Sarma, Salma’s Tasty Sister ← FREE KRAUT!

Sarma, Salma’s Tasty Sister 127

8 Jan 2012  |  elcroata  |KOTD

You need:

– Fermented cabbage* (One complete head(?))
– Onion (one big one or two smaller ones)
– Egg (one or two)
– Salt
– Pepper
– Panceta or similar dry meat (a chunk)
– Minced meat (pork and beef mix, about 2 lb)
– Red paprika powder (lots, at best the Hungarian one)
– Rice (about one bowl)
– Parsley (a handfull)

*Check if there are any stores with Balkan specialties around. If not, make your own fermented cabbage – it’s really easy, all you need is cabbage, salt, water, some weights and time.



Chop the onion(s) and a part of pancetta. Chopping dried meat is one of the best ways to keep you fit for free climbing.


Simmer until the onions have turned glassy but not golden. Add pepper and salt, but not too much of the latter because the pancetta is salty as it is.


Add meat and simmer a bit, until it starts getting color. Most of the meat should still look raw, as you don’t want it too dry after cooking.


Let it cool off a bit, and add paprika, parsley and egg(s).


Mix it well with your hands and the stuffing is ready.


Take a big casserole.


Start peeling the leaves of the cabbage. On each cut out the middle part – it is too hard to roll.


Cover the floor of the casserole with a couple of such leaves and place the rest of pancetta (cut into medium-sized pieces) in the middle.


Cut the the leaves in half.


Place a tablespoon or two of the stuffing on one side.


Roll and tuck simultaneously



Until it looks like this.


Place it in the casserole.


Lather, rinse, repeat.


Lather, rinse, repeat.


If you have any cabbage left, just slice it and add into the casserole. The same goes for the stuffing.
Add water until all sarmas are covered and cook on light to medium fire for some 2 hours.


Pack it up and go skiing. Eat with fresh white bread and/or mashed potatoes. The more often you reheat it, the better it is.

127 thoughts on “Sarma, Salma’s Tasty Sister”

  1. nevermoor Jan 8,2012 1:07 pm

    Sounds like a better version of Jewish-style cabbage rolls. Me like!

    "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
  2. WaddellCanseco Jan 8,2012 1:36 pm

    This is absolutely awesome, but I can’t figure out how to do it in my mother’s basement, especially the skiing part

  3. DFA Jan 8,2012 1:40 pm

    When they are done whats the consistancy of the cabbage like?

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
    • elcroata Jan 8,2012 2:17 pm || Up

      Not much different from the beginning. The texture of the cabbage changes a lot by fermenting, it turns from rigid to very soft and hmmm, flexible?

      So, cooking doesn’t change it much – it turns a bit softer, perhaps

      Because survival is insufficient
      • DFA Jan 8,2012 2:38 pm || Up

        Ok… I guess I was just wondering if the integrity of the cabbage is altered by the boiling… I guess its already changed by the fermentation and isn’t affected by the heat.

        In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
  4. sslinger Jan 8,2012 4:14 pm

    Looks delicious, and beautifully done, thanks! Can you chop the stems that you’ve removed from the leaves and add them, or are they too tough even for that?

    • elcroata Jan 8,2012 11:08 pm || Up

      Sure, but they are also a great snack as they are

      Because survival is insufficient
  5. sslinger Jan 8,2012 4:16 pm

    We ate at Absinthe recently and ms. s had the coq au vin, which I tried. I caused myself a lot of grief by saying it might even be better than hers. So I was psyched to see the recipe in the Chron’s food section today. It will be fun to try when we have a weekend to do all the steps.

  6. Leopold Bloom Jan 8,2012 5:49 pm

    Um, can I just say that Toonces et al are all fucking morons for letting you fucking escape. I’d have chained you to the metaphorical blog radiator.

