Sarma: Stuffed Cabbage

"Stuffed cabbage (sarma) isn’t called the queen of winter for nothing. Tender and smoked meats mixed with delicate rice, enriched with few simple seasonings, then lovingly wrapped in fermented cabbage leaves. Cooked on low heat for a few hours until aromas and flavors embrace for an outcome nothing short of sensational. Sarma, or stuffed cabbage, is a beloved area dish. It’s a culmination of a lot of work that preceded it. Fermented cabbage for one. It takes weeks to ferment it, and get it to the proper acidity to be stuffed (used in salads, or baked). After cabbage leaves are filled, sarma is layered in the pot, more stew ingredients are added, and it’s then cooked on low for three to four hours."