Tag Archives | dolma

Soğan Dolması – Stuffed onions with aromatic rice and meat

Soğan dolması really is a delicious, good value feast to share with family and friends. You can prepare ahead; flavours develop and it tastes even nicer the next day – it is gluten-free too. Make sure to have creamy garlicy yoghurt aside- an indispensable part of dolma experience for us.

We are a nation of dolma lovers and I love the ritual of dolma making at home, where generations get together and make dolma; I was lucky enough to make many dolmas with my parents and grandparents. You will find one of my favourites, Biber Dolması, Stuffed peppers with aromatic rice and ground/minced meat, in my new cookery book İSTANBUL, Delicious Recipes from the Heart of the City – you can order a copy HERE worldwide.

Afiyet olsun,

Ozlem x

Soğan Dolması – Stuffed onions with aromatic rice and meat

This soğan dolması is one of the easiest and tastiest dolmas you can make. I used a mixture of red and yellow medium to large onions, they look so pretty and taste delicious, though you can use either. Baking brings extra natural sweetness to the onions and a touch of tangy pomegranate molasses in the filling adds a delicious tang. I used ground/minced lamb in the filling – you can use other meat, just make sure it has about 15-20 % fat for flavour. You can also use a vegetarian filling; I love loads of sauteed onions, pine nuts, currants, herbs in the filling, along with rice or cooked green lentils as a vegetarian filling. Soğan dolması really is a delicious, good value feast to share with family and friends. You can prepare ahead; flavours develop and it tastes even nicer the next day - it is gluten-free too. Make sure to have creamy garlicy yoghurt aside- an indispensable part of dolma experience for us.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: One pot dolma

Cuisine: Turkish cuisine

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

6 medium to large yellow and red onions
For the filling:
200g/7oz minced/ground lamb – or beef, 20% fat
225g/8oz long or short grain rice, rinsed
Small, core parts of the cooked onions, finely chopped
Small bunch of parsley, finely chopped (save 1 tsp for serving)
2tsp dried mint
2tbsp pomegranate molasses
3tbsp double concentrated tomato paste
2tbsp Turkish red pepper paste
85ml/3fl oz water
2tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce:
55g/2oz butter, melted
2tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp double concentrated tomato paste
450ml/16fl oz water
For the garlic yoghurt:
2-3 garlic cloves crushed with salt and finely chopped
400g/14 oz plain yoghurt

Instructions

Trim both ends of the onions, peel the skin and layer beneath, as it can be tough. Using a knife, make a vertical incision on each onion, until you reach the half point, the core of each onion (this helps to separate the layers, after boiling). Gently place the onions on a large pan of boiling water, partially cover and simmer for 10 minutes; onion layers will soften but not be mushy. Drain the water and place the softened onions on a large tray to cool.
Once cool, gently separate the onion layers, discarding the thin membranes on onion layers; take care not to tear the onion layers.
Save the smaller core parts of the onions; finely dice them to add to a large bowl, for the filling. Stir in the remaining filling ingredients except the meat. Season (2 tsp salt recommended) and knead with your hands to combine well. Stir in the meat and combine again. Filling needs to be a little loose, hence the addition of water is important.
Preheat oven to fan 180C/200C/400F. Have a 30cm diameter round or square baking dish, 6 cm deep.
To stuff the onion, take a layer and place about 1 ½ tbsp of the filling on the inner side and roll to seal (it will look like a fat shallot shape. Place on the baking dish. Keep on stuffing and layering each soğan dolması next to one another, quite snug, in one layer.
Combine the sauce ingredients, season with salt and pepper and gently pour over the stuffed onions. Cover the dish and bake for 45 minutes. Then uncover and bake for further 15 minutes; most of the sauce would be absorbed and the dolmas have a lovely golden colour with dark brown patches. Cover and let the dolma to rest for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, combine the garlic with yoghurt, season to taste.
Serve soğan dolması with a little sauce over and sprinkle of parsley and garlic yoghurt aside.

