Varză a la Cluj, Romanian cabbage bake

Name: Varză a la Cluj, Romanian cabbage bake
Ingredients: 1 kg white cabbage; 1 teaspoon salt; 3 tablespoons oil; 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper; 1 teaspoon dried thyme for the cabbage; 300 g jarred red cabbage salad; 2 small onions (120 g); 2 red peppers (250 g); 2 tablespoons oil; 200 g rice; 600 g ground pork; 100 ml beer; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper; 1 teaspoon dried thyme for the filling; 600 g large tomatoes; puréed; 200 g small tomatoes for the topping; 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme for the topping; 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary; 15 g fresh thyme; 500 ml water

Meat - Varză a la Cluj, Romanian cabbage bake by Daiana M. - Recipia

Varză a la Cluj, a Romanian cabbage bake, is usually served hot for lunch, with layers of cabbage, pork and rice baked until they hold together. The cabbage gets browned edges in the oven, while the tomatoes and jarred red cabbage salad keep the filling juicy, with a texture close to moussaka. I cut the cabbage into thin strips, but leave them long. Prep: 25 minutes. Cook: 130 minutes. Rest: 0 minutes. Total time: 155 minutes. Servings: 6. Approximately 625 kcal and 22 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

1 kg white cabbage
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme for the cabbage
300 g jarred red cabbage salad
2 small onions (120 g)
2 red peppers (250 g)
2 tablespoons oil
200 g rice
600 g ground pork
100 ml beer
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme for the filling
600 g large tomatoes
puréed
200 g small tomatoes for the topping
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme for the topping
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
15 g fresh thyme
500 ml water

Preparation

1. Clean and wash the vegetables. Shred the white cabbage, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and rub it a little with your hands. 2. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan and cook the cabbage for 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the liquid has reduced. Add 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, then add the jarred red cabbage salad and cook for another 10 minutes. Turn off the heat. 3. Chop the onion and peppers. Cook them for 5 minutes in the same pan with 2 tablespoons of oil, until softened. 4. Rinse the rice and add it to the pan with the ground pork. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring, then pour in the beer. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and 1 teaspoon of dried thyme; simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. 5. Divide the cabbage into three portions and the filling into two. In an ovenproof dish, arrange a layer of cabbage, 200 g of passata and half the pork and rice mixture. Repeat with another layer of cabbage, 200 g of passata and the rest of the filling. Finish with the last portion of cabbage and the remaining 200 g of passata. 6. Slice the tomatoes for the topping and arrange them on top. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary and the fresh thyme. Heat the oven to 180°C. Put the dish on the oven rack, with the deep oven tray underneath and 500 ml of water in it. Bake for 60 minutes, until lightly browned on top. 7. Turn off the oven and leave the dish inside until serving.

Notes

For an alcohol-free version, replace the 100 ml of beer with 100 ml of water; regular beer contains gluten. Choose a heavy head of cabbage with tightly packed leaves and no soft spots. If you cut the cabbage into wide strips, cook it for another 5 minutes, until softened and the ribs no longer resist. The jarred salad may already be salted; taste it first and reduce the salt in the filling to 1/2 teaspoon if needed. When the passata is very watery, let the pulp drain in a sieve for a few minutes before spreading it between the layers. The dish keeps covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When cut, the layers look a little like moussaka, though cabbage remains the base of each serving. I serve it with polenta.