Baked sarmale in a clay pot

Ingredients

• 1 sauerkraut (1.5 kg)
• 500 g smoked pork (tail and ribs)
• 45 ml sunflower oil
• 2 medium red onions (300 g)
• 250 g whole-grain round rice
• 750 g ground veal and pork
• 250 g mushrooms
• 1 bunch spring onions (100 g)
• 3 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes preserved in oil
• 1 teaspoon red paprika
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
• 1 sprig dried dill
• 1500 ml water
• 200 g sour cream for serving
• 2 hot peppers
• 100 g horseradish in vinegar

Preparation

1. Cut around the core of the sauerkraut and separate the leaves. Taste it; if it’s too salty, leave it in cold water for an hour, changing the water a few times. Trim away the thick ribs and cut each leaf in two. 2. Peel and wash the vegetables. Dice the red onion and mushrooms, finely chop the spring onion and sun-dried tomatoes, then crumble the dried dill. 3. Heat 45 ml oil in a large frying pan and fry the smoked pork for 5 minutes, until it starts to release its fat. Take it out and sauté the red onion in the same pan for 5 minutes, until softened. 4. Add the rice to the pan and sauté it with the onion for 3 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and mix the rice with the ground meat, mushrooms, spring onion, sun-dried tomatoes, paprika, tomato paste, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper. 5. Put the smoked pork, dill and remaining thyme in the bottom of the glazed clay pot. Fill each cabbage-leaf half with a spoonful of the mixture and roll up the sarmale. 6. Arrange the sarmale in a circle in the pot and put a few of the remaining mushrooms in the middle. Pour in 1500 ml water, until it reaches the level of the sarmale, then put on the lid. 7. Bake the pot in an oven preheated to 180°C for 60 minutes, covered. Remove the lid and bake for another 30 minutes, until the cabbage is tender and the sarmale are lightly browned. 8. Serve them with sour cream, hot peppers and horseradish in vinegar.