This recipe comes to us from staff member, Roxana. Sarmale is a Romanian dish, traditionally served for Christmas and New Years, and for any big, family celebration. The recipe lends itself well to Alaskan ingredients– farm-raised pork and beef and cool-climate vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, and onion. The recipe is a bit time-consuming at the outset, but can be slow-cooked in an InstaPot or similar electric cooker.

• Ingredients

• Blanched cabbage
  Green cabbage– 2
  Water– 2 gallons
  Distilled white vinegar– ½ cup
  Salt– ¼ cup

• Filling
  Oil (sunflower, canola, olive)- 2 Tbsp
  Yellow onion– 1
  Carrots– 2
  Tomato paste– 3 Tbsp
  Rice, white– 7 ounces (~1 cup dry)
  Ground pork– 1 pound
  Ground beef– 1 pound
  Egg– 1
  Fresh parsley, chopped– ½ cup
  Fresh dill, chopped– ½ cup
  Dried thyme– ½ tsp
  Dried oregano– ½ tsp
  Dried basil– ¼ tsp
  Smoked paprika–1 tsp
  Salt– 2 tsp
  Black pepper, ground– 1 tsp

  Broth
  Smoked bacon– ½ pound
  Leftover blanched cabbage
  Water
  Tomato juice– 1 quart (strain juice from canned tomatoes, or, if using prepared tomato juice like V8, omit salt)
  Oil– 1 Tbsp
  Bay leaf– 2
  Dried oregano– ¼ tsp
  Dried basil– ¼ tsp
  Dried thyme– ¼ tsp
  Salt– ½ tsp
  Black pepper– ½ tsp

Preparation

1) Remove cores from the cabbage, keeping heads intact; a slender filet knife works well.

2) Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and vinegar.

3) Once boiling, add cabbage heads to the water; simmer on medium-low for 10-15 minutes until leaves begin to soften.

4) Gently peel off the cabbage leaves using tongs or two forks. Be careful not to overcook so that the leaves become mushy.

5) When leaves are cool, use a small knife to slice out the mid veins; this will make them easier to roll and tuck around the filling.

6) Finely dice the onion and shred the carrots.

7) Sauté the onions in 2 Tbsp oil over medium heat until translucent. Add shredded carrots and tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes.

8) Add rinsed rice and sauté for a few minutes to toast the rice. Remove from heat and allow it to cool slightly before adding the meat.

9) In a large bowl mix together the sauteed rice mix, ground pork, ground beef, egg, minced parsley, minced dill, dried thyme, dried oregano, dried basil, paprika, salt, black pepper.

10) Finely shred the smaller cooked cabbage leaves and cover the bottom of a large Dutch oven pot.

11) Scoop ~2 ounces of the filling, place it on a cabbage leaf, and roll it tightly, tucking in both ends to seal the rolls. Place the rolls seam-side down in the pot.

12) Arrange the rolls in the pot, layering in chopped bacon, shredded cabbage, bay leaves, oregano, basil, and thyme between layers and on top of the last layer.

13) Add tomato juice, oil, salt, pepper, and water until the cabbage rolls are fully submerged.

14) Cover the pot with a lid and cook on medium-low for 45 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 350 F.

15) Transfer to oven and bake for ~1 ½ hours @ 350 F. May also use an InstaPot or similar slow cooker.

Serve with Seared Polenta Cakes, Roasted Red Pepper Relish, and generous dollops of sour cream folded with finely crumbled feta cheese and fresh chopped parsley.