Swiss chard stuffed with ground meat and rice – Kis Sarmasi

By Ozlem Warren on January 20, 2014 in Appetizers and Mezes, Casseroles and Stews, Regional Signature Dishes; Mains, Sides and Desserts 25

Stuffed winter greens or Swiss chard with ground meat, rice and herbs; Kis Sarmasi

Any sight of large leaves gets me excited with the prospect of stuffing them. I grew up with my mother’s delicious stuffed vine leaves, yaprak sarma and stuffed cabbage leaves, lahana sarmasi ,one of our favorite meals. As a family affair, my father would prepare the leaves and mother and whoever around the table would o the stuffing. And of course, everyone would be very keen to do a “quality check” after cooking, just to make sure they’re cooked 🙂 Happy days.

Turkish people are very fond of stuffed vegetables or dolmas as we call in Turkish. Stuffed tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and eggplants are the year round favorites. Cabbage leaves are stuffed in winter and vine leaves and zucchini flowers herald a fresh option in spring time. The success of any great dolma, which literally means “stuffed”, relies heavily on getting the stuffing right. With a dollop of yoghurt or a slice of lemon aside, they are utterly delicious. For a vegetarian option, try this stuffed vine leaves with aromatic rice and herb filling; Zeytinyagli sarma; they are simply irresistible, with a wedge of lemon aside.

I am passionate about my homeland’s wholesome Turkish cuisine; many authentic Turkish recipes, regional specialties, including Stuffed Cabbage rolls with bulgur, ground/minced meat and spices, are included at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland. If you would like to get a signed copy, you can order at this link.

Signed copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table book, available to order at this link

Stuffed winter greens or Swiss chard with ground meat and rice in hot pepper sauce

I got some wonderful leafy winter greens, (similar to Swiss chard, though with a slimmer stem) from my local market. Like cabbage leaves, they need to soften up first so that they can be stuffed. With a southern Turkish addition of Turkish hot pepper paste sauce, biber salcasi (or a tomato based sauce) and garlic yoghurt aside, they were so delicious. You can use cabbage leaves or Swiss card here too. Please don’t worry about making the perfect roll; as long as they’re not over filled, they stay intact and taste delicious. I hope you enjoy these delicious rolls, or sarmas, as much as we did.

5.0 from 3 reviews

Stuffed winter greens or Swiss chard with ground meat and rice – Kis Sarmasi

Serves: 4 -6

Ingredients

2 bunches (about 400 gr) Winter greens with large leaves or Swiss Chard
For the filling:
225gr/8oz/1 cup ground beef or ground lamb (ground turkey works well too)
2 small or 1 large onion, grated
110gr/4oz/1/2 cup long grain rice (or whole grain basmati rice for gluten-free option)
45ml/3 tbsp. flat leaf (Italian) parsley, finely chopped
15ml/1 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Juice of 1 lemon, 200 ml/ 1 cup (or little more) water and 15ml/1 tbsp. olive oil for cooking
Tomato/red pepper paste sauce:
15 ml/ 1 tbsp. Turkish hot pepper paste or tomato paste (for milder taste)
30ml/2 tbsp. olive oil
60ml/ 4 tbsp. water
Turkish red pepper flakes or chili flakes to sprinkle (optional)
Garlic yoghurt sauce:
1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed in sea salt and finely chopped
8 fl oz./1 cup natural plain yoghurt
Salt to taste
½ tsp. dried mint (optional)

