Cluj, the largest city of Transylvania, gave its name to this dish, and it is everything a sarmale is, with the rolling taken out. Sour cabbage is softened in fat, then layered in a deep dish with pork, onion, paprika and rice, slices of smoked sausage and spoonfuls of sour cream, and baked slowly until the top is browned and the layers have settled into one another. It is the Transylvanian kitchen in a single dish: thrifty, generous and in no particular hurry.

It is a weekend dish for a crowd, made ahead and cut into generous squares, and it is quietly ideal for a race day, since all the work happens before the start and none of it during.

The cabbage

Ingredients

• 2 lb (900 g) sauerkraut
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) sunflower oil or lard
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

The meat and rice

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup (130 g) short grain rice
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) sunflower oil
• 1 large onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 1/4 lb (570 g) ground pork
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill

Layering and baking

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon (15 g) lard or butter
• 6 oz (170 g) smoked sausage
• 4 oz (115 g) smoked bacon
• 1 1/2 cups (360 g) full fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) water

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