Recipes · Romanian · Main Courses

Sarmale (Romanian Pork Rolls in Sauerkraut Leaves)

One serving has 648 kcal and 27 g protein, and at least a fifth of a woman's daily need of thiamin (97%), selenium (70%), pyridoxine (68%), niacin (57%), copper (53%) and phosphorus (50%). Ready in 240 minutes.

• Preparation: 60 min
• Cooking: 180 min
• Makes: 1 serving (595 g)
• Difficulty: Medium
• Diets: Gluten-free
• Contains: dairy, pork

Ingredients

• 150 g Sauerkraut, whole leaves and chopped
• 40 g Onions, raw
• 6 g Sunflower oil
• 110 g Pork, minced, raw
• 20 g Rice, short-grain
• 3 g Dill, fresh
• 0.3 g Savory (cimbru), dried
• 0.5 g Paprika
• 0.2 g Black pepper
• 25 g Smoked bacon or smoked pork ribs
• 0.1 g Bay leaf
• 10 g Tomato paste
• 50 g Tomato passata
• 150 g Water
• 30 g Sour cream

Method

1. Separate the leaves of the soured cabbage and taste one: if it is very salty, soak them in cold water for 1 hour, then drain. Cut out the thick rib of each leaf, halve big leaves, and chop the small and torn ones.
2. Fry the chopped onion in the oil for 5 minutes until soft, and leave it to cool.
3. Mix the minced pork with the rinsed rice, the onion, half the dill, the savory, paprika and pepper; it needs no salt, as the cabbage and smoked pork bring it.
4. Put a spoonful of filling on each leaf, roll it up tightly and push the ends in with a finger.
5. Scatter half the chopped cabbage over the bottom of a heavy pot with the bay leaf and half the smoked pork, cut into pieces; pack the sarmale in snugly in layers with the rest of the pork between them, and top with the rest of the chopped cabbage and dill.
6. Stir the tomato paste into the passata and water and pour it over until the rolls are just covered. Put on the lid and simmer on the lowest heat, or bake at 160°C, for 2.5-3 hours, until the leaves are soft and the rice is cooked; shake the pot now and then, but don’t stir.
7. Serve hot with the sour cream, and mămăligă alongside; sarmale are the heart of Romanian Christmas and wedding tables, and are even better warmed up the next day.

Nutrition per serving

Shares of a day's need are for a woman of 30, 165 cm, 60 kg, lightly active, by the US and Canadian Dietary Reference Intakes. SustainBite works out each person's own needs, by the standard where they live: the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations in Norway, the UK's, EFSA's in the EU.

Climate footprint

1.3 kg CO2e a serving: about average for main dishes on SustainBite. Source: ADEME, Agribalyse 3.2.

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