Töltött Káposzta

Töltött Káposzta (Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage)

Hungary's beloved holiday dish: sour cabbage leaves wrapped around paprika-spiced pork and rice, slowly simmered with sauerkraut and smoked meat, then finished with a generous dollop of sour cream.

Prep

45 min

Cook

120 min

Total

165 min

Serves

6

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •1 large head sauerkraut (sour cabbage), whole head in brine, for the leaves; reserve the brine
• •500 g (1.1 lb) ground pork, ask your butcher for a coarse, slightly fatty grind (about 20% fat)
• •1 large jar (about 700 g) (24 oz) sauerkraut, shredded, for the cooking bed; do not rinse
• •150 g (¾ cup) risotto rice or short-grain rice, uncooked; par-cooked before filling
• •1 medium onion, finely chopped
• •2 cloves garlic, minced, or null
• •2 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika, use Hungarian-style, not smoked; plus 1 extra tsp for the pot
• •1 tsp caraway seeds, lightly crushed
• •1 tsp salt, or to taste
• •0.5 tsp (½ tsp) black pepper, freshly ground
• •1 large egg, lightly beaten, binds the filling
• •300 g (10½ oz) smoked pork ribs or smoked pork hock, substitute smoked bacon slab if ribs unavailable
• •250 ml (1 cup) sour cream, for serving, plus 2 tbsp mixed into the pot at the end
• •2 tbsp lard or neutral oil, for sautéing the onion
• •500 ml (2 cups) water or sauerkraut brine, as needed to cover

Steps

1. 1 Core the whole head of sour cabbage and place it in a large bowl. Pour boiling water over it, weight it down with a plate, and let it soak 20–30 minutes so the leaves soften and release. Carefully peel off 18–22 whole leaves; pat dry and trim the thick rib of each leaf flat with a knife. Reserve any torn inner leaves.
2. 2 Cook the rice: rinse 150 g rice, then simmer in 300 ml lightly salted water for 8 minutes (it should be only half-done). Drain, spread on a plate, and let cool slightly.
3. 3 Make the filling: melt 2 tbsp lard in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the chopped onion 6–8 minutes until soft and translucent but not browned. Add the minced garlic, 2 tbsp sweet paprika, and the caraway seeds off the heat so the paprika does not scorch. Stir into the cooled rice along with the raw ground pork, beaten egg, 1 tsp salt, and ½ tsp black pepper. Mix by hand just until combined; do not overwork.
4. 4 Roll the cabbage: place about 2 heaped tablespoons of filling near the stem end of a leaf. Fold the sides inward, then roll tightly from the stem end up, like a small cigar. Repeat with all leaves, using torn inner leaves to line the bottom of a heavy Dutch oven.
5. 5 Build the pot: spread the shredded sauerkraut (about 700 g) over the torn leaves on the bottom. Tuck the smoked pork ribs or hock into the center. Arrange the rolled cabbage seam-side down in tight concentric circles (or in 2–3 layers) on top of the sauerkraut. Drizzle with any remaining onion-paprika fat and sprinkle with 1 tsp sweet paprika.
6. 6 Pour over just enough water or sauerkraut brine to almost cover the rolls (roughly 500 ml). Place a heatproof plate directly on the cabbage to keep it from unraveling. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then reduce to the lowest possible setting, cover, and cook undisturbed for 90 minutes. The rolls are done when a paring knife slips into the pork filling with no resistance and the juices run clear (internal temperature 75 °C / 165 °F on an instant-read thermometer).
7. 7 Stir 2 tbsp of sour cream into the pot's braising liquid off the heat to enrich it (do not boil). Rest the pot 10 minutes before serving.
8. 8 Serve hot in shallow bowls over a spoonful of the sauerkraut, spoon some of the braising liquid over, and finish each portion with a generous dollop of cold sour cream and a pinch of fresh paprika.