Delicious stuffed cabbage rolls boiled in wine – my perfect recipe
One of the most delicious and appreciated Romanian dishes, which are never absent from holiday tables.
Stuffed cabbage rolls boiled in wine – my perfect recipe
Course: MainCuisine: RomanianDifficulty: Medium50
servings45
minutes3
hours680
kcal3
hours45
minutesStuffed cabbage rolls – “sarmale” in Romanian, represent a very popular and beloved dish. In principle, fresh cabbage leaves quickly pickled or cabbage kept in the pickle for a long time in the cold season (sauerkraut) are used most often. These can be replaced with vine leaves, stevia, spinach or horseradish. The leaves are filled with a mixture of minced meat and rice, then wrapped in the form of a roll. “Sarmales” are usually boiled for several hours in pickle juice diluted with water, tomato sauce, peppercorns, bay leaves and smoked meat. I chose to boil the cabbage rolls in wine. The aroma of the wine matches perfectly with the minced pork and beef. Continue to follow the recipe step by step, the preparation method is not difficult, it is more difficult to wait for the dish to be ready.
Ingredients
1,300 kg minced meat (pork beef mix)
1,600 kg sauerkraut
800 ml tomato sauce
200 g of rice
180-200 g leek (or onion)
400-500 g of smoked meat with bone
1 l of wine from local producers
thyme
bay leaves
peppercorns
freshly ground pepper
water
Directions
- The secret of tasty cabbage rolls – “sarmale” – is the choice of quality ingredients. I often try to use products from local producers, to get a wonderful taste and an absolutely divine dish. The pork-beef mixture is optional, because traditionally a fatty meat is used for the filling. I, however, prefer to combine the two, precisely to reduce the amount of fat.
- I started by chopping the leek, not very finely. I added it over the meat mixture, together with the rice, thyme, freshly ground pepper and 3-4 tablespoons of tomato sauce. I never add salt, sauerkraut is usually both sour and salty, so always taste it first.
- The next step was to take care of the cabbage. I removed the spine and unfolded the cabbage into sheets. I took each sheet and with the help of the knife I removed the stronger rib in the middle, then I cut the sheets to be able to fill them and roll them.
- I chose a large pot, I will need space both to place the cabbage rolls and to add enough liquid to cover them. At the bottom of the pot I placed the leftovers from the cabbage leaves and a little cabbage juice that had drained from them. I started forming the cabbage rolls, placing them one by one in the pot. In the middle of the pot, I placed the smoked meat on the bone.
- Try to roll the cabbage rolls as tight as you can, so they don’t fall apart when cooked. After I finished placing all the rolls, I added bay leaves, peppercorns, wine, the remaining tomato sauce and enough water to cover, in my case 450 ml. the remaining cabbage leaves, or too small to be filled, I chopped them finely and placed them on top of the cabbage rolls.
- I boiled the cabbage rolls or “sarmales” for 1 hour on very low heat, then I put them in the oven at 200 g for about 2 hours. The cooking time depends a lot on the quality of the cabbage and how quickly it cooks. The cabbage rolls are usually served hot or warm, with “mamaliga” (polenta), sour cream and hot peppers.
- It is said that the secret of tasty “sarmals” is to consume them only after 2-3 days of boiling. The longer they sit, the tastier they are. I also tried this little experiment and really, they are getting more and more tasty. This rarely happens, because the family eats them in 2-3 days. I hope you try my version of stuffed cabbage rolls and I await your opinions in the comments. Enjoy!
