Transylvanian Recipe: Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

There’s nothing quite like your grandmother’s cooking to transport you to a more familiar setting. The kitchens of Govanhill tenements are filled with the aromas of a multitude of different cuisines, reflecting the diverse make-up of the neighbourhood. In this series, we ask Govanhill locals to share a recipe reminiscent of their homeland, starting with this traditional dish from Transylvania.

Got a recipe to share? Get in touch: hello@greatergovanhill.com

By Rhiannon Davies

 In the middle of lockdown, a new shop opened up on Vicky Road. Playing up to the vampire connection, Transylvania Shop and Coffee features Count Dracula himself on its logo. But despite the nod to its most notorious resident, owners Alex and Dani want to show that Transylvania, the region in central Romania from which they come, has much more to offer.

They built the store fittings from scratch, using whatever materials they could get hold of cheaply and easily during lockdown, then filled it with fresh produce and products from their homeland. The result is a colourful explosion of fruit, vegetables and flowers, along with a selection of cheeses, cured meats and intriguing jars of pickles and preserves. A counter packed with cream cakes and freshly baked goods completes the offering.

The walls are adorned with traditional Transylvanian textiles and trinkets. Alex explains: “Most of the decorations are from my Grandma. My mother sent them to us to put in our shop and show people our traditions. Normally, these types of materials would be passed from mother to daughter, as wedding gifts.”

Alex and Dani's recipe is for sarmale cu mamaliga (stuffed cabbage rolls served with polenta), which Alex says are a Romanian specialty: “My grandma used to make these around Christmas, Easter or any time when we had guests in our home. According to old traditions, on Christmas Eve our parents are supposed to sacrifice the pig and make many dishes from the meat. This is one of the dishes we make. At Christmas, after butchering the pig, we would usually have people visiting and sharing best wishes for the new year, with a lot of carol singing too.”

Sauce ingredients

2 tbsp. Bunica (literally meaning ‘grandmother’) sunflower oil

½ large onion

3 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp. tomato puree

2 cans of chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. dried oregano

Salt & pepper to taste

Cabbage roll ingredients

15 pickled cabbage leaves

450g pork or beef mince

50g white rice

25g breadcrumbs

½ large onion

2 tbsp. fresh parsley

Salt & pepper to taste

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160ºC fan).

First make the sauce. Chop the onion and garlic. Then, in a large deep pan, warm the oil over a medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until soft. Stir in the tomato paste and garlic and cook for another couple of minutes. Pour over the canned tomatoes then add the vinegar, sugar and oregano. Lower the heat and simmer for around 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon a layer of the tomato sauce into the bottom of a large baking dish.

For the rolls, first chop the onion and parsley. In a large bowl, mix them with the meat and breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper.

Prepare the cabbage leaves by cutting out the hard triangular rib from each leaf. Put a little of the meat filling onto each leaf, then roll up, tucking in the sides as you go. Place the rolls seam-side-down on top of the sauce in the baking dish. Spoon the rest of the sauce over the top of the rolls then cover with foil.

Bake for around 1 hour 15 minutes, until the rice and meat are cooked through. Serve with sour cream, polenta and a green chilli.