Sarma (Stuffed cabbage)

Sarma is a traditional winter preparation in Slovenia. At the end of autumn, the stores start selling sauerkraut and sour turnips. I remember the first time I had sauerkraut; the sour taste was a shock. Well I was not expecting the sour taste; I had never heard of sauerkraut and assumed it so be normal cabbage at the work canteen. However, now I really like the tartness. Sauerkraut is healthy and yummy. And goes so well with meat or salad. This preparation uses the whole head of sauerkraut. Each leaf is stuffed and tightly rolled with minced meat and then is slowly cooked in tomato-based gravy. A family food. Tastes better when cooked in bulk. You cannot really make 6! The time taken is not worth it. Also, it is one of those preparations that tastes best when cooked in bulk, and the same recipe used for a smaller quantity doesn’t bring out the same wow.. However, it is so good and stays for a few days. And the older it is the better it tastes!  Saves us from cooking later. Traditionally, it is cooked a couple of days before New Year. After the late night parties on New Year’s Eve, people wake up late the next day. And you have the yummy sarmas already ready on the table to enjoy with your family the first day of the year..

 You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Makes around 35 sarma)

1 whole head of sauerkraut

500g beef

500g pork

1 big onion

100g rice

3 cubes of beef stock

1cup tomato puree

1sp thyme

1tbsp red pepper powder

2 ½ tbsp flour

2tbsp fresh parsley

1 slice of bacon (1cm thick, ~15g)

Oil

Salt

Pepper

Boiling water (as required)

METHOD:

1.      Mince both the beef and pork meat. Finely chop the onion.

2.      In a wok, heat 6tbsp oil. Add the onion and cook for a minute.

3.      Add the minced meat and cook on high heat until it is no more pink and the water that the meat left dries.

4.      Reduce the heat to low. Cook for around 20 mins until the onion softens, mixes well with the meat and is almost no more visible.

5.      Add the rice and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 mins.

6.      Add ½ cup water and cook for 10 mins more.

7.      Add the fresh parsley. Remove from heat and let it cool a bit.

8.      Gently take a leaf off the sauerkraut head. Pound the stem a gently so that it becomes easy to fold. Put 1-1.5 spoon (depending on the size of leaf) of meat mixture at the base of the leaf and tightly fold from all sides. Set aside with the open side down. (There is no need to tie or seal.) Repeat the process with the leaves until the meat mixture is used.

9.      If there is still a bit of sauerkraut left, finely chop it. [Optional step.]

10.   Layer a large pot with chopped sauerkraut (Optional). Arrange the rolled sarmas in the pot in layers with the open side down. Cover the sarmas with hot water.

11.   Put the pot on medium heat and bring it to boil. Add two cubes of beef stock. Cook on low heat covered for ~ 40 minutes.

12.   In a pan, heat 4tbsp oil. Quickly stir in the flour and let it get color.

13.   Add 1cup tomato puree, thyme, red pepper powder and mix well.

14.   Add 3cups of hot water and 1 beef stock cube.

15.   Bring to boil and add the tomato gravy in the sarma pot.

16.   Add bay leaf, and bacon slice.

17.   Cover and cook on low heat for 30-40 min.

18.   Serve with polenta or mashed potato.

NOTE:

The bacon is used for giving flavor and smell (and not for eating really). A sausage can be used instead.

Sarma taste good (better!) the next day.

Freshly minced meat brings out best flavors.

There is no stirring during the whole cooking of the rolled sarmas, or they will open and break. Take care to keep on low heat all the time to avoid burning of the bottom.

Stuffed pumpkin

I had this nice round small pumpkin (kabocha squash I think, not particularly sure). Recently I was going through these recipes of stuffing. Therefore bringing both together to make a stuffed pumpkin was the next idea. I have also taken a fancy on celery recently. Though the flavor is a bit too strong for me, I like it a lot when used in minimum to give a hint of subtle aromatic flavor. And since winter is almost here, the sausage had to form a part of the dish too. I am sure to cook it again in future during the pumpkin season. In the meantime I will be use the stuffing to stuff other things or incorporate in some different way in my food.

 

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 4)

1 small round pumpkin (~1.5kg)

1 small onion

1 large carrot

1 red bell pepper

2 green apples

2-3 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

1 cured pork sausage (in pair)

1/4sp celery seeds

1/4sp fennel seeds

1/2 cup chopped parsley

2tbsp chopped sage

Salt

Pepper

Oilve Oil

METHOD:

1.     Cut open the lid off the pumpkin. Clean the inside of strings and seeds. Brush with oil, salt, pepper.

2.     Bake the pumpkin in preheated oven at 180°C for 20 mins. Set aside.

3.     In meantime, dice the carrot, peppr, apples, onion. Crush the garlic cloves.

4.     Remove the casing of the sausage and gently crush it.

5.     In a skillet, heat oil.

6.     Add the onion and sauté a couple of minutes.

7.     Add the remaining vegetables, celery and fennel seeds. Season with salt. Add 1tbsp of sage and 1/2 of the parsley.