    • monkeyball Jan 8,2012 7:15 pm || Up

      I don’t always chain expat Croatian bloggers to metaphorical radiators. But when I do …

      you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
  7. monkeyball Jan 8,2012 7:16 pm

    Paging JediLeroy: need a shop job of Salma H + 2 heads of pickled cabbage

    you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
    • JediLeroy Jan 8,2012 10:44 pm || Up

      az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde
      • dmoas Jan 8,2012 10:47 pm || Up

        Krauting Awe. Some.

      • monkeyball Jan 8,2012 10:47 pm || Up

        OK, now we need an 18th-century frigate, and a carved wooden figurine of this for the bow

        you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
        • the llama Jan 8,2012 10:58 pm || Up

          Is there anything jedileroy can’t do?

          • dmoas Jan 8,2012 11:03 pm || Up

            I’m starting to wonder why he’s wasting his time playing around with these financial “gigs” of his instead of taking on an honest, good standing job in the digital art field.

            • monkeyball Jan 8,2012 11:04 pm || Up

              … or why nm doesn’t just devote himself to coding fulltime for revenue-free weblogs

              you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
              • dmoas Jan 8,2012 11:07 pm || Up

                Seriously. Rotten children, living off of their parent’s wealth.

              • nevermoor Jan 9,2012 9:40 am || Up

                Hopefully the next one isn’t revenue-free.

                "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
      • monkeyball Jan 8,2012 11:00 pm || Up

        Now grover will never leave

        you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
        • dmoas Jan 8,2012 11:05 pm || Up

          Needs a Muppet head behind it with a perverse look on it’s face, perhaps with a hand pulling a reach around… (too bold)

        • grover Jan 9,2012 11:53 am || Up

          Actually, I’m not amused.

      • monkeyball Jan 8,2012 11:10 pm || Up

        Sure, but they are also a great snack as they are

        you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
      • batgirl Jan 9,2012 6:32 am || Up

        That is an improvement.

      • lynnzgal Jan 10,2012 8:20 pm || Up

        genius!

  8. wacchampions Jan 8,2012 7:56 pm

    • wacchampions Jan 8,2012 7:57 pm || Up

      Paging Elcroata!!!

    • Leopold Bloom Jan 8,2012 7:58 pm || Up

      “Call Coliseum Services…”

      • wacchampions Jan 8,2012 8:00 pm || Up

        Should we text our service concern?

        • Leopold Bloom Jan 9,2012 4:55 pm || Up

          exactly.

          • wacchampions Jan 9,2012 4:57 pm || Up

            Should I text my service concern now?

            • Leopold Bloom Jan 9,2012 7:43 pm || Up

              I think you should. Make sure to mention your testicles.

    • the llama Jan 8,2012 8:00 pm || Up

      Coulda just cut his balls off and saved the chair.

      • ptbnl Jan 8,2012 8:03 pm || Up

        C’mon sal … apply some science.

        1) Carry the deckchair and occupant down to the sea.

        2) Place waist deep in water.

        3) Wait for shrinkage.

        If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
        • andeux Jan 8,2012 8:04 pm || Up

          …or for the tide to rise.

          TINSTAAFK
        • the llama Jan 8,2012 8:20 pm || Up

          1) Search the ball-shrinkage literature
          2) Apply for NSF R01. Include broader impact for beachgoers everywhere
          3) Model ball shrinkage as a function of temperature (“…approximate the balls as two non-interacting spheres”)
          4) Purchase laser for reasons unknown
          5) Find that man in chair has been released by beach patrol
          6) Publish model
          7) Apply for grant for doing a controlled experiment to compare to the model

    • doctorK Jan 8,2012 8:14 pm || Up

      Similar occurrence on FARK.com. I think the farker’s pics have been deleted, but at the time, he posted a couple of, how to say it, self-portraits of his predicament.

    • DFA Jan 8,2012 8:17 pm || Up

      Why can i never see your pictures in the comments? NM any ideas? Chromium on Ubuntu.

