Romania: Sarmale with Mamaliga

Name: Romania: Sarmale with Mamaliga
Yield: 5
Cuisine: Romania
Ingredients: green cabbage: 1 large head (~4 lbs); olive oil: 2 tbsp; yellow onion: 1 medium; garlic: 4 cloves; raw rice: 3 tbsp; hot water: 1/2 cup; ground pork: 1 lb; bread: 1 slice; fresh dill: 2 tbsp; fresh thyme: 1 tsp; salt: 1 tsp; black pepper: 1 tsp; red chili flakes: 1 tsp; water: 2 tbsp; sauerkraut: 3 cups; bacon: 6 strips; fresh dill: 5 sprigs; canned whole tomatoes: 28 oz; sauerkraut juice: 1 cup; water: 3 cups; turmeric: 1 tsp; garlic powder: 1 tsp; salt: 1 tsp; peppercorns: 10; bay leaves: 5

Stuffed cabbage rolls with cornmeal porridge

Cuisine:

Romania

Ingredients

1 large head (~4 lbs) green cabbage
For the Filling
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
diced
4 cloves garlic
minced
3 tbsp raw rice
1/2 cup hot water
1 lb ground pork
1 slice bread
crust removed
2 tbsp fresh dill
chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp red chili flakes
2 tbsp water
For the Dutch Oven
3 cups sauerkraut
drained and squeezed dry
6 strips bacon
thick cut high quality
5 sprigs fresh dill
28 oz canned whole tomatoes
sliced; reserve sauce for another use
For the Cooking Liquid
1 cup sauerkraut juice
3 cups water
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
10 peppercorns
5 bay leaves

Directions

There are many varieties of cabbage rolls popular across Eastern Europe, varying primarily by filling and sauce. You may remember, for instance, the balandeliai I made from Lithuania. Romanian sarmale aren’t all that different, although the pickled sauerkraut, bacon and dill makes it slightly more tangy and savory. This time I used pork, as called for, but reduced the amount called for in the original recipe. Despite the bacon and ground pork, this was still a fairly light dish – until you pair it with mamaliga: Romanian porridge made with yellow maize flour (a course cornmeal). Mamaliga, similar to Italian polenta, was traditionally a rural peasant staple, but can now be found in upscale restaurants. I stirred in feta, which was delightful.

While they’re time consuming they aren’t difficult. I prepared the cabbage rolls ahead of time, and then cooked them right before serving. Even so, it’s a long looking time – believe it or not the times listed below are significantly reduced from the original recipe.

Sarmale are a celebration food, traditionally served on Christmas and New Year’s Eve, weddings, baptisms, and other large celebrations. Our occasion was a dear friend who was back in town for a visit. While this recipe serves 4-5, it can easily be doubled to serve a crowd.

Recipe Adapted From: The Spruce Eats

Steps

1 Done	For the cabbage Place whole head in a large pot filled with boiling, salted water. Cover and cook 5 minutes, or until softened enough to pull off individual leaves. You will need about 10 leaves. When leaves are cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to cut away the thick center stem from each leaf, without cutting all the way through. Chop any remaining cabbage and set aside.
2 Done	Make the filling In a large skillet, sauté chopped onion, garlic and rice in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent. Add a half cup of hot water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 5 minutes or until rice has absorbed all the water. Let cool.
3 Done	Make the filling Place pork in a large bowl. Quickly dip bread in water, squeeze to remove excess water; tear up and add to meat along with cooled onion-garlic-rice mixture, combining thoroughly. Add dill, thyme, salt, pepper, hot pepper, and 2 tablespoons water. Mix completely but lightly so as not to toughen the meat.
4 Done	For the cooking liquid In a medium bowl, mix sauerkraut juice with 3 cups water, turmeric, garlic powder, salt, peppercorns, and bay leaves, and set aside.
5 Done	Assemble the Rolls Place about 1/2 cup of meat mixture in the center of the base of each cabbage leaf. Flip the sides into the middle, and roll away from you to encase the meat. I split the meat into portions first so I could divide evenly. Repeat with remaining rolls.
6 Done	To assemble Briefly fry the drained sauerkraut in the pan you used for the onions to dry it out slightly. Mix reserved chopped cabbage with sauerkraut. Place 1/3 of it in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Place 3 strips bacon across sauerkraut and cover with a layer of stuffed cabbages rolls. Add another layer of sauerkraut, bacon strips and stuffed cabbage. Then top with remaining sauerkraut and pour sauerkraut juice/water mixture over all.
7 Done	To cook Heat oven to 375 F. Place Dutch oven over high heat on the stovetop and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low, cover and simmer about 10 minutes. Transfer to oven and cook 45 minutes.
8 Done	Then add sliced tomatoes, dill springs, cover and cook another 30 minutes. Remove lid and continue cooking another 15 minutes. Serve over rice, potatoes, or mamiliga (polenta).