RECIPE / ONE REALIZATION
The following recipe is adapted from the Ozlem's Turkish Table website ( www.ozlemsturkishtable.com ) and it features vine leaves stuffed with ground meat, rice, and herbs.
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RECIPE INGREDIENTS
METHOD
In a bowl, mix the ground meat with the onions, rice, spices, and herbs. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and knead thoroughly.
Place a vine leaf onto a working surface and add some filling in the center. Cover the filling with the leaf, folding in the sides, and roll tightly into a log. Do not overfill the leaves as the filling can ooze out. Layer the rolled logs tightly in a wide and deep pan, seam side facing down.
Combine the water with the remaining olive oil and pour over the rolls. Add more water if needed, to ensure that the top layer of the vine leaf rolls is covered.
Cover the sarmas with a heavy plate and cook over a moderate flame until it starts to boil. Then, lower the heat, and cook for about 40 minutes, until cooked through.
Serve hot, with a spoon of yogurt and some crunchy bread on the side.
OTHER REALIZATIONS
The next recipe for sarma with fermented cabbage by Slavko Večerić is adapted from the Gourmetpedia website ( www.gourmetpedia.net ). This dish is even better reheated.
This recipe for a vegetarian sarma is adapted from The Turkish Yummies website ( www.turkishyummies.com ).
The following recipe is adapted from the Seasonal Cook in Turkey website ( www.seasonalcookinturkey.com ). If the leaves are too big for rolling, use halves. If you wish, mix some tomato pasta into the water before cooking the rolls.
USEFUL NOTES
If you can't find fresh vine leaves for wrapping, use brined leaves. The rolls can be made ahead and kept in a refrigerator until ready to cook. Make sure not to overfill the leaves as this will make the rolling process harder.
Although sarma is usually cooked in a pot over the stove, some recipes call for baking the rolls in the oven. The casserole dish is filled with the rolls which are, then, covered in liquid. Some argue that the meat-stuffed cabbage rolls taste better the next day, so feel free to make them a day ahead. Don't use a spoon to mix the rolls when cooking, as this can easily break them. Try thickening the sarma liquid by adding some browned flour towards the end of the cooking period.
If the sarma is served hot, as the main dish, add some mashed potato and crusty bread on the side. If the rolls are served cold, as an appetizer or a side dish, garnish them with a dollop of yogurt.