Braised cabbage with pork

Name: Braised cabbage with pork
Ingredients: 4 kg young cabbage; 2 teaspoons fine salt; 1 kg boneless pork belly; 2 tablespoons oil; 2 bay leaves; 2 teaspoons dried thyme; 1 teaspoon fine salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper; 4 tablespoons tomato paste

Diverse - Braised cabbage with pork by Rodica G. - Recipia

Braised cabbage with pork is served hot, usually with mămăligă, a Romanian polenta. The boneless pork belly is browned, then gently cooked with young cabbage and tomato paste, and the juices reduce in the oven. I put the whole hot pepper next to the plate and cut it right there. Prep: 30 minutes. Cook: 90 minutes. Rest: 10 minutes. Total: 130 minutes. Serves: 8. Approximately 800 kcal and 18 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

4 kg young cabbage
2 teaspoons fine salt
1 kg boneless pork belly
2 tablespoons oil
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
4 tablespoons tomato paste

Preparation

1. Thinly slice the cabbage, mix it with 2 teaspoons of salt and leave it to rest for 10 minutes. 2. Cut the pork belly into pieces about 2 × 2 cm and pat them dry with paper towels. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof pot and brown the meat for 10 minutes, turning the pieces until they have golden patches. 3. Squeeze the cabbage and add it to the meat. Add the bay leaves, thyme, 1 teaspoon of salt and the pepper. Cover the pot and cook everything on the stovetop for 20 minutes, until the cabbage softens. 4. Stir in the tomato paste and put the pot in the oven preheated to 180°C. Bake for 60 minutes, until the meat is tender and the juices have reduced.

Notes

The dish keeps in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days; reheat it on the stovetop over low heat. You can replace the pork belly with 1 kg boneless pork leg, cut into pieces of the same size. To serve, put a hot pepper on the side, and the mămăligă can be soft, to soak up the reduced juices. Choose firm heads of young cabbage with tightly packed leaves; very large ones can release more water into the pot. Older cabbage works too, but may need another 15 minutes in the oven. Sometimes there is still a lot of liquid if the cabbage hasn't been squeezed well; leave the pot uncovered towards the end. Use a roomy ovenproof pot, because the cabbage takes up a lot of space before it softens. Browning is the step I tend to rush a little; turn the pieces until they color on several sides.