Sarmale (stuffed cabbage leaves )

This is a traditional Romanian dish, It is hard to describe accurately the ingredients from this recipe because I usually don't measure or measure with my hand (or the eye) when I make it. I told my friend that i'm trying to write this recipe (she was with me in the kitchen) and  she said "pork meat 4-5 handfuls of rice, spice and cabbage" :)

(My own recipe inspired by  traditional Romanian cooking)

Makes...around 40 (or anyway a lot of them)

Ingredients:

• 1 pickled cabbage (~2 kg pickled cabbage in salty water)
• 1kg pork mince (preferably with high percentage of fat)
• smoked pork (I used the meat from a small smoked pork shank)
• 2 cup of rice
• 2 big onions
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 6 bay leaves 
• 12 peppercorns
• 4 tbsp oil (depends how fat is your meat)
• salt and pepper

Step One

 First, chop the onion and fry until golden in a pan with the 4 tbsp of oil (if your mince has more fat use less).  Let aside until the meat mixture is ready. For the meat mixture, use a bowl to mix the mince meat, the rice, and the dried herbs.  Assuming the fried onion has slightly cooled down add it to the meat mixture with salt and pepper to your taste (don't add to much salt, the cabbage usually is really salty) and mix well.

 Step Two

 Take apart carefully the cabbage, by removing its leaves one by one. Cut the big ones in half and remove the stem because it's too hard and not easily bendable. Make as many leaves as possible. Chop the core of the cabbage and the stems in thin slices and put aside for later use. Cut the smoke meat in slices.

Step Three 
   
 Preheat the stove at 160°C.
Take a cabbage leave in your hand and add a spoon full of the meat mixture. Roll the cabbage leave according to the pictures below. Tuck in the sides of the cabbage leaf on both sides, to ensure the roll will hold its shape. 

  This should be the result.

 Step Four

  In a oven proof pot (cast iron or clay are both great choices), add a third of the cut cabbage on the bottom, then a layer from half of the smoked meat, half of the bay leaves and a third of the peppercorns. Top up with a layer of cabbage rolls, approximately half of them. Afterwards, add again a half of the remaining cabbage and the rest of the smoked meat, bay leaves and another third of the peppercorns. Then, add the rest of the cabbage rolls and add the remaining cut cabbage and the remaining peppercorns, topping up with 2 cup of water.  

Step Five

 Cover the pot with its lid or in case aluminium foil . Put in the oven for 3 h  at medium heat (160°C). Serve hot or cold with smântână (or Greek yogurt)

ENJOY!!

The result of 2017 😊