      In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
      • nevermoor Jan 8,2012 8:23 pm || Up

        Have you turned off all ad-blockers and other filters and reloaded? It’s just basic html code.

        "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
        • DFA Jan 8,2012 11:48 pm || Up

          I got ABP on that might be it. But its just for WAC

          In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
          • nevermoor Jan 9,2012 9:42 am || Up

            Strange. Do you see the image below:

            "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
            • sslinger Jan 9,2012 9:43 am || Up

              Sadly, I can’t get that image out of my head no matter how hard I try.

            • DFA Jan 9,2012 11:15 am || Up

              no

              In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
              • nevermoor Jan 9,2012 11:19 am || Up

                So it’s something about the image, not wacc. Try disabling ABP for freekraut (heck, there are no ads here anyway) and reloading.

                "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • DFA Jan 9,2012 11:45 am || Up

                  Already did. Still not working.

                  In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
                • nevermoor Jan 9,2012 12:59 pm || Up
                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • DFA Jan 9,2012 1:22 pm || Up

                  yes

                  In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
                • nevermoor Jan 9,2012 1:59 pm || Up

                  But other images are loading fine? Both in comments below and in the post up top?

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • DFA Jan 9,2012 3:51 pm || Up

                  In the post they are. Many other folks’ show up.

                  In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
      • wacchampions Jan 8,2012 8:26 pm || Up

        I always label my pictures, “Not for DFA” do you think this may have something to do with it?

      • Glorious Mundy Jan 9,2012 9:43 am || Up

        I can’t see them on Chrome, even with AdBlock turned off, but they show on Firefox. The auto refresh radio buttons also don’t work for me on Chrome. Anyone?

        • MikeV Jan 9,2012 9:51 am || Up

          Auto refresh didn’t work for me until I went into my profile and change the setting there. Just hitting the radio buttons did nothing.

          And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

          Thanks, and go As.

          • nevermoor Jan 9,2012 9:55 am || Up

            Double strange.

            "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
          • monkeyball Jan 9,2012 9:56 am || Up

            My eyes! Zee Googles do nuzzink!

            you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
        • nevermoor Jan 9,2012 9:53 am || Up

          Does Chrome have an error console of some kind? It might be failing on some markup error that the other browsers allow.

          "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
    • elcroata Jan 8,2012 11:08 pm || Up

      Ouch!

      Because survival is insufficient
    • lynnzgal Jan 10,2012 8:21 pm || Up

      Amazeballs!

  9. FreeSeatUpgrade Jan 8,2012 8:48 pm

    Patty, Selma’s ugly sister:

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
    • nevermoor Jan 8,2012 9:06 pm || Up

      ASVD

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
    • monkeyball Jan 8,2012 10:29 pm || Up

      Well done raw!

      you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
  10. nevermoor Jan 8,2012 9:29 pm

    Thanks MB!

    "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
    • monkeyball Jan 8,2012 10:29 pm || Up

      Awesome!

      you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
      • nevermoor Jan 8,2012 11:04 pm || Up

        They’re pretty beans. They came out well, but I way overbought so they took forever to cook.

        "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
        • monkeyball Jan 8,2012 11:09 pm || Up

          I think I hear Bloom knocking at your door

          you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
        • Glorious Mundy Jan 9,2012 10:00 am || Up

          Get yourself a pressure cooker, stat. With a soak, 15-20 minutes is all it will take.

          • nevermoor Jan 9,2012 10:28 am || Up

            If I really get into beans I’ll have to consider that. Of course, it’d have to be a big one… that’s a large pot

            "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
            • sslinger Jan 9,2012 7:03 pm || Up

              We got one of these this year. Not only is it beautiful, but it cooks beans faster for some reason – maybe the shape plus the effect of cooking in clay? I don’t know, but it helps make some killer beans.

