Sarmale (Romanian Cabbage Rolls)
Ingredients
- 500 g ground pork or a mix of pork and beef
- 50 g rice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 heads of pickled cabbage select the best leaves for rolling
- 250 ml tomato puree
- fresh thyme sprigs
- 2-3 dried bay leaves
- a few whole peppercorns
- a few pieces of smoked pork hock or smoked bacon
For serving:
- sour cream
- fresh thyme
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the ground meat with rice and spices.
- Carefully separate the cabbage leaves, setting aside the whole ones suitable for rolling.
- Chop the broken or unusable cabbage leaves and set them aside to layer at the bottom of the pot and over the stuffed rolls.
- In a cast-iron pot, layer 125 ml (1/2 cup) of tomato puree, bay leaves, fresh thyme sprigs, and some chopped cabbage at the bottom.
- Place a spoonful of the meat mixture in the center of a cabbage leaf, fold two opposite sides, then roll it tightly. Repeat until you have used all the filling (makes around 25-30 rolls, depending on their size).
- Arrange the stuffed cabbage rolls in the pot, layering them in a circular pattern on two levels, leaving space in the center for the smoked pork hock.
- Cut the smoked pork hock into pieces and place them in the middle of the rolls.
- Top with chopped cabbage, pour over the remaining tomato puree, sprinkle in the peppercorns and a few fresh thyme leaves, then add enough water to fully submerge the rolls.
- Cover the pot with a lid and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C/390°F for 2 hours. Check occasionally to make sure the liquid doesn’t evaporate completely—though usually, no extra water is needed.
- Serve the hot stuffed cabbage rolls with sour cream and fresh thyme leaves. They are absolutely delicious!
Notes
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