Dolma Recipes

Steps:

• Combine ground beef, 2 1/2 cans of tomato paste, parsley, green onion, butter, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
• Before adding uncooked rice, rinse until water runs clear; this keeps the rice from becoming sticky. Add rice after rinsing and mix contents until blended well.
• Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil; add cabbage. Boil until just tender enough to fold, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, hollow out bell peppers, eggplants, and zucchini.
• Stuff hollowed vegetables with meat mixture. Set in a large pot (pack vegetables together so there isn't much room in between them). Fill cabbage leaves with 3 to 4 tablespoons of leftover meat mixture and set in the pot with the other vegetables. Pour water in the pot on top of the vegetables until almost covered. Stir in remaining tomato paste. Weigh down the food by placing a heavy, heat-proof plate on top.
• Bring water to a boil; reduce heat to medium and cover the pot. Let cook for 1 hour. Drain half of the water in the pot (leave heavy plate until done cooking) and recover, reducing heat to a simmer, and allow to slow cook for 1 hour more. Serve warm and enjoy!

Steps:

• Mix together the beef, lamb, rice, olive oil, salt, mint, parsley, pepper, oregano and onions. This is the filling. Next, rinse the grape leaves and separate in a colander. Place 2 to 3 grape leaves stem-side up on a work station; they should overlap each other. Place desired amount of filling in the center and roll, folding in the sides. Repeat with the remaining grape leaves and filling. Arrange tightly together in a stockpot. Once the stockpot is full, cut the lemons in half and put on top. Cover with beef stock and simmer until the rice is soft, 30 to 45 minutes.

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions until tender. Stir in rice and hot water to cover. Cover and simmer until rice is half cooked, about 10 minutes.
• Remove from heat and stir in tomato paste, currants, pine nuts, cinnamon, mint leaves, dill weed, allspice and cumin. Let mixture cool.
• Prepare a large pot by placing an inverted plate on the bottom; this protects the dolmas from direct heat when steaming.
• Rinse grape leaves in warm water; drain and cut off any stems. Place about 1 teaspoon of the cooled rice mixture in the center of a leaf. Fold in the sides and then roll into a cigar shape. Place in prepared pot. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
• Pour in just enough warm water to reach the bottom of the first layer of dolmas. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 to 45 minutes, or until rice is totally cooked. Check the water level often and add more as necessary.

Steps:

• Combine meat with olive oil, onion, herbs, rice and season generously.
• Line the pot you will be cooking your dolma in with a couple of layers of torn grape leaves (to prevent the dolma from being scorched while cooking).
• Place a grape leaf, shiny side down, on surface in front of you.
• If the stem is quite thick, cut it out with a knife, making a V.
• Pinch off about a teaspoon of the meat filling and place in the centre of the leaf.
• Fold in sides of leaf and roll up, not too loose and not too tight (allowing a bit for the expansion of the rice as it cooks), into neat little packets.
• Place neatly in pot and continue making dolma until you've used up all your meat mixture.
• Pour lemon juice over and cover dolma with boiling water, covering dolma with about 1/2 inch of water.
• Weight down with a plate and put lid on pot.
• Cook at a gentle simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until rice is tender.
• Carefully remove dolma, and place in a heatproof platter.
• Make Egg-Lemon Sauce (Avgolemono).
• Beat the eggs with the lemon juice and corn flour.
• Slowly dribble in hot stock left from cooking dolma, whisking egg mixture constantly.
• Keep adding hot liquid slowly, whisking, to temper the eggs.
• Pour the egg mixture into the pot with the remaining stock and whisk over a medium-low heat until sauce has thickened.
• Pour sauce over your dolma and enjoy!