I've put this together for a colleague & putting it up in case I'd need it again.
ingredients:
for the stuffing:
800g minced meat (beef and pork half & half)
120g of rice (any regular rice will do, i use brown basmati as that's what we normally keep in the pantry)
salt & pepper
1.5 tbsp (= 6 tsp) marjoram
3 tsp oregano
1 medium sized onion, cut into small pieces
1 egg
15-20 large fermented cabbage leaves (about 1 kg) *1
for the stew:
1.5 kg of fermented cabbage *2
pork ribs (approx. 1 kg with bones), cut into 1-2 rib pieces
20 cm piece of smoked sausage (approx 100g), cut into 1-2cm pieces *3
up to 700g smoked meat (pork ribs, etc.), cut into 1-2 rib pieces or equivalent *4
100-200g smoked bacon, cut into matchsticks *5
1 onion, cut into small pieces
1.5 tbsp (= 6 tsp) paprika
1 dried chili pepper (any not too spicy variety will do. the dish should not be noticeably hot, it's only for flavour)
black peppercorns (roughly 1 tbsp)
2 large bay leaves, torn into 2-4 smaller pieces
400ml tomato juice or a 400g can of chopped tomatoes
If using (raw) pork ribs, grill/roast them in the oven (200 degrees, 15-20 minutes or until cooked).
Cook the rice as per package instructions and leave it to cool.
Cook one of the onions in a little oil leave to cool a little.
In a large bowl, mix the minced meat, onion and spices. Use a generous amount of spice keeping in mind that we'll mix in the rice in a minute.
Mix well, then add the remaining ingredients for the stuffing: 1 egg, and the rice.
Mix well. It's easiest to mix with your hands.
In the meantime (or next), fry the bacon in a large ovenproof pot until crisp. I use a large cast iron cocotte (6.7L), but any ovenproof pot will do.
The bacon I use, when fried well, will have enough fat to cook in. If using a substitute, I add some extra olive oil to the pan. Then fry the second onion in the pan for a couple of minutes. Add the sausage and cook it a little until it starts to melt. Stir in the paprika, then immediately half the fermented cabbage and mix well. The paprika will burn easily so keep the cabbage close when adding the paprika in.
Next, mix in the black peppercorns and chili, simmer for a few minutes then turn off the heat.
Preheat the oven to 130 degrees fan. *6
Make small-medium sized dumplings from the filling and wrap them in half cabbage leaves. *7
Keep rolling the dumplings until all the meat is used up.
It there are remaining cabbage leaves, shred them and add to the dish. If there is remaining filling (you run out of leaves), you can make the dumplings the same way without wrapping them.
I place the leaf-wrapped dumplings (vertically) next to each other in the pot (on top of the cooked cabbage-y base). I like to place them around the side and packed somewhat tightly so they stay in place. Then add the smoked meat (sausage / ribs etc) in the middle, the other half of the cabbage mixed with the bay leaves on top. Pour the tomatoes on top + just enough water to cover.
Use a flat cooking spoon (silicone/wood/etc) and very gently push it down the sides of the pan until it reaches the bottom. This is to make sure the water reaches the bottom of the pan so the dish won't burn. Repeat a few times around the sides of the pan. Top it up with water at the end if necessary.
Put it in the oven, covered. Bake for about 3-4 hours in total, checking it every hour and topping up with more water if needed.
When done, I normally just turn off the heat and let it cool in the oven overnight.
It's better the next day, but still really good straight out of the oven. :)
Serve it with plenty of sour cream and bread.
This makes plenty, enough for a week (20-30 servings). It will keep in the fridge for even longer. *8
notes:
1. Fermented cabbage is similar to sauerkraut but contains no vinegar & no preservatives if possible. The best will only have cabbage & salt in the ingredients list (but that's pretty much impossible to get hold of in the UK). It's kept in the fridge section in a big plastic bag, and will look something like this: https://www.bestofhungary.co.uk/collections/traditional-pickles/products/sauerkraut-pickled-cabbage.
2. Fermented cabbage leaves are made the same way as the shredded variety (which is more common). Both are in big plastic (occasionally paper) bags, and will look similar from a distance, eg: https://www.bestofhungary.co.uk/collections/traditional-pickles/products/pickled-sour-cabbage-leaves).
3. Smoked sausage: best to get an eastern european brand, there are loads to choose from in polish shops. It will smell slightly similar to a chorizo but thinner & smoked. We use gyulai as a go-to for cooking, eg: https://www.bestofhungary.co.uk/products/gyulai-sausage).
4 - Smoked meat is dry cured smoked meat made from some part of the pork, most common is probably ribs. If not available, use a bit more sausage, or skip it.
5. Smoked bacon used for cooking is normally dry cured and smoked (and never cooked). It's sold in bigger pieces which you can slice/cube as needed. We use something like this as a go-to: https://www.bestofhungary.co.uk/products/mangalitza-pancetta-bacon. This dish I'd normally put about a 200g piece in, sliced and then cut into matchsticks. Dry cured smoked streaky bacon from a local butcher is a good substitute (but will need some extra oil).
6. The dish can be made on the stovetop, and most people make it that way, but it's a bit more of a hassle. You'll have to check the water more often as it burns very easily (as there is no way to stir it really). I used to make it that way but have tried making it in the oven about 5 years ago and never looked back.
7. The technique is demonstrated well in this video (starts at about 18:00): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIVvHj3bDfk. I use half a cabbage leaf per dumpling, or a whole leaf if smaller. I like leaving the core in, I find it gives structure to the filling and helps to hold it together. But I use only slightly more filling, shaped into a log. It will have a larger cabbage to meat ratio which we like better (the traditional recipe makes it very meat heavy).
8. The ingredients can be scaled up and down as required, I would probably make half or third to start with (that would still be roughly 10 servings).
