Stuffed Summer (Brined) Cabbage – (Kovászos, azaz nyári töltött káposzta)

Töltött káposzta I.
Ingredients: serves 4
Brined Cabbage:
1 smallish head cabbage (about 2.2 lb/1 kg), 2-3 bay leaves, 2 teaspoon whole black peppers, salt, 2 slices bread (may be dark bread)
Stuffing:
14-15 3/4 oz/ 40-45 dkg pork shoulder (or boned turkey upper thigh), 1 egg, 5 tablespoon cooked rice, 1 level teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon quality paprika, 1 clove garlic (1/2 teaspoon garlic cream)
Cabbage:
1 brined cabbage, 4 tablespoon oil, 1 large
onion, 1 plump pepper, 1 plump tomato, salt, 2 cloves garlic (1 teaspoon garlic cream), 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon hot Red
Gold hot cherry pepper paste, 1/4 teaspoon mild Red Gold, 2 dl sour cream, 1 tablespoon all-purpose
flour, 1/3 cup dill weed

Core the cleaned cabbage and remove 8 nice leaves from it. Sometimes the head is too crisp and the leaves break. If this happens, put the entire head of cabbage into a pot of boiling water for a few minutes, and remove each leaf as it softens one at a time, then drain. Slice the rest of the cabbage as thin
as strands of sauerkraut. Stuff these small strands tightly into a large jar, alternating with the cabbage leaves, bay leaves, and pepper. Dissolve 1 1/2 tablespoon salt in 1 1/2 qt/lt cold water by stirring and pouring it over the cabbage. Tap the jar with your hands lightly so the liquid can seep through into the cabbage thoroughly. If the water doesn’t
cover the cabbage completely, add more salted water (1/2 lt/qt water with 1/2 tablespoon salt). Wrap the bread in gauze or cheesecloth – so it won’t
crumble into the cabbage – and place on top of the cabbage. Cover with cellophane, tie it down, prick the top with a thick needle in one or two places and put in the sun, such as on a windowsill. It will cure
in 3-4 days, the same way as brined pickles. When ready, remove the bread and strain the cabbage (you
may reserve the juice). Grind the pork shoulder and combine with the remaining ingredients for the filling. Stuff the brined cabbage leaves the usual
way. Heat the oil in a large pot and brown the sliced onions in it. Remove from heat and sprinkle with paprika, stir, and immediately pour 28 oz/8 dl water over it (you may also use the cabbage juice). Remove
the seeds from the pepper, discard the tomato stem, cut both small, add to the onions along with the
finely cut strands of brined cabbage, two kinds of Red Gold. Put the stuffed cabbage leaves on top.
Bring to a boil, cover the pot partly, and cook until tender over uniform heat about 50 minutes. As it cooks, shake the pot a few times lest the cabbage stick to the bottom. You mustn’t stir it because
the stuffing may break that way. If necessary, replace any juice that may have evaporated continuously with water. Remove the stuffed leaves from the pot. Blend the flour into the sour cream until smooth, spoon a bit of the hot juice into it, and thicken the remaining cabbage with it. Bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes, then sprinkle the finely chopped dill
over it. For those who like it, also season it with savory.

Preparation time: 2 hours + brining
Calories per serving: 547
Skill: Not easy to prepare