Sour cabbage rolls

Sour cabbage rolls

This recipe is one Romanian traditional recipe, cooked in clay pot. Sour cabbage rolls you can find in every Romanian house, from the very poor people to the most richest family, you can eat also in fancy restaurants to. The traditional recipe is from pork meat, cooked in clay pot with pork sausage, but if you don`t like pork than you can eat with smoked beef or mutton sausage.
If you can`t find sour cabbage or you don`t like the taste,than you can make from ordinary cabbage leaves.

Ingredients:
400 gr pork (beef,mutton) minced meat
1 big onion
1 smashed garlic
1 small sour cabbage leaves 
1 cup grated sour cabbage
half cup white basmati rice
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
half teaspoon marjoram
half teaspoon caraway
150 gr bacon 
1 egg
1 strand sausage

1. Dice the onion and fry them on oil until soft.

2. Mix the meat, onion, garlic and rice, sprinkle with marjoram, salt, paprika, caraway and black pepper. Mix it well with your clean hands.

3. Add 2 teaspoon of oil in a cooking pot, add half from the grated sour cabbage. 

4. Place a small handful of stuffing inside a cabbage leaf and wrap it up like a burrito.Tuck the end of the leaves which are dropping out, so the stuffing won't leak during the cooking. Place the cabbage rolls in the pot and start the layering.

5. Cut the bacon in cubes or big slice and place between the layers. Cut the strand of sausage and place that to between the layers.

6. On the top of the last layer put the other half from the grated sour cabbage. 

7. Add enough cabbage water to cover the last layer of cabbage roll and another 2 cm. Put a plate on the cabbage rolls, and put a mug full of water on it.

8. Cook 1,5-2 hours on low heat, never stir it. Grip the handles of the pot instead and shake it in every 30 minutes. Taste one roll after 1,5 hour to check if is ready cooked.

Serve with sour cream and white bread.