Lahana Sarmasi

Sarma means a wrapped thing in Turkish, from the verb sarmak 'to wrap or to roll. Minced meat (usually lamb or beef), rice, onions, garlic, long green pepper, parsley, fresh mint, tomato, pepper and tomato paste, sour pomegranate juice, extra virgin olive oil, black pepper and salt are mixed together and then rolled into large plant leaves, which may be cabbage, chard, sorrel and vine leaf (fresh or pickled). In Turkey sarma is eaten as an everyday, ordinary dish.

rolled cabbage with ground beef
3-4 lbs cabbage
1lb regular ground beef
1 cup calrose rice
2 medium onions finely chopped
5 cloves garlic finely chopped
3 long green peppers finely chopped
1 cup parsley finely chopped
½ cup fresh mint finely chopped
1 large tomato finely chopped
sour pomegranate juice (you decide)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon pepper paste
freshly ground black pepper
salt

In a large saucepan, bring to a boil enough salted water to cover the cabbage, add the cabbage, turn the heat to low and simmer 5-7 minutes. Remove the cabbage and let it drain while it cools enough to handle. Pull off large leaves and lay them on paper towels.

In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, rice, onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, parsley, mint, tomato and pepper paste, sour pomegranate juice, extra virgin olive oil, black pepper and salt. Mix well.
Place 2-3 tablespoons of the stuffing in the center of one of wilted cabbage leaves and, beginning with the thick end of the leaf, fold over the sides, then roll the whole leaf tightly. Repeat with more leaves until all the stuffing has been used.

Spread the thick leaves of cabbage on the bottom of a casserole and arrange the cabbage rolls on top of it. Add the water then cover the pan tightly and cook the stuffed cabbage over low heat for 1 hour. Transfer the rolls from the casserole to a plate. Enjoy