Sweet Cabbage Bulz Filled with Meat

 Ingredients: A medium cabbage, 500 g minced pork, 5-6 mushrooms, 2 eggs, 1 onion, 1 bunch of dill, 2 slices of bread soaked in water, 1 red pepper (winter, flakes - not snow;), oil, salt, white pepper, nutmeg, 1-2 tablespoons of flour, cornmeal and butter for the essential polenta.

Before we start preparing this recipe, it is essential to ensure that we have a large family or are expecting guests, as this dish proves to be very generous and delicious. Patience will be our best friend in this culinary adventure, and the rest of the ingredients can be easily found at the market.

To begin, we procure a fresh, leafy cabbage, which we carefully clean by removing the outer leaves. We then place it in a pot of boiling water, adding a tablespoon of salt, and let it boil for 20-30 minutes until the leaves become soft and flexible. In the meantime, we take care of the other ingredients: we peel an onion, wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth, wash a bell pepper, and soak the slices of bread in warm water. It is important that all ingredients are prepared before we start the cooking process.

We finely chop the onion, slice the mushrooms, and dice the bell pepper. Now, we prepare to turn on the heat: we heat two pans. In the first, we add the onion and sauté it until it becomes translucent, being careful not to over-fry it. Then, we add the diced bell pepper and sauté them together until they release their juices. After the water has evaporated, we add the mushrooms and sauté them until they become golden and no longer contain liquid. In the second pan, we fry the ground meat, breaking up the lumps with a spatula.

Once the cabbage is ready, we take it out of the water, let it cool slightly, and begin to separate the leaves. On a plate, we arrange the leaves in the order we take them out, from the largest to the smallest. We then chop the heart of the cabbage, which is still slightly raw, and add it to the meat and vegetable mixture. We continue to sauté this combination until it smells deliciously of fried meat.

We let the mixture cool while we squeeze the bread slices and integrate them into the bowl with the filling, adding the eggs, white pepper, and a teaspoon of nutmeg. Now comes the more laborious part. We take each cabbage leaf and, with the soft side of a meat mallet, flatten the stem, being careful not to tear them. We place the leaves on a plate in their natural order, so that the smaller ones are on top of the larger ones.

On a piece of cheesecloth, we place the first cabbage leaf and spread the filling, being careful to leave a little space at the edges. We continue to add each leaf until we reach the last one, the smallest, which we use as a "lid." After we have gathered the edges of the leaves, we form a uniform ball, making sure to tie it well with kitchen twine.

We boil the ball in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes, adding enough water to create steam. Alternatively, we can use a regular pot, but in this case, we will need to place the ball on top of a wooden spoon to allow the steam to circulate.

Meanwhile, we prepare a fluffy polenta by adding butter to the water before adding the cornmeal to achieve a creamy consistency. Once the ball is ready, we place it on a platter, removing the cheesecloth. In the remaining sauce in the pot, we add a little flour or cornstarch dissolved in cold water to thicken it, and then we season it with finely chopped fresh dill. Now we are ready to serve this delicious dish, garnishing the platter with the sauce obtained and enjoying a truly memorable meal.

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