Instant Pot Romanian-Style Sarmale with Beef, Pork & Rice

Directions

1. Soften the cabbage leaves

   Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Core the cabbage and lower it carefully into the water. As the outer leaves soften, remove 12 large leaves with tongs, 6 to 8 minutes total. Cool, then shave the thick center rib from each leaf without cutting through it. Chop 2 cups of the remaining cabbage.

2. Build the filling

   Select Sauté Normal on a 6-quart electric pressure cooker. Heat oil and cook onion for 4 minutes. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds; transfer to a large bowl and cool 5 minutes. Mix in rice, beef, pork, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, thyme, paprika, pepper and dill just until combined.

3. Roll twelve sarmale

   Place about 1/3 cup filling near the stem end of each cabbage leaf. Fold the sides inward and roll snugly, leaving a little room for the rice to expand. Keep the raw-meat filling and finished rolls away from ready-to-eat foods and wash hands and tools well.

4. Build a thin pressure base

   Add 1 cup broth to the cooker and scrape the heating plate completely smooth. Cancel Sauté. Spread 1 cup sauerkraut and the chopped cabbage over the bottom. Arrange the rolls seam-side down in two snug layers.

5. Layer the sauce without stirring

   Whisk tomato paste into the remaining 1/2 cup broth. Pour it over the rolls, add bay leaves and cover with the remaining sauerkraut. Do not stir the thick tomato mixture down to the heating plate.

6. Pressure-cook below the half-full line

   Check that rolls, liquid and sauerkraut remain below the cooker's half-full line because the rice expands. Lock the lid and cook on High Pressure for 18 minutes; allow about 12 minutes to reach pressure.

7. Release naturally, then vent

   Let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes. Vent the remainder in short controlled pulses, keeping hands and face away from steam. If the valve sputters, close it, wait 2 minutes and resume slowly. Open only after the float valve drops.

8. Cook the polenta

   While pressure releases, bring 4 cups water and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a saucepan. Whisk in polenta, reduce heat and cook according to package directions, usually 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in butter and keep warm.

9. Verify the centers and serve

   Lift rolls carefully with a slotted spoon. Insert an instant-read thermometer through the side into the center of several rolls; each must reach 160°F. Simmer any cooler rolls in the hot broth on Sauté until they reach 160°F. Serve two rolls per person with polenta, sour cream, broth and extra dill.

Why this works

Swaps & notes

Easy swaps

• Use all ground beef or all ground pork while keeping the total meat at 1 1/2 pounds and verifying the roll centers reach 160°F.
• Replace sauerkraut with 2 additional cups thinly sliced fresh cabbage and add 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar to the broth.
• Serve with mashed potatoes instead of polenta; cook them separately so the pressure-cooker fill and liquid ratios remain unchanged.

Cook notes

• Total time includes cabbage blanching and rolling, about 12 minutes to reach pressure, the 18-minute cook, a 15-minute natural release and polenta cooked during release.
• Rice makes this an expanding-food recipe: stay below the half-full line and do not double it in a 6-quart cooker.
• Follow your exact model manual for minimum liquid, locking and venting. Never force the lid or cover the steam valve with a towel.
• Ground-meat fillings are safe at 160°F; check several rolls in their centers because exterior cabbage temperature does not prove the filling is done.

Storage

Cool rolls, broth and polenta in shallow containers within 2 hours. Refrigerate rolls in their broth up to 4 days and polenta separately up to 3 days. Reheat the rolls to 165°F. Freeze rolls and broth, without polenta or sour cream, for up to 3 months and thaw overnight before reheating.

Questions