Grandmother's Sunday Sarmale

Cut out the core of the cabbage and place the whole head in a large pot of boiling salted water. Cook 5 minutes until outer leaves soften, then peel off leaves carefully. Return to water and repeat until you have 16-20 large pliable leaves.

Blanch the whole carrot and onion alongside the cabbage to use as bedding in the pot. Drain and set aside.

Finely dice the pork-belly and fry in a heavy pot with 2 tbsp olive-oil until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve the fat in the pot.

Dice the yellow-onion for the filling and sauté in the pork fat over medium heat until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute more.

In a large bowl, combine the ground-beef, cooked pork-belly, sautéed onion, raw white-rice, 2 tsp paprika, salt, and black-pepper. Mix thoroughly with your hands until well combined.

Cut the thick center rib from each cabbage leaf to make them easier to roll. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling near the rib end of each leaf.

Fold the sides of the leaf over the filling, then roll tightly from bottom to top, tucking in the sides as you go. You want them snug but not bursting.

Dice the blanched carrot and slice the blanched onion. Spread them across the bottom of a large Dutch oven or stockpot to prevent sticking.

Arrange the cabbage rolls seam-side down in tight rows, packing them close together. They will shrink as they cook.

Mix the tomato-sauce, chicken-broth, remaining paprika, and a hard squeeze of lemon juice. Pour over the rolls until just covered. Drizzle 2 tbsp olive-oil over the top.

Place a heavy heat-proof plate or cabbage leaves on top to keep rolls submerged. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to the lowest setting. Simmer covered for 2 hours, checking occasionally. Do not lift the lid much—let them steam slow and low.

After 2 hours, uncover and let sauce reduce slightly for 15 more minutes if you like a thicker gravy. Taste and adjust salt.

Let the pot rest off-heat for 10 minutes before serving. Ladle sarmale onto plates with plenty of the tangy tomato sauce.

Serve with cold yogurt stirred generously over the top and fresh dill scattered across. Cut lemon into wedges for those who want an extra sour squeeze.