Sarma Hot Dish Food

SARMA (STUFFED CABBAGE)

Steps:

• Place cabbage in the freezer for a few days. The night before making the rolls, take it out to thaw.
• In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, ham, rice, onion, egg, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix well. Form meat mixture into oblong balls, using 1/2 cup of the mixture at a time. Then, wrap a cabbage leaf around each ball.
• Spread the sauerkraut in the bottom of a large pot, then layer cabbage rolls on top, placing them seam-side down. Pour tomato juice over rolls, then add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 3 hours, adding more water as necessary.

CROATIAN SARMA RECIPE (STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS)

Steps:

• Take an entire pickled cabbage head. You'll find these on Amazon or in European delicatessens in the chilled section. Wash each leaf thoroughly. Remove the thick part of the stem without tearing the leaves. It's best to allow the leaves to drain on some paper towel or pat each one dry
• Take a large mixing bowl, and combine mincemeat, speck, garlic, parsley leaves, soda water or bicarbonate soda, rice, Vegeta, hot paprika (optional), sweet paprika (optional), breadcrumbs (optional), Salt and pepper, egg & olive oil
• Mix all of the ingredients until well combined
• You want each of the leaves to be about the same size so that each cabbage roll cooks at the same time. So go ahead and cut any large leaves in half, and also join two smaller leaves together as you go
• Take approx 3 tablespoons of the minced meat, and gently combine in the palm of your hand. Do not roll or compress as this will make them too dense when you eat them
• Place the meat on the edge of the cabbage leaf and roll away from you. Then tuck in the sides of the leaf gently into the meat. There should be no exposed meat. If there is, remove some of the filling
• Set the sarma aside, and prepare the sauce
• In a shallow saucepan, or even better, a Le Creuset cast-Iron dish, splash in some extra virgin olive oil, add the 2 diced onions and cook until transparent on low heat. Then add the 2 diced carrots, diced speck, and parsley. Continue to fry on low heat until carrots start to soften
• Add the shredded sauerkraut and create a layer on the bottom of the saucepan. Now, pack the Croatian sarma into the saucepan. They should be packed close together.
• Pour in boiling water so that it just covers the sarma. Add the passata and a pinch of salt and pepper. Every 20 minutes, give the saucepan a shake (do not stir them or they will break) and let them simmer for 2 hours on a low-medium heat

CHICKEN SHAWARMA HOTDISH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Make the shawarma spice: Combine the paprika, cumin and turmeric in a small bowl.
• Place the chicken in a mixing bowl and season with 2 tablespoons salt and 1 tablespoon of the shawarma spice, tossing to coat. Cook right away, or refrigerate overnight, if desired.
• Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons canola oil, then add the chicken and sear until caramelized and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet or plate to cool.
• Add the remaining 4 tablespoons canola oil to the pan, then add the onions and 1 tablespoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until softened and starting to brown, about 7 minutes. Add 2 more tablespoons of the shawarma spice and cook 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer the onions to a large bowl.
• Very thinly slice the chicken, then add to the onions along with the chickpeas and sliced pickles. Add the tahini and stir to evenly coat, then stir in 2 cups water.
• Transfer the chicken mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and sprinkle with parsley. Split the pitas horizontally to make 8 circles. Stack the pita rounds and slice into 8 wedges each. Put the pita wedges in a mixing bowl, drizzle with the olive oil and lightly toss to coat. Top the chicken mixture with an even layer of pita wedges. Bake until the pita is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Top with the salad.
• Combine the tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, red onion, parsley and mint in a large bowl. Top with the lemon zest.
• Make the vinaigrette: In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the lemon juice, vinegar and 1/4 cup za'atar. Slice the preserved lemon into quarters; cut out and discard everything but the yellow peel. Finely chop the preserved lemon peel, then add to the bowl with the vinegar mixture. Whisk together, then slowly whisk in the olive oil. Season the salad with salt, then add some of the vinaigrette and toss. Top with the feta and remaining 1/4 cup za'atar.

SARMA HOT DISH

Steps:

• Cut your cabbage into small pieces and set aside.
• Cut bacon into small pieces (I slice down the middle of a piece and then chop it) and brown well.
• Remove the pieces of bacon and then brown your diced onion in the bacon grease (yes, use bacon fat).
• Remove your onions and brown your ground beef (this is all the same pan). Season the ground beef with salt, pepper, and garlic granules.
• Mix your meat, bacon pieces, and onions together.
• While you're doing the browning, have your rice cooking in the tomato juice, also make sure to use the salt, pepper, and garlic granules, to taste, in the rice pot. Cook rice until "almost" done (15-17 minutes).
• When your rice is done, add your meat mixture to the rice and mix together well.
• Now the layering process, in the following order going from bottom to top ... 1. 1/2 of the Cabbage 2. 1/2 of the Sauerkraut 3. 1/2 of the Meat/rice mixture. Repeat the layering one more time.
• Bake covered in a 350 degree oven for approximately 1-1/2 hours. If it seems dry, add some hot water around the edges BUT DO NOT STIR MIXTURE! (Usually it is not dry.)
• Note: I have doubled this in a large roasting pan for bigger crowds, or made two hot dishes(normal recipe amount fits into a 2.5-3 qt size hot dish). Also, depending on the cabbage size, I've not used the entire thing, just eyeball it while layering. You want nice coverage, but not so much that it is all you have, as the sauerkraut goes on top of that.

SARMA (CROATIAN SAUERKRAUT ROLLS)

Steps:

• Take the whole sauerkraut head and remove leaves carefully avoiding damaging them. 1500 g should give about 20 to 25 sarmas. Cut the thick part at the bottom of each leaf (cut it triangularly).
• Mix grounded beef, pork and bacon. Add two eggs and very finely minced onion. Cook rice until half done and add into meat. Add salt, pepper and mix hard.
• Take leaf of sauerkraut and put meat in it and make a small package making sure to close ends. I don't know how to explain it but you have to press leaf end into. Do it until you have enough meat or leaves.
• Take a really large pot and start to put sarmas in it. At the bottom put smoked bacon skins if you have any, than one layer of sarmas, one layer bacon or pork ribs. Also add sliced sauerkraut in between. After you lay all sarmas and bacon, ribs and sliced sauerkraut, pour 2 cups of brine over everything (this is optional, my family like really sour sauerkraut that's why I've put it).
• Cook for about 1 hour on mild fire. Some people, and I'm among them like to add this: take small pan, melt lard and fry flour until brownish - add paprika and some cold water and make creamy stuff (we call this "ajmbren"). Add this into sarma and cook 2 to 3 hours.
• The best sarma in the next day, not the day you've cooked it. You can eat sarma up to whole week; you can also freeze portions. We eat cooked potato on lard and onion with it called "restani krumpir".