Best Stuffed Grape Leaves - How to make Dolma - Dolmades Recipe - Sarma - Beef or Lamd
GOOD leaves are crucial for easy rolling, and yummy taste. As I said in the video, I only use
Orlando Grape
Leaves because they pick their leaves young, making them soft, pliable and easy to work with. Oh, and the soft texture make them exceptionally delicious! I buy mine online and usually by the case.
Typical store bought leaves come in a small narrow jar (require at least 3 jars to fill a standard pot) and are usually brittle and chewy.
Brittle leaves tend to brake apart, making rolling difficult. Here’s where I get mine: Orlando Grape Leaves:
http://amzn.to/1WaAdiL
ALTHOUGH, I do enjoy rolling, it can stain and dry out fingernails. My wife will only roll with gloves on. However, I got her a
Rolling Machine (amazing what people think of) and now we can roll a pot in about half the time. They are slightly thinner but equally delectable. Here is the one we have had for a few years now and it is still rolling…;) http://amzn.to/1kJ38PA
IF you don't have the desire or the time to roll, you can always buy pre-rolled cans of stuffed grape leaves. Canned dolmas are vegetarian with a super delicious dill and lemon flavor. I always keep a few cans on hand for when the cravings hit. They are also great for that last minute dinner party; crack the can open and pour the dolmas onto a nice dish.
Always the hit of the party. You can usually find smaller cans in specialty stores. Here are my two favorite brands:
http://amzn.to/1S8GScS
http://amzn.to/1kPG7dQ
RECIPE
Shopping List:
1 Small Can Olives (minced)
2
Large cloves of garlic (minced or crushed)
¼ to ½ cup olive oil
1 Red
Onion (diced)
2
Cups White Basmati Rice
2 lbs
Lean Ground Beef (90%)
2 Bunches
Fresh Parsley (minced)
1 Can
Tomato Sauce (15oz)
1 Can
Tomato Paste (small can)
1 Jar Orlando Grape Leaves (16oz) http://amzn.to/1KBN7zQ
1 Tbsp
Pepper
1 Tbsp Garlic Granules or
Powder (or substitute 4-6 more fresh cloves)
Pinch of
Cayenne Pepper (optional)
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
1-2 tsp
Kosher Sea
Salt
Check out the short version of my winning similar recipe here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su0lCVpRds0
ORGIN:
Dolma is a family of stuffed vegetable dishes common in the
Middle East and surrounding regions including
Balkans, the
Caucasus,
Russia,
Central Asia, as well as
Cyprus .
Common vegetables to stuff include tomato, pepper, onion, zucchini, eggplant, and garlic. Grape or cabbage leaves wrapped around a filling are called 'sarma', but are also often called 'dolma' or 'yaprak dolma' (Долма:
Russian Translation) The stuffing may or may not include meat.
Meat dolmas are generally served warm, often with egg-lemon or garlic yogurt sauce; meatless ones are generally served cold.
Stuffed vegetables are also common in the
Italian cuisine, where they are named ripieni
Armenian:
In
Armenian cuisine, minced lamb meat or beef is mixed with rice and wrapped into grape leaves (tpov tolma - թփով տոլմա) or occasionally in cabbage leaves (kaghambi tolma - կաղամբի տոլմա). This dish is condimented with coriander, dill, mint, pepper, cinnamon and melted butter.
Sometimes chestnuts and peas are part of the mix.
Yogurt with garlic is often used as a sauce. Eggplants, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, onions, quince and apples are also stuffed with lamb meat or beef and also called dolma.
Echmiadzin tolma utilizes eggplants, green peppers, tomatoes, apples, and quinces. There are varying styles of how dolma is made.
In
Armenia, vine leaves are usually served with yogurt mixed with crushed garlic. To prepare the dish, the meat used in dolma is: pork, beef and a little lamb.
Herbs such as basil, oregano, tarragon are used. When cooking dolma it is necessary to take the most delicate and young leaves. There is also a pasuts dolma - lean dolma, a stuffing that includes lentils, red kidney beans, peas, wheat grits, fried onions, tomato paste.
Greek
Different types of Greek dolma.
In
Greek cuisine, dolma usually refers to the vine-leaf version, and there are many variations. Some prepare it with an avgolemono (egg and lemon) sauce, others prefer a tomato sauce. They can be cooked in a pan in the oven, while others prefer to cook them on the stovetop.[8]
Stuffed peppers, tomatoes, and other vegetables are called gemista (Greek: γεμιστά 'stuffed thing'); the stuffing is typically rice-based and meatless, though meat versions exist as well.
Sources (
Wikipedia)
Alan Davidson,
The Oxford Companion to Food.
ISBN 0-19-211579-0.
Gosetti
Della Salda,
Anna (1967). Le ricette regionali italiane (in
Italian).
Milano: Solares.