaining cabbage. Then add the rolls. To each layer, add 3-4 peppercorns, caraway seeds, 1-2 rinds, a little lard, and paprika, etc. Distribute the chopped remaining cabbage evenly between the layers. If that’s not enough, add the extra sauerkraut. Add water, the remaining paprika, and 1-2 crushed garlic cloves until the cabbage is covered. Cover and simmer gently for 2-3 hours. Bring to a boil several times at intervals, if possible. Season the sauce with sour cream. Polenta goes best with it, but boiled potatoes also work well. Serve with sour cream and finely chopped fresh peppers/chili. This dish is also ideal for repeated boiling and can be frozen in portions. It’s a bit time-consuming to prepare, but considering the amount of food, it’s a reasonable amount of time. I estimate the preparation (filling, preparing the cabbage, not including water) to take about half an hour. Preparing 80-90 rolls takes about an hour and a half, or less for two people. The specified amount is enough for 8-10 people. The recipe comes from our family in Romania and—since my grandmother used to cook it this way—is now well over 100 years old. Perhaps you’ll enjoy it as much as we do.