Sarmale Lucia

Sarmale are a traditional Romanian dish, loved by everyone, and are often associated with family gatherings and festive meals. We start by preparing the cabbage leaves, essential for sarmale. We blanch the cabbage leaves in boiling water for a few minutes until they become soft and easy to handle. Then, we drain them well and let them cool so that we can work with them without burning ourselves.

In a large pan, we heat 50 g of oil and add finely chopped onion and garlic. We sauté them for about a minute until they become translucent and aromatic. It is important to stir constantly to avoid burning them. Next, we add the rice, which we sauté together with the onion and garlic, stirring continuously for 4-5 minutes until the rice becomes slightly transparent.

After the rice is sautéed, we add the meat, the spices – 1/2 teaspoon of thyme, tarragon (if you want to add an extra aromatic note), and freshly ground pepper. Grate a potato and add it to the mixture, along with finely chopped parsley stalks. We cook the mixture until the meat changes color and turns white, but not more, to keep it juicy. We taste and adjust with salt and pepper to our liking, then let the filling cool.

Now that the filling is ready, we form the sarmale, making sure they are as small as possible for even cooking. In a pot greased with a little oil, we place a layer of finely chopped cabbage, followed by the formed sarmale. We continue with another layer of cabbage and cover everything with julienned slices of bacon. We pour enough cold water to cover the last layer of cabbage and put it on to boil over moderate to low heat.

In a separate pan, we brown 4-5 finely chopped garlic cloves in the remaining hot oil. We add tomato paste dissolved in a little water, paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of thyme, sugar, and dried dill, ground. We let it simmer for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent sticking.

When a fork easily pierces the cabbage of a sarmale, we pour the tomato sauce evenly over the layer of cabbage on top. We cover the pot and place it in the preheated oven, letting it bake for 30 minutes over moderate heat, but not too high. It is advisable to occasionally turn the top layer of cabbage and moisten it with the juice from the pot to ensure even cooking.

In the end, we serve the sarmale hot, alongside fresh bread and sour cream, for an extra flavor boost. This dish is not only tasty but also full of tradition, perfect for gathering the family around the table. ENJOY YOUR MEAL!