8.     Cook on low heat for 5 minutes, stirring often.

9.     Add the sausage meat. Break with the wooden spoon and cook until no longer pink.

10.  Lightly whisk the egg in a bowl with the milk. Add the vegetable-sausage mixture. Add the remaining parsley and sage. Make everything into a moist mixture.

11.  Fill the pumpkin with stuffing.

12.  Bake it at 200°C for 20-25 minutes, until the egg is cooked and the stuffing has risen a bit.

13.  Stand for 5 minutes, and serve with the lid on top.

Meaty nutty pepper boats

It was a successful cooking weekend. I call it successful not only when the taste is good, but when it is exactly same to what I wished and imagined it to be before cooking. And this pepper boats were exactly that. The cheesy and spicy meat was complemented with the crunchiness of the nuts and the raisins gave a hint of sweetness to the bites from time to time. I loved the balance of spicy, crunchy cheesy and sweet taste in the juicy peppers.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:
(Serves 4)

4 red bell peppers
300g minced meat
Paneer from a liter of milk (How to make paneer)
1 cup of unsalted peanuts
1 handful of raisins
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 big tomatoes
1 small potato
1cup grated cheese
Thyme
Rosemary
Cayenne pepper
Salt
Oil

METHOD:

1. Set the oven to preheat at 200°C.
2. Chop the onion, garlic, and tomatoes.
3. Grate the potato.
4. Grind the nuts very coarsely and chop the raisins
5. In a wok, heat oil and add the onion garlic.
6. When it starts turning golden, add the minced meat.
7. Cook on medium heat until the meat changes color and the water dries up.
8. Now add into it the chopped tomatoes, grated potato, and crumbled paneer.
9. Season with thyme, rosemary, cayenne pepper, and salt.
10. Cook on medium heat for 6-7mins.
11. Add the grinded nuts and chopped raisins and cook for another couple of minutes before removing from heat.
12. While you are preparing the filling, cut the bell peppers in halves, and deseed them.
13. Sprinkle a bit of salt and brush their outer surface with oil.
14. When the filling is cold, stuff the pepper boats with the filling.
15. Sprinkle cheese on top.
16. Bake uncovered for 30mins with the baking tray in the middle rack.

Potato moussaka

I read the recipe of Moussaka in some Sunday magazine and thought of making it someday. However, I lost magazine by the time I decided to make. Therefore, instead of looking up in the internet for a recipe, I checked some books and decided to try making a modified version of potato moussaka instead of the classic Greek one with aubergines (eggplants). The layered potato and meat had a rich juicy flavor with the pepper adding a crunchy taste. In the end, it was a real savory dish.

INGREDIENTS:

500g minced meat
1kg potato
1 small onion
2 bell peppers
2 big tomatoes
Fresh thyme
Fresh rosemary
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg
2 eggs
2 tbsp flour
2-4 tbsp cream
250ml milk
Oil

METHOD:

1. Chop the onion finely.
2. Dice the tomatoes and bell peppers into small pieces.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onion.
4. Fry until the onion is soft and transparent.
5. Add the minced meat.
6. The meat will leave water and loose its pinkish red color.
7. Cook with occasional stirring until the water dries.
8. Then add the chopped bell peppers, tomatoes, salt, black pepper powder, thyme and rosemary.
9. Let it cook on medium heat until the meat is cooked and it is not too watery and remove from heat.
10. Remove the shoots of thyme and rosemary from the meat sauce.
11. When the meat is cooking, boil potatoes in a pot. Take care that the potatoes are a bit undercooked.
12. Peel the potatoes and slice them.
13. In the mean time, make the sauce. Beat together eggs, flour, sour cream and milk. Season it with pepper, salt and nutmeg powder.
14. Now grease a deep tray.
15. Put a layer of potato slices, and then a layer of meat. Make alternate layers of potato and meat, with potato as the bottom and topmost layer.
16. Spread the sauce evenly over it.
17. Bake it in preheated oven at 200˙C for 45minutes.

NOTE:
One can use sliced raw potato instead of boiled potatoes. In that case, bake it for a hour and half.
Add a bit more milk, sour cream and flour to increase the amount of sauce.