How to make
First clean and wash the beetroot leaves. Put them in a pot of hot water to scald them. Add 1/4 of the lemon juice as well.
After 1-2 minutes, take them out. They are most easily scalded, by holding them by the stalks. That way they don't crumple and maintain their shape.
Take a large board and place the leaves on it to cool. Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing for the sarma.
Soak the rice in cold water to release the starch. Finely chop the carrot, onion and celery. Fry them in fat.
Pour the minced meat, add water and mix it, until it crumbles. Pour the tomato puree and after a short stirring, the rice. Fry. Season with salt.
Pour the water from scalding the leaves. It will be pink, because of the beets. The rice should not be completely cooked. As soon as it absorbs the water, remove it from the heat.
Put some of the stuffing on each leaf and roll up the sarma. Arrange them in a baking pan. You can put the beet stalks underneath.
Pour water from the scalding, to cover them halfway. Add more lemon juice, salt and fat.
Cover the baking pan with the beetroot sarma with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes at 180°C. If the sarma are larger, you may need to increase the cooking time.
Traditional sarma with beets are served with yogurt. If you wish, you can also prepare a topping of yogurt and eggs. That way a crust will form, but you can do without it.
