Sarmi

Ingredients

Leaves

• 1large jar of pickled vine leaves
• or 1 head of pickled cabbage, leaves separated

Meat filling

• 500 gminced pork
• 200 gminced beef
• 150 gshort-grain rice, rinsed
• 2onions, finely chopped
• 1 tsppaprika
• 1 tspdried savory
• 1 tspground black pepper
• salt
• 3 tbspoil

Lenten filling

• 300 gshort-grain rice, rinsed
• 3onions, finely chopped
• 2carrots, grated
• 150 gmushrooms, chopped
• 3 tbspoil
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 1 tsppaprika
• 1 tspdried savory
• a handful of chopped dill and parsley
• salt and pepper

To cook

• 600 mlstock or water
• 1 tbsptomato paste
• 2bay leaves

To serve

• yoghurt, outside the fast
• or nothing, for Christmas Eve

Directions

1. Lift them from the jar carefully so they do not tear. Rinse them under cold running water. Soak them in warm water for twenty minutes if they are very salty.
2. Taste one to judge how salty they are. Trim off any thick tough stems. Pat them dry and lay them out. Rinse them if they are aggressively sour. Cut out the thick central rib with a knife. A thick rib makes the roll impossible to close. Cut very large leaves in half.
3. Heat the oil and cook the chopped onions for eight minutes. They must be properly soft, since a crunchy piece tears the leaf. Let the cooked onions cool right down. Mix the minced meats with the rinsed rice.
4. Add the cooled onions, paprika, savory, pepper and salt. Mix it thoroughly with your hands. Making the Lenten filling is done in the pan. Heat the oil and cook the onions for ten minutes. Add the grated carrot and cook for five minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until their water has gone. Stir in the tomato paste and the paprika. Take it off the heat and stir in the rinsed rice.
5. Add the savory, dill, parsley and seasoning. Let the filling cool before rolling. Rolling them is the part that takes a rhythm. Lay a leaf flat, vein side up, with the stem end towards you. Put a spoonful of filling near the stem end. Use less filling than seems right.
6. Fold the stem end up over the filling. Fold the two sides in over it. Roll it away from you into a neat cylinder. Do not roll it tight, since the rice needs room.
7. Line the bottom of a heavy pot with spare or torn leaves. That layer stops the rolls catching and burning. Pack the rolls in tightly, seam side down. Arrange them in concentric circles. Pack them in layers if you have many. They should be tight enough that they cannot move. Whisk the tomato paste into the stock.
8. Pour it over the packed rolls. It should come almost to the top of them but not cover them. Add the bay leaves to the pot. Set a heatproof plate upside down on top of the rolls. That holds them under the liquid and stops them shifting.
9. Bring it to a simmer and lower the heat right down. Cover the pot with a tight lid. Cook them for an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half. Do not stir the pot at any point. Add hot water if the level drops too far. Checking they are done takes one roll. Lift one out and cut it in half. The rice should be completely cooked and swollen.
10. Take the pot off the heat and leave it covered for twenty minutes. They firm up and are far easier to lift out. Lift them out carefully with a slotted spoon. Serve them with their cooking liquid spooned over.

Technique

• Use less filling than seems right, since the rice swells to more than double.
• Pack the pot tightly and weight it with an upside-down plate, or they unravel.
• The Christmas Eve version is meatless, since the table must be Lenten.

Substitutions

• Fresh vine leaves, blanched, in place of pickled.
• Fresh cabbage, blanched leaf by leaf, if pickled is unavailable.

Variations

• Made meatless for Christmas Eve.
• With sauerkraut leaves for a sourer roll.
• With smoked ribs cooked in the pot alongside.

History

Vine or cabbage leaves rolled around rice, made meatless for Christmas Eve, when the table must be Lenten.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sarmi?

Sarmi is a main from Bulgaria: cabbage or vine leaves rolled around rice, mince. Vine or cabbage leaves rolled around rice, made meatless for Christmas Eve, when the table must be Lenten.

How long does Sarmi take to make?

Sarmi takes 1 hour of preparation and 1 hour 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 30 rolls. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Sarmi?

Yes, within limits. Fresh vine leaves, blanched, in place of pickled. Fresh cabbage, blanched leaf by leaf, if pickled is unavailable.

What is the most important thing to get right in Sarmi?

Lift them from the jar carefully so they do not tear. Rinse them under cold running water. Soak them in warm water for twenty minutes if they are very salty.