Varză à la Cluj la Tigaie
(var-zuh ah lah klooj lah tee-guy-eh)
Sărbătoare: Streamlined Holiday Feasts
For a child raised in a Romanian-American household, the scent of pork fat, sweet paprika, and fermented cabbage hitting a hot pan is the ultimate olfactory trigger for home. This seventeenth-century Transylvanian invention is the working cook's brilliant answer to laborious holiday sarmale. Stripped of the tedious cabbage-rolling and moved from a baking casserole to a heavy skillet, it delivers the profound, unmistakable comfort of the homeland on a frantic Tuesday night.
Before you start
Wring out the sauerkraut.
Place the refrigerated sauerkraut in a colander, rinse it thoroughly under cold running water to remove the harsh vinegar brine, and squeeze it completely dry with your bare hands before cooking.
Ingredients
- thick-cut smoked bacon4 slice
- yellow onion1 large
- ground pork1 lb
- medium-grain white rice1/2 cup
- sweet paprika1 tbsp
- dried thyme1 tsp
- ground caraway1/2 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- refrigerated sauerkraut1 1/2 lb
- tomato passata1 cup
- chicken broth1/2 cup
- full-fat sour cream1/2 cup
Method
- 01
Render the bacon.
Place a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat and cook the diced bacon until the fat renders out and the meat is crispy, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- 02
Soften the aromatics.
Add the chopped onion to the bacon fat and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- 03
Fry the pork.
Increase the heat to medium-high, add the ground pork, and use a wooden spoon to break it apart, cooking until the water evaporates and the meat begins to truly brown and fry in its own fat.
- 04
Bloom the spices.
Reduce the heat to low, add the sweet paprika, dried thyme, ground caraway, and black pepper, and stir continuously for exactly 30 seconds so the spices release their essential oils without scorching.
- 05
Incorporate the rice and liquids.
Stir in the rinsed rice, tomato passata, and chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pan to lift up any browned bits of flavor.
- 06
Fold in the cabbage.
Add the rinsed, squeezed-dry sauerkraut and use tongs to mix everything thoroughly until the cabbage is evenly coated in the deeply red, spiced pork mixture.
- 07
Simmer and steam.
Cover with a tight-fitting lid, reduce the heat to the lowest setting, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until the rice is perfectly tender and the flavors have deeply melded.
- 08
Serve with sour cream.
Remove from the heat, let the skillet rest for 5 minutes, and serve hot in shallow bowls with a heavy dollop of full-fat sour cream on top.
Notes
Respect the kraut rule.
Canned, shelf-stable sauerkraut in America is often too mushy and overly acidic. Buying bagged sauerkraut from the refrigerated deli section and thoroughly rinsing and squeezing it dry perfectly replicates the traditional Romanian desalting process.
Bloom the paprika carefully.
Never let dry paprika scorch in a hot, dry pan or it will turn horribly bitter. Adding it directly to the rendered pork fat just before the liquids unlocks its vibrant color and earthy sweetness.
Embrace the fat.
Standard supermarket ground pork works perfectly here; avoid lean turkey or chicken, which will dry out the dish and ruin the crucial acid-fat balance.
From Cook Romanian in America.