Mushroom Sarmale, a vegetarian recipe

Name: Mushroom Sarmale
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 130 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Romania
Ingredients: 1 green cabbage, about 1.2 kg; 200 g short-grain rice; 400 g button mushrooms, finely chopped; 2 onions, chopped; 3 tbsp sunflower oil; 1 large bunch dill, chopped; 3 tbsp tomato purée; 400 g chopped tomatoes; 1 tsp sweet paprika; 1 bay leaf; Salt and black pepper

Method

Cut out the cabbage core and lower the whole head into a large pan of boiling salted water. Peel off the leaves as they soften, then shave down the thick rib on each one.
Fry the onions in the oil for 8 minutes, add the mushrooms and cook for another 10 minutes, until all their liquid has cooked away.
Off the heat, mix this base with the raw rice, half the dill, the paprika, 1 tsp salt and plenty of pepper. The rice swells as it cooks, so keep the filling loose.
Place a spoonful of filling at the base of each leaf, fold in the sides and roll firmly into a small, well-sealed cylinder.
Line a casserole with any torn leaves, pack the rolls in snug layers, then pour over the tomatoes, the purée slaked in 500 ml water, and the bay leaf.
Weigh the rolls down with an upturned plate, bring to a bare simmer and cook for 1½ hours on the lowest heat, topping up with water if it looks dry.
Rest for 20 minutes off the heat, scatter with the remaining dill and serve with mămăligă.

Sarmale de post are the meatless fasting version made all over Romania in the run-up to Christmas. They taste even better reheated the next day, once the flavours have settled together.

The techniques this recipe uses

Sweat the aromatics
Medium heat, no browning: the onion should turn translucent and sweet, not toasted.

Frequently asked questions

My rolls come apart while they cook. How do I stop that?

Pack them tightly in layers and weigh them down with an upturned plate, which keeps them submerged and still through the full hour and a half. Lining the base with torn leaves also stops the bottom row catching and tearing.

Why must the filling stay loose?

The rice goes in raw and swells a great deal as it drinks up the broth. A tightly packed roll splits, and the rice in the middle stays hard for want of room. One spoonful laid in without pressing is enough.

What if the cabbage leaves tear as I pull them off?

Do not force them. Keep the head in the boiling water and lift the leaves away one at a time as they soften. Badly torn leaves are not wasted either, they line the bottom of the casserole.

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Mushroom Sarmale

Method

The techniques this recipe uses

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Nutrition per serving

Frequently asked questions

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