              • nevermoor Jan 9,2012 7:41 pm || Up

                Neat. That’s a pretty pot (though Mrs. N would be appalled there is no green option)

                "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
              • Leopold Bloom Jan 9,2012 7:45 pm || Up

                strange, I was just thinking because I’m being evicted, I get to buy new pots and such! Something like this or a Le Cruett or whatever and a smallerish saute pan with no Teflon were the thoughts.

                Any opinions?

                • Future Ed Jan 9,2012 7:48 pm || Up

                  think about a cardbord box first

                  I have $5. No I don\'t.
                • dmoas Jan 9,2012 8:15 pm || Up

                  Buy a fridge. It comes with a home!

                • sslinger Jan 9,2012 7:56 pm || Up

                  This is kind of single use, for beans or maybe some soup with beans. And expensive. A Le Creuset is really versatile – stove top and oven, and can take high heat. They can be kind of expensive too, but you can find them used for reasonable prices.

                • Glorious Mundy Jan 9,2012 8:03 pm || Up

                  I have one of these. To mind it’s every bit as good as a Le C dutch oven, but for a third of the price. That said, I have a Le C skillety thing with a lid that I use for everything. Got it as a second at the Vacaville outlet mall.

                • sslinger Jan 9,2012 8:12 pm || Up

                  That looks good, and reasonably priced. And I’ll add that with a fair amount of cookware, cheap and expensive, the pure cast iron skillets, well-seasoned from lots of use, continue to be among the best we have.

                • Glorious Mundy Jan 9,2012 8:13 pm || Up

                  Yep. You can’t beat unenameled cast iron for value.

                • DFA Jan 9,2012 10:36 pm || Up

                  or versatility.

                  In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
                • Leopold Bloom Jan 10,2012 12:41 pm || Up

                  or as a source to carry around my testicles!

                  Um, cool if I stay at your house?

                • DFA Jan 11,2012 11:17 am || Up

                  I would if i had a couch … but as of yet I don’t have one.

                  In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
                • DFA Jan 9,2012 10:36 pm || Up

                  If you are going to go knock off to save money I would suggest this Sur la table’s branded stuff is usually quite good and you don’t have to be evil and shop and Walmart. Lodge also will make a cheap and efficient D.O. and you can usually get them really cheap at places like economy restaurant fixtures.

                  In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
                • Glorious Mundy Jan 10,2012 11:07 am || Up

                  My only concern with the Sur la Table one is that the metal handle might get really hot. I’ve used the lodge ones, though, and they are perfectly adequate. There’s really no reason to pay the Le Creuset premium for a dutch oven other than the pretty colors (and I say that as a fan of the pretty colors).

                  I knew I’d catch shit for the WalMart link. I just really like that brand of pans for the price, and WM is the only place that carries it.

                • DFA Jan 10,2012 11:31 am || Up

                  Then you shop somewhere else.

                  As for the rest of it. I have a metal handle on my staub (its a rooster) and it doesn’t get hotter than the DO does.

                  In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
                • Leopold Bloom Jan 10,2012 12:44 pm || Up

                  um, what if I WANT to be evil?

                • wacchampions Jan 10,2012 9:35 pm || Up

                  The Martha Stewart ones are also pretty nice…$49 at Wal Mart

                • wacchampions Jan 9,2012 8:03 pm || Up

                  TJ Maxx has Le Crueset stuff for 1/2 the cost!

                • Leopold Bloom Jan 10,2012 12:41 pm || Up

                  aroo?

                • DFA Jan 9,2012 10:31 pm || Up

                  This is a very good recommendation. Some of the flash sale sites like ideeli and rulala occasionally have pretty good deals on kitchen stuff including Le Creusets. Just make sure youre not buying anything from a brand you haven’t heard of.

                  In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
                • DFA Jan 9,2012 10:27 pm || Up

                  Dutch oven. Buy one. Staub is like Le Creuset but slightly cheaper and similar quality. I have both and love of them.

