Sarma Stuffed Cabbage Leaves From Dalmatia Recipes

SARMA - BOSNIAN STUFFED CABBAGE LEAVES

Steps:

• Separate the cabbage leaves, being careful not to tear them.
• Mix meat, rice, onion, salt, pepper, and paprika.
• Place about a tablespoon or more (use your own judgment based on the size of the leaves) of the meat mixture into each cabbage leaf, near its base.
• Begin rolling the leaf from the base into a thick cylinder, tucking in the sides after the first "roll."
• Layer the cylinders tightly into a medium-sized or large pot.
• Cover the sarma with beef stock or water (I find that if you use water, it makes its own broth anyways with the meat as it cooks).
• Cover the pot, bring to a boil, and simmer for at least three hours.
• Serve with butter and sour cream, with or without some of the cooking liquids according to your preference.
• *Boiled potatoes are often eaten with sarma, and they go quite well together.

SARMA (STUFFED CABBAGE)

Steps:

• Place cabbage in the freezer for a few days. The night before making the rolls, take it out to thaw.
• In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, ham, rice, onion, egg, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix well. Form meat mixture into oblong balls, using 1/2 cup of the mixture at a time. Then, wrap a cabbage leaf around each ball.
• Spread the sauerkraut in the bottom of a large pot, then layer cabbage rolls on top, placing them seam-side down. Pour tomato juice over rolls, then add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 3 hours, adding more water as necessary.

STUFFED CABBAGE LEAVES

Steps:

• Bring a large saucepan of water with salt to the boil.
• Meanwhile remove outer leaves and hard stalk from the cabbage. Wash it and put into the boiling water for 10 minutes.
• Mix the mince with the rice, salt & pepper and knead together well.
• Take each cabbage leaf separately and put on each one a tablespoonful of the mince mixture. Fold the two ends of the leaf inwards and roll it up into a narrow sausage shape. Place some spare cabbage leaves on the bottom of the pan then put the stuffed leaves in concentric circles.
• Place a heavy plate on top of them to prevent them from breaking up during cooking.
• Pour water to cover them and boil for 60-80 minutes.
• When they are cooked put them on a flat dish and prepare the sauce. Put the rest of the butter to melt, add the flour and stir.
• Add some stock from the cooked leaves, stirring all the time and beat in the eggs with the lemon juice. Take the sauce off the heat. Serve the cabbage rolls with the sauce poured over them.

EGYPTIAN STYLE STUFFED CABBAGE LEAVES (MASHY CRUMP)

Steps:

• Rice stuffing mixture:.
• On top of stove, put a good amount oil or butter; add chopped onion and pureed onion sauté. Add garlic when onions almost finished not to burn.
• Add a spoon of tomato paste and stir around until all coated.
• Add pureed tomato, a few drops of water and cook until liquid is almost gone. It should be a little thick, not too watery. You can add some salt to taste to this too.
• Set aside.
• Put washed rice in mixing bowl. Add the above tomato mixture. Add raw, chopped greens- parsley, dill and cilantro. Its okay to chop some of their stems, gives the mixture more flavor. Add a little canola oil.
• Add all spices and dry mint. Take 1 chicken bouillon cube and crush it, add to rice.
• Mix all ingredients until well blended set aside. Try to taste, will be raw I know, but you can taste and not swallow rice. Adjust seasonings. Salt is most important, if too salty, don't worry, once cooked it will lessen.
• Cooking Cabbage:.
• This is the trickiest part. I have not yet found the perfect way, but my way has been working alright...here it goes.
• Wash the head of cabbage well. With a paring knife, gently cut around core, loosening it a bit. Try to cup deep, but try not to cut leaves, or separate at this point.
• Using a large pot, fill with water, and a few dashes of cumin. Once boiling, add the head of cabbage, with core facing up.
• As the cabbage starts to cook, with a knife, gently pull away leaves from core and cook until a bit soft, but not translucent.
• So you will have the large head of cabbage in pot and you will be cutting leaves and letting them boil alone aside the head. (Hope this makes sense.).
• When the leaves are a bit soft, tender not translucent, remove to a large tray.
• Continue this until all cabbage is cooked.
• You will have the very small leaves towards inside core, you will be able to use some of these, but some maybe too small. I usually make a cabbage salad with these.
• Once the leaves are cool, you will begin to stuff.
• Rolling/stuffing the cabbage:.
• Prepare a large pot, put some oil in bottom of pot to coat.
• Slice 1 large tomato thinly and place on bottom of pot. You will arrange cabbage in this pot as you roll.
• Take a cabbage leaf and cut from the bottom, where core starts.
• Cut away the hard core and reserve the two sides from leaf making a pile.
• Save a few of the cores stems as well.
• Tricky but you are trying to get a pliable leaf for rolling.
• You want to make the leaf small, cutting a half of the leaf in half. The end result should be size of small cigar.
• Don't worry about how they look, they will not be real tight and they may seem like the rice will come out, just close as best you can, they will be fine.
• So with leaf laying flat, spoon a small amount of rice onto leaf, fold up bottom and roll like a cigar. Don't worry the ends will be open, but cook ok. Some rice may boil out but not much trust me.
• Roll all until leaves are finished.
• Once all rolled and arranged in pot, add a crushed chicken bouillon cube. As you are arranging in pot, you can put a few of the core stems in between layers to help stay in place.
• Take approximately 3 cups water and mix with tomato paste, pour over cabbage. Water should reach just above cabbage. If not enough, add more water.
• Take an old plate, invert it over cabbage to keep from moving too much.
• Put on high, bring to a boil, cook for about 10 minutes, then turn to a lower simmer and cover.
• Should cook for approximately an hour or so, you can check it periodically by tasting to see if rice is cooked inside.
• Once cooked let sit for a little to cool a bit before removing from pot.
• When ready to remove, take a large serving platter, put over top of pot, then flip pot to empty onto platter. Be careful and do over sink if you are unsure. Its easy but take s a little practice.
• Remove core stems, fix tomatoes that are on top, to look presentable.
• *** LEFTOVER TIP: THE NEXT DAY PREPARE THE LEFTOVERS THIS WAY -- PUT SOME BUTTER INTO A PAN, FRY THE STUFFED CABBAGE LEAVES UNTIL GOLDEN BROWN ON ALL SIDES. SUPER TASTY, ENJOY! ***.

KRAUTWICKEL: GERMAN STUFFED CABBAGE LEAVES

Steps:

• Wash cabbage and cut out center stem.
• Put about 2 inches of water in a cooking pot and some salt.
• Put cabbage head upright in water, cover and steam.
• As the outer leaves become tender, remove cabbage from pot and peel off the tender leaves.
• Set leaves aside to drain.
• Return cabbage to pot and repeat until all the leaves are removed.
• Make six piles of two to three of the large outside cabbage leaves.
• Finely dice the remaining smaller cabbage leaves from the heart.
• This should give about two cups.
• Finely dice the onion.
• Add the diced cabage leaves, onion, parsley, marjoram, caraway, salt, some pepper and the eggs to the ground meat and mix well.
• Divide the meat mixture into six equal portions.
• Form each of the portions in the shape of a small meat loaf and wrap in the large cabbage leaves.
• Make sure that the meat is completely wrapped with two or three layers of cabbage leaves.
• Tie well with thread.
• Note: (Thin out the thick vein from the cabbage this way it will be easier to roll the leaves.) Melt lard in frying pan and brown, but do not burn, the Krautwickel on all sides.
• Pour fat from frying pan into a roasting pan, add Krautwickel and boiling soup stock.
• Cover.
• Place pan across two burners of the stove and simmer slowly for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• This can also be done in the oven, however if cooked in the oven the krautwickel must be basted from time to time.
• Sprinkle lightly with pepper immediately before serving.
• Miller's German Cookbook.

SARMA, STUFFED CABBAGE LEAVES FROM DALMATIA

Steps:

• Remove any wilted or bruised leaves from the cabbage and cut out the center core.
• Pour boiling water over the cabbages to soften.
• Meanwhile, in the oil, sauté the bacon and onion until the bacon is cooked.
• Add minced garlic.
• Beat the egg and add the salt, pepper, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, ground beef, pork or ham and half the tomatoes.
• Add the bacon mixture and rice and combine thoroughly.
• Separate the cabbage leaves and drain.
• Place a heaping tablespoon of stuffing at the core end of each cabbage leaf and roll up carefully, tucking in the ends.
• Layer the rolls in a Dutch oven or heavy kettle.
• Chop up the small unused leaves and place on top.
• Pour the remaining tomatoes and juice over top and add enough water to cover the rolls.
• Cover and simmer for 2 to 2-1/2 hours.