Instructions

Large leafy greens like Swiss chard is ideal for stuffing, making sarma.
Bring a pan of water to boil. Cut the stalks of your winter greens (if you’re using Swiss chard, you may need to cut the stem and separate from the leaves).
Refresh the wilted leaves in a bowl of cold water
Place the fresh, trimmed leaves in to the boiling water until they wilt, for about 25-30 seconds. Drain and refresh the leaves in a bowl of cold water, this will help retain their color. Then drain the leaves and spread on a tray, ready for stuffing.
Place the filling ingredients in a bowl and knead well.
Grate the onion and put with the remaining filling ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and ground black pepper and bind them all with 1 tbsp. olive oil and knead well.
Lay one of the leaves on a flat surface and place 1 tbsp. (depending on the size of the leaf, adjust a little less or more but avoid over filling) of the stuffing at near end of the leaf (towards you). Bring the top end of the leaf over the stuffing.
Now fold in the sides and then roll into a tight log. Repeat with the remaining filling and leaves.
Arrange the stuffed leaves, seam side down, in a wide, deep pan. Pack them quite tightly in circles, this will keep them intact. You may need to make more than one layer, depending on the size of the pan.
Mix 200ml water with the juice of lemon and 1 tbsp. olive oil and pour over the stuffed leaves. This liquid should cover at least half way up the top layer; add some more water if you need to. Season with salt and place a wide flat plate over the rolls (so that they stay intact).
Cover the pan and turn the heat to medium. Once it starts to bubble, cook over low heat for about 40 minutes, or until the filling is cooked and the rolls are tender.
While the rolls (sarma,as we call in Turkish) are cooking, prepare the garlic yoghurt. Simply combine the chopped garlic with yoghurt and mix well. You can season with sea salt and ½ tsp. dried mint, if you like.
For the hot pepper paste (or tomato paste) sauce; stir in 1 tbsp. Turkish hot pepper paste, biber salcasi or tomato paste and 2 tbsp. olive oil in a small pan, over low heat. Stir and pour 4-5 tbsp. water, gently simmer for a minute. Season with salt and ground black pepper if you like; the sauce is ready.
Drizzle the hot pepper paste sauce over the cooked rolls and sprinkle a little Turkish red pepper flakes (if you like) and serve hot, with garlic yoghurt aside.

Serves 4 -6

Preparation time: 40-45 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes

2 bunches (about 400 gr) Winter greens with large leaves or Swiss Chard

For the filling:

225gr/8oz/1 cup ground beef or ground lamb (ground turkey works well too)

2 small or 1 large onion, grated

110gr/4oz/1/2 cup long grain rice (or whole grain basmati rice for gluten-free option)

45ml/3 tbsp. flat leaf (Italian) parsley, finely chopped

15ml/1 tbsp. olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Juice of 1 lemon, 200 ml/ 1 cup (or little more) water and 15ml/1 tbsp. olive oil for cooking

Tomato/red pepper paste sauce:

15 ml/ 1 tbsp. Turkish hot pepper paste or tomato paste (for milder taste)

30ml/2 tbsp. olive oil

60ml/ 4 tbsp. water

Turkish red pepper flakes or chili flakes to sprinkle (optional)

Garlic yoghurt sauce:

1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed in sea salt and finely chopped

8 fl oz./1 cup natural plain yoghurt

Salt to taste

½ tsp. dried mint (optional)

Large leafy greens like Swiss chard is ideal for stuffing, making sarma.

Bring a pan of water to boil. Cut the stalks of your winter greens (if you’re using Swiss chard, you may need to cut the stem and separate from the leaves).

Refresh the wilted leaves in a bowl of cold water

Place the fresh, trimmed leaves in to the boiling water until they wilt, for about 25-30 seconds. Drain and refresh the leaves in a bowl of cold water, this will help retain their color. Then drain the leaves and spread on a tray, ready for stuffing.

Place the filling ingredients in a bowl and knead well.

Grate the onion and put with the remaining filling ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and ground black pepper and bind them all with 1 tbsp. olive oil and knead well.

Lay one of the leaves on a flat surface and place 1 tbsp. stuffing.

Lay one of the leaves on a flat surface and place 1 tbsp. (depending on the size of the leaf, adjust a little less or more but avoid over filling) of the stuffing at near end of the leaf (towards you). Bring the top end of the leaf over the stuffing.

fold in the sides of the leaf

Now fold in the sides and then roll into a tight log. Repeat with the remaining filling and leaves.

Then roll into a tight log.

Arrange the stuffed leaves, seam side down, in a wide, deep pan. Pack them quite tightly in circles, this will keep them intact. You may need to make more than one layer, depending on the size of the pan.

Place the stuffed leaves seam side down in a wide, deep pan.

Mix 200ml water with the juice of lemon and 1 tbsp. olive oil and pour over the stuffed leaves. This liquid should cover at least half way up the top layer; add some more water if you need to. Season with salt and place the pan over a medium heat. Once it starts to bubble, place a wide flat plate over the rolls (so that they stay intact). Cover and cook over low heat for about 40 minutes, or until the filling is cooked and the rolls are tender.

Place a wide flat plate over the rolls (so that they stay intact).

While the rolls (sarma, as we call in Turkish) are cooking, prepare the garlic yoghurt. Simply combine the chopped garlic with yoghurt and mix