Sarmale with pumpkin seeds, Romanian cabbage rolls

Name: Sarmale with pumpkin seeds, Romanian cabbage rolls
Ingredients: 3-4 tablespoons oil; 4 medium onions (600 g); 5 g sweet paprika; 190 g rice; 240 ml water; 150 g pumpkin seeds; 3 g thyme; 3 g pepper; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 heads fermented cabbage; 2-3 bay leaves; 100 ml tomato paste; 2000 ml hot water

Season - Sarmale with pumpkin seeds, Romanian cabbage rolls by Dora M. - Recipia

Sarmale with pumpkin seeds are Romanian fasting cabbage rolls, with rice and pumpkin seeds wrapped in fermented cabbage leaves. Cooked over low heat, the leaves turn tender while the filling keeps its whole grains of rice and ground seeds, held together in a slightly tangy tomato sauce. I eat them with a little cabbage brine poured over the top. Preparation: 35 minutes. Cooking: 146 minutes. Resting: 15 minutes. Total time: 196 minutes. Serves: 6. Approximately 390 kcal and 11 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

3-4 tablespoons oil
4 medium onions (600 g)
5 g sweet paprika
190 g rice
240 ml water
150 g pumpkin seeds
3 g thyme
3 g pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 heads fermented cabbage
2-3 bay leaves
100 ml tomato paste
2000 ml hot water

Preparation

1. Finely chop 4 medium onions. Heat 3-4 tablespoons of oil in a pan and cook the onions for 8 minutes, until translucent. 2. Add 5 g sweet paprika and 190 g of picked-over, rinsed rice. Stir for 2 minutes, then pour in 240 ml of water and cook for 8 minutes, until the water has evaporated and the rice has just started to swell. 3. Toast 150 g pumpkin seeds for 8 minutes at 180°C, until lightly browned. Let them cool, then grind them. 4. Let the rice mixture cool for 15 minutes. Stir in 3 g thyme, 3 g pepper, 1 teaspoon salt and the ground seeds. 5. Separate the 2 heads of fermented cabbage into leaves. Put a tablespoon of filling on each leaf and roll up the sarmale. 6. Arrange the sarmale in a clay pot. Add 2-3 bay leaves, 100 ml tomato paste and 2000 ml hot water, enough to cover them. Simmer over low heat for 2 hours, until the leaves are tender.

Notes

Keep in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days; reheat them with a little of the cooking liquid. I serve chopped sauerkraut on the side, and the filling is reminiscent of a firmer pilaf. Choose heads with whole, fairly thin leaves, since thick ones are hard to roll. If the cabbage is very salty, rinse the leaves and let them drain before filling. Rolling takes longer than it seems; if a leaf tears, overlap the edges at the seam. The rice is only half-cooked before it goes into the leaves, so don't let it get soft in the pan.