Recipes

Ingredients

• whole heads of sour cabbage (leaves with the thicker core trimmed, plus small leaves for the bottom)
• half beef, half pork ground meat
• rice
• onion
• dry bacon
• dry ham / cured meat
• lard
• teaspoon of sugar
• salt, dry seasoning (vegeta), pepper, ground red paprika
• bay leaf
• water

Steps

1. Prepare the sour cabbage leaves, cut out the thicker parts from the center, and rinse in water to remove excess salt and acidity.
2. Put lard in a pot and heat it on the stove.
3. Add chopped onion and fry until soft and translucent.
4. Add a teaspoon of sugar to the sautéed onions to make them shiny and soften the acidity of the cabbage.
5. Add washed rice and ground meat (half beef, half pork) to the pan with the onions.
6. Add salt, dry seasoning, ground red paprika, pepper, and bay leaf, then fry everything together while stirring until the ingredients are combined.
7. Line the bottom of a large pot with the remaining cabbage leaves that are not used for rolling, and add a little water and oil.
8. Take a cabbage leaf, place a generous spoonful of the prepared meat and rice filling, fold the ends, and roll tightly into small sarmas.
9. Arrange the first layer of sarmas in the pot.
10. Tuck chopped dry bacon and dry ham into the gaps between the sarmas for a smoky flavor, along with a bay leaf.
11. After the first layer, arrange a second layer of sarmas with meat and bacon in the same way.
12. Pour in enough water so the sarmas are nicely submerged, but not too much, and add a little ground red paprika on top.
13. Place a small plate over the sarmas to press them down and prevent them from falling apart during cooking.
14. Cover the pot and cook on low heat (gentle simmer) for about 5 hours.