Recipe

Pork-and-Rice-Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

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Nostrovia_ca's Notes: I know! This recipe ~ both its ingredients list and method ~ looks impossibly long and complicated. But it's not, I promise. Though I have eaten them my whole life for my family's Eastern...
I know! This recipe ~ both its ingredients list and method ~ looks impossibly long and complicated. But it's not, I promise. Though I have eaten them my whole life for my family's Eastern European feast days, I had never made cabbage rolls on my own and was intimidated to do so. The process was, in fact, quite easy (though time-consuming), but my goal here is to provide detailed instructions in the method that help you visualize what you're going to be doing before you even get into the kitchen.

I'll admit to taking liberties with my Romanian grandmother's original recipe, and even used some of the spices and herbs suggested in a recipe by Romanian cookbook author Nicolae Klepper. I opt for savoy cabbage rather than traditional smooth green cabbage because it's easier to roll. I use basmati rice owing to its quick cooking time ~ no chance it will retain any crunch in the final product. Our family cabbage rolls were almost always meatless, made with rice and mushrooms, but I've not only added ground pork but also layered the rolls with smoked side bacon, which adds tremendous flavor. And while my grandmother fermented her heads of cabbage in advance to give the dish a beautiful sour note (a step that distinguishes Romanian cabbage rolls from others), I've simply used sauerkraut itself to achieve some of that pleasant sourness.

Finally, I beg you not to eat your rolls the day you make them. Wait until at least the day after, when the flavors have had a chance to truly blend. Many families will make their rolls well in advance of a holiday and freeze them until needed.

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Makes about 25 rolls

1 head savoy cabbage (about 3 pounds) Ask a question about this ingredient

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided Ask a question about this ingredient

1 liter large yellow cooking onion, finely diced Ask a question about this ingredient

4 cloves garlic, minced Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup basmati rice Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup hot stock of your choice, or hot water Ask a question about this ingredient

1 pound cremini mushrooms, wiped and finely diced Ask a question about this ingredient

2 pounds ground pork (shoulder or butt) Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped Ask a question about this ingredient

2 teaspoons dried thyme Ask a question about this ingredient

2 teaspoons dried red chile flakes Ask a question about this ingredient

2 teaspoons fine-grain sea salt Ask a question about this ingredient

freshly cracked black pepper to taste Ask a question about this ingredient

1 28- or 32-ounce jar sauerkraut, drained Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 pound smoked side bacon, sliced paper-thin Ask a question about this ingredient

1 48-ounce can tomato juice Ask a question about this ingredient

3 cups water Ask a question about this ingredient

4 bay leaves Ask a question about this ingredient

sour cream or plain yogurt and freshly chopped dill for garnish Ask a question about this ingredient

Prepare the cabbage leaves: Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Meanwhile, remove 3 or 4 of the outer leaves of the cabbage. Wash and set them aside. Using a sharp utility knife, cut the core out of the cabbage to about half the depth of the head. (Don’t worry if you can’t get it out in one piece; keep working at it and cut it out bit by bit if necessary.) Wash the cored cabbage. When water is boiling, blanch the reserved outer leaves for about 2 minutes; remove them carefully from the pot with tongs, drain, pat dry, and reserve for covering the finished rolls as they bake. Next, lower the entire head of cabbage, hole-side-down, into the boiling water. After about 1 minute, some of the outermost leaves will pull away from the head and float; remove them from the pot, pat dry, and set aside. After 1 additional minute, remove the entire cabbage head to a clean surface. Gently pull away the whole leaves from the head that come off easily, and, as with the others, pat them dry and set aside. Return cabbage head to the boiling water to again blanch it briefly before removing to peel off any leaves that remain attached. Repeat this process until all leaves at least the size of your palm (about 3 inches by 3 inches) have been removed and patted dry.
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Make the filling: Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and fry until it is translucent and golden, about 5–7 minutes. Add garlic and fry 1 minute more. Add rice and fry until it is well coated with oil and begins to turn translucent around the edges. Add stock and turn down the heat to low. Simmer about 5 minutes, until rice has absorbed all the liquid. Remove mixture from the heat and let cool completely. Meanwhile, in another skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon of the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and fry until they have released all their moisture and have browned. Remove from heat and let cool. While onion-rice mixture and mushrooms are cooling, in a large bowl mix together with your hands the pork, dill, thyme, salt, chile flakes, and black pepper. Add cooled onion-rice mixture and mushrooms and mix again until all ingredients are evenly distributed.
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Prepare the roaster and assemble the rolls: Spread the remaining 2 Tablespoons olive oil in the bottom of a large roaster or casserole (at least a 7-quart capacity). Spread the bottom of the roaster with 1/3 of the sauerkraut and layer 1/3 of the smoked bacon on top. Take one cabbage leaf and place it on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife (a boning knife works well), shave down the thick centre vein so that the whole leaf is of uniform thickness. Turn the leaf if necessary so that the its base is pointing towards you. Place about 1–2 teaspoons (depending on size of leaf) of filling near the base, and press lightly to flatten it a bit. Fold the right side of the leaf over to cover the filling and then start rolling the leaf up, tucking in the left side of the leaf to seal the roll. Place the finished roll seam-side-down in the roaster. Continue making rolls until the bottom of the roaster is covered. Spread another 1/3 of sauerkraut and bacon on top of rolls and then make another layer. Repeat with final 1/3 sauerkraut and bacon and a third layer of cabbage rolls.
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Prepare the sauce and bake: Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, mix together the tomato juice and water. Pour over rolls in the roaster. The liquid should reach the top layer of cabbage rolls; pour in more water to reach the required level, if necessary. Tuck the bay leaves down the sides of the pot. Cover the top layer of rolls with the reserved whole cabbage leaves, overlapping them to fit. Cover the roaster with a lid and place in the preheated oven to bake for 1-1/2 hours. Remove the lid and bake for 1/2 hour more. Serve the rolls with a little sour cream or plain yogurt and a sprinkling of fresh dill.
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5 Comments on Pork-and-Rice-Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Nostrovia_ca added 4 months ago

Thanks, aargersi, and it definitely is a weekend afternoon project ~ have fun with them!

aargersi added 4 months ago

Wow, these sound amazing! A perfect Sunday afternoon cooking project, absolutely love the layering in of sauerkraut and bacon. This goes on my to do list.

Nostrovia_ca added 4 months ago

Thank you so much, Kukla, for your suggestions! I'm thrilled to find out about the jarred sour cabbage leaves. My grandmother's sour cabbage rolls were always my favourite, but I just don't see myself fermenting my own heads of cabbage ~ I love knowing that I can find leaves pre-soured for me.

A friend of mine, an editor of a local food magazine, had mentioned to me that there was a freezer method for softening the leaves, but neither of us was sure of how that would work. Now, thanks to you, we have instructions! I'll be sure to pass your tip on this method along to her as well.

Again, many thanks for these great suggestions!

Kukla added 4 months ago

You are very welcome, Jodi!

Kukla added 4 months ago

Dear Jodi, finely I read a recipe for “Sarmales”, (Romanian name for your Pork-and- Rice- Stuffed Cabbage Rolls) which is very close to our recipe. I would like to give you two useful suggestions. I am sure there are Russian delis in Canada and they carry jarred sour cabbage whole leaves. The brands’ name is “ZerGut” and I use it every time I make this dish, just soak them for a few hours in cold water, changing the water a couple of times. You will need 2 jars for your recipe.
Another good method to easily peel of cabbage leaves is to buy it two days ahead and freeze the whole head; then defrost it overnight in a pot of cold water and the leaves will come of like gloves and they will be soft, pliable and ready to roll. Happy cooking, Kukla!