Sarmale

Make Ahead and Storage

Refrigerate up to 5 days, better each day, and freeze 3 months.

How to Make Sarmale

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1. Separate the cabbage leaves carefully and rinse them if they are very salty. Cut out the thick central rib from each with a paring knife.

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2. Soften the onions in the lard for 10 minutes, then cool.

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3. Mix the pork, rice, cooled onions, dill, thyme, salt, pepper and paprika thoroughly with your hands.

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4. Lay a leaf flat, put a heaped tablespoon of filling near the stem end, fold the sides in and roll it up tightly but not so tightly that the rice has nowhere to swell.

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5. Scatter half the shredded cabbage in the base of a heavy pot and lay some of the smoked meat on it.

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6. Pack the rolls in seam side down in tight concentric circles, tucking pieces of smoked meat between the layers.

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7. Cover with the remaining shredded cabbage, the bay, peppercorns and dill sprigs.

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8. Whisk the tomato purée into the water and pour it in until the rolls are just covered. Weigh them down with a plate.

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9. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook at 150°C / 300°F fan for 3 hours.

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10. Uncover for the last 30 minutes to let the top colour. Rest an hour before serving with polenta and soured cream.

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Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Choosing rice.

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Worth Knowing

• Pickled cabbage, not fresh. It is the defining ingredient.
• Roll firmly but leave the rice room to swell.
• A plate on top keeps the rolls submerged and stops them unravelling.

Why the Method Is What It Is

Pickled cabbage rather than fresh is what makes these Romanian rather than generic stuffed cabbage — the sourness cuts the fat and seasons the pork from the outside in. Layering smoked ribs or bacon between the rolls sends smoke through the whole pot as it cooks, which no amount of paprika replicates.

Serving Ideas

Mămăligă with soured cream · Hot pickled peppers · A shot of țuică

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Mămăligă.

Quick Answers

The Numbers per Serving

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: weights that include bone are counted as if all of it were eaten, so the figures run high; where a line offers a choice of foods, only one of them is counted; an ingredient listed without an amount is not counted, so the figures run low. How the figures are worked out.

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