🍲 Sarma (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls) A taste of home, rolled with love.

Sarma is a dish that speaks of family, tradition, and long, slow cooking. It's a Balkan classic, a hearty and flavorful meal of fermented cabbage leaves stuffed with a mixture of ground meats and rice, simmered for hours to tender perfection.

🌿 Ingredients

• 1 large head of cabbage, frozen for 3 days, then thawed
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• ½ pound ground pork
• ½ pound ground ham
• 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 pound sauerkraut
• 1 cup tomato juice
• 1 cup water, or as needed

🔥 How to Make It

1. Prepare the Cabbage: Carefully remove the leaves from the head of cabbage.
2. Make the Filling: In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, pork, ham, uncooked rice, onion, egg, salt, pepper, and garlic powder until well combined.
3. Assemble the Rolls: Form the meat mixture into oblong balls, using about 1/2 cup of the mixture for each. Wrap a cabbage leaf around each ball, tucking in the sides to create a neat package.
4. Simmer: Spread the sauerkraut in the bottom of a large pot. Layer the cabbage rolls on top, placing them seam-side down. Pour the tomato juice over the rolls, then add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 3 hours, adding more water as necessary.

🧙‍♀️ Notes from the Old World

Sarma is a labor of love, a dish that's meant to be shared. It's even better the next day, when the flavors have had a chance to meld. Serve it with a dollop of sour cream and a piece of crusty bread to sop up the delicious juices.