Cabbage rolls with dried plums

(From my Master teachings)

1 sauerkraut(pickled) cabbage

1 cup oil 

3 onions 

pepper 

100 g plums (or mushrooms, raisins, dried apple slices, cheese, etc..) 

1 cup rice 

1 cup thick tomato broth 

1 carrot 

salt, paprika (on your taste)

Wash cabbage as much as you can, to get out the salt. Keep away about 15-20 sheets of cabbage; finely chop the rest. Grate carrot. Chop 2 onions and saute them in oil. Add rice and water, salt and boil everything. 

Sauce:

Chop an onion, fry it in oil with paprika and pepper.

Filling: 

Chop plums into small pieces. If the rice is cooked then add the plums. Grease a pan with oil. Make cabbage rolls. Put them in a saucepan with chopped cabbage and carrot, pour the sauce over all, put the covered pan in oven,for about an hour.

At these stuffed cabbage leaves with plums and raisins, very current in Bucovina and Moldova, it would just go an easy and mischievous wine, how young it can be, but of a good family: an Aligote of Bucium or Feteasca Alba from the Peony Hills, not too dry nor too backwards, as much enough to honor the meal without making it (too) elongate.

"It can be made a parallel between fasting and sacrifice (blood sacrifice), the specific ritual phenomena of a critical moments, of insecurity, tension.

They have as key mediators, in contact with the divinity, animals or animal products.

But while in sacrifice, ritual artifice consists in food absorption of the human that  intermediate the contact of the profane with the sacred, in fasting, abstinence supply (refusal absorption), through out the cleaning that it makes, has the role of mediator in the dialogue with divine forces."

(by Ofelia Vaduva - Steps to sacred)

 SARMALUTE DE POST CU PRUNE USCATE

(din invataturile Maestrului)

1 varza murata

3 cepe

1 pahar de untdelemn

piper boabe

100 gr prune uscate(ciuperci, stafide, felii de mar uscate, urda, etc.)

1 ceasca orez

1 pahar bulion gros de rosii

1 morcov

sare, piper macinat

boia(dupa gust)

Varza se spala mult, ca sa iasa sarea.

Se retin cam 15-20 de foi de varza, restul se toaca fideluta.

Se rade morcovul.

2 cepe se toaca si se calesc in ulei.

Se sting cu orez si apa, sare si se lasa sa fiarba.

Sos:

Se toaca o ceapa, se caleste in ulei cu boia si piper boabe.

Umplutura:

Se toaca prunele bucati mici.

Daca a fiert orezul, i se adauga prunele.

Se unge o cratita cu ulei.

Se umplu sarmalutele.

Se aseaza in cratita cu varza tocata si morcovul ras, se toarna sosul peste, se pun la cuptor, acoperite, circa o ora.

La niste sarmalute cu prune sau stafide, foarte curente in Bucovina si Moldova, ar merge doar un vin usor si strengar, cit se poate de tinar, insa de familie buna: un Aligote de Bucium sau o Feteasca Alba de Dealurile Bujorului, nici prea seci, nici prea invers, cit sa cinsteasca masa, fara s-o (prea) lungeasca.

"Se poate face o paralela intre post si sacrificiu (jertfa de singe), ca fenomene rituale specifice momentelor critice, de nesiguranta, de tensiune.

Ele au ca principale elemente mediatoare, in contactul cu divinitatea, animale sau produse animaliere.

Dar, pe cind in sacrificiu, artificiul ritual consta in absobtia alimentara a fiintei ce intermediaza contactul profanului cu sacrul, in post, abstinenta alimentarii (refuzul absorbtiei), prin purificarea pe care-o realizeaza, detine rolul mediator in dialogul cu fortele divine." (dupa Ofelia Vaduva- Pasi spre sacru)

Enjoy!