My Favorite Dolmas Recipes

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 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:

• Boil the rice in 1 1/2 cups briskly boiling water for 10 minutes, drain and reserve it. in a heavy skillet heat the olive oil over moderate heat until a haze forms.
• Add the onions an cook, stirring until golden brown. Stir in the ground beef, breaking up any lumps, and cook until browned. Drain off the excess grease.
• Reduce the heat and add the rice, green onion, parsley, dill, mint, lemon juice, turmeric, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook the stuffing for 3 to 4 minutes and reserve it.
• In a large pot, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Drop in the grape leaves and remove from the heat. Soak the leaves for 1 minute and transfer them to cold water. Separate the leaves and drain them on paper towels.
• To stuff the leaves, spread 30 leaves dull side up, flat on a plate. Place 1 tablespoon of the stuffing on the center of each leaf. Turn up the stem and fold the leaf over the stuffing, fold the sides in over the stuffing and roll to the end. Layer the bottom of a 2-3 quart casserole with a tight fitting cover, with the 10 unstuffed leaves.
• Arrange the stuffed leaves with the seam side down in the casserole. Sprinkle the dish withe the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil and 2 tablespoons water. Simmer, tightly covered for 50 minutes.
• Serve dolmas hot or at room temperature with lemon wedges.