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Sarmale Romanian Cabbage Rolls Primal Gourmet
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Sarmale (Romanian Cabbage Rolls)

These Sarmale (Romanian Cabbage Rolls) are made with sour cabbage and stuffed with a delicious combination of meat, rice and seasonings.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time2 hours
Total Time3 hours
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: Eastern European, Romanian
Keyword: Romanian Cabbage Rolls, Sarmale, Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Servings: 8 people

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 1 medium red onion diced
  • 2 medium carrots peeled and finely grated
  • 1 large parsley root peeled and finely grated, substitute parsnip
  • 2 large tomatoes diced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2/3 cups water plus extra as needed
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 and 1/3 cups white rice rinsed and drained
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped dill
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt plus extra to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper plus extra to taste
  • 1 large head sour or fermented cabbage such as St. Jacob’s brand
  • 8 ounces smoked bacon sliced into large pieces
  • Sour cream for serving

Instructions

  • Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the avocado oil and heat until shimmering. Add the onions and season with a small pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, around 8 minutes. Add the carrot, parsley root and tomato and cook, stirring, until soft, around 12 minutes. In a bowl, combine 2/3 cups water with the tomato paste and stir until mixed. Add the liquid to the pan and cook, stirring and scraping up any brown bits off the bottom, until combined, around 2 minutes. Add the mixture to a large mixing bowl, set aside and let cool.
  • Once the mixture has cooled, add the pork, beef, rice, egg, parsley, dill, paprika, salt and pepper. Using your hands or a spatula, mix until well combined.
  • Drain the cabbage and reserve the liquid for drinking if desired. Keeping them whole, separate the cabbage leaves, rinse them under cold water and let drain. Using a sharp knife, cut off the rib from each cabbage leaf and cut the large leaves into 3 equal, triangular pieces (like pizza slices). Smaller cabbage leaves can be left whole or cut into 2 equal pieces. Reserve all of the trimmed cabbage ribs and core and roughly chop them.
  • Add a small amount of filling to each leaf, roll it like a cigar and push in the ends so they overlap and keep the filling inside (see video). Arrange the cabbage rolls in a single layer on a sheet pan as you prepare the rest.
  • When ready to cook, scatter half of the chopped cabbage trimmings on the bottom of a large stock pot or Dutch oven. Arrange a single layer of cabbage rolls and scatter a thin layer of bacon overtop. Arrange another layer of cabbage rolls and bacon and repeat until all of the cabbage rolls and bacon are in the pot. Top with the remaining half of the chopped cabbage trimmings. Add enough cold water to just barely cover the top layer of cabbage and place an inverted porcelain plate on top to weigh them down.
  • Place the pot over high heat and bring the liquid to a boil, then quickly lower the heat to a steady simmer. Cover partially with a lid and cook, adding more hot water to the pot as needed, until the cabbage rolls are fork-tender, around 2 hours.
  • Transfer the cabbage rolls to a serving platter and serve with sour cream.

Video