Töltött Káposzta

Ingredients

• 12 large sour cabbage leaves, thick ribs shaved flat
• 500 g minced pork
• 150 g minced smoked pork belly or bacon
• 100 g long-grain rice
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
• 1 tsp ground caraway
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 800 g sauerkraut, drained
• 400 g smoked pork ribs
• 150 g smoked sausage, sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp lard
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika, for the roux
• 200 ml sour cream

Before you cook

• Shave the thick rib flat on each cabbage leaf so it rolls without cracking.
• Rinse the rice and leave it to soak in cold water for 20 minutes.
• Chop the onion finely and crush the garlic.
• Drain the sauerkraut and chop any very long strands.

Steps

1. Drain the soaked rice thoroughly and tip it into a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the minced pork, the minced smoked belly, the chopped onion, the garlic, the egg, the tablespoon of paprika, the caraway, the salt and the pepper.
3. Mix the filling with your hands for 2 minutes, until it is completely uniform and slightly sticky.
4. Lay a cabbage leaf flat and put two heaped tablespoons of filling near the stem end.
5. Fold the sides of the leaf inwards, then roll it up firmly but not tightly, since the rice will swell.
6. Tuck the loose end into the roll with your finger to close it.
7. Roll the remaining eleven leaves the same way.
8. Spread half the drained sauerkraut across the base of a wide heavy pot.
9. Lay the smoked ribs and the sliced sausage on the sauerkraut and add the bay leaves.
10. Pack the cabbage rolls on top in a single tight layer, seam side down.
11. Cover the rolls with the remaining sauerkraut.
12. Pour in enough cold water to just reach the top of the sauerkraut, about 700 ml.
13. Bring the pot to a boil, then lower the heat, cover it and simmer very gently for 90 minutes.
14. Melt the lard in a small pan over medium heat and stir in the flour.
15. Cook the roux for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it smells nutty and turns the colour of straw.
16. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the tablespoon of paprika for the roux.
17. Whisk a ladleful of hot liquid from the pot into the roux until it is smooth, then pour it back into the pot around the edges.
18. Simmer uncovered for a further 20 minutes, shaking the pot rather than stirring it so the rolls stay whole.
19. Take the pot off the heat and rest it for 20 minutes.
20. Serve two rolls per person with plenty of the sauerkraut and a large spoon of sour cream on top.