                  In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
                • monkeyball Jan 10,2012 6:18 am || Up

                  What everyone else said. I have a 4qt Creuset dutch oven that I use nearly daily. You can tots have a functional kitchen with a 4qt enameled cast iron dutch oven, 1 really good knife, and 1 sturdy wooden spoon.

                  you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
                • Leopold Bloom Jan 10,2012 12:42 pm || Up

                  okay, then. Next question. What’s a really good knife?

                • Glorious Mundy Jan 10,2012 12:58 pm || Up

                  If you’re going to have one knife, it should be a chef’s knife (the big sucker). For performance and value, I’d go with Victorinox brand, with the plastic handle. You should be able to get one for around $30-35.

                • Leopold Bloom Jan 10,2012 4:20 pm || Up

                  Like this one?

                • Glorious Mundy Jan 10,2012 4:22 pm || Up

                  Yep. I have one very close to that, if not the same one, and I’ve been really happy with it so far.

                • DFA Jan 11,2012 11:33 am || Up

                  Really I haven’t found Victorinox to be that great.

                  I love me some Shun’s. Theyre much more expensive but totally worth it IMO. Global’s too. But if youre looking for something cheap I would recommend Kuhn Ive had a paring and bread knife of theirs be pretty ok and their dirt cheap. Like this Santoku which should suit you as a chefs knife.

                  In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
  11. monkeyball Jan 8,2012 11:01 pm

    I;’ve got to think that somewhere in the Balkans, sarma is a euphemism:

    Sarma means ‘a wrapped thing’

    you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
  12. elcroata Jan 8,2012 11:07 pm

    Hey peeps, I’m 40

    Because survival is insufficient
    • monkeyball Jan 8,2012 11:12 pm || Up

      you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
    • JediLeroy Jan 8,2012 11:14 pm || Up

      Happy birthday!

      az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde
    • ptbnl Jan 8,2012 11:19 pm || Up

      woo-hoo

      If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
    • vignette17 Jan 8,2012 11:19 pm || Up

      Happy birthday! By the time you’re 50, I expect you to be GM of a MLB team. Although it wouldn’t surprise me if you told us you already had been one given all you’ve done in 40 years.

    • DFA Jan 8,2012 11:49 pm || Up

      Holly shit youre well past dead! Congrats!

      In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
    • Soaker Jan 9,2012 12:39 am || Up

      Welcome!!

      May I pass on the formal FK initiation?

      What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
      • Leopold Bloom Jan 9,2012 4:56 pm || Up

        I made enough money to buy Miami, but I pissed it away so fast.

        • spwc2012 (write-in candidate) Jan 9,2012 8:13 pm || Up

          Maybe you should open up a sign ship.

          \"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
          • Leopold Bloom Jan 10,2012 12:45 pm || Up

            you’ve made me cry. you’re well on your way to being a lady.

    • batgirl Jan 9,2012 6:35 am || Up

      Woo Hoo. Me too! Happy Birthday!!

    • spwc2012 (write-in candidate) Jan 9,2012 6:57 am || Up

      I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d see 40.

      But it looks like if we defeat the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man on 12/21/12, and no buses hit me in the five years after that, it’ll all be cake.

      \"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
    • Future Ed Jan 9,2012 7:34 am || Up

      happy birthday

      I have $5. No I don\'t.
    • the llama Jan 9,2012 8:04 am || Up

      Ida wish Europeans happy 40th birthdays bwid…

    • aardvark Jan 9,2012 8:19 am || Up

      Happy happy happy!

    • nevermoor Jan 9,2012 9:44 am || Up

      You know who else was born January 9

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
    • WaddellCanseco Jan 9,2012 10:12 am || Up

      Welcome to middle age! It’s a lot of fun and peeing.

      • nevermoor Jan 9,2012 10:29 am || Up

        I think I did all my fun peeing while drunk in college.

        "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
    • Leopold Bloom Jan 9,2012 4:56 pm || Up

      old fking croat.

    • lynnzgal Jan 10,2012 8:40 pm || Up

      Time of your life, babe! Happy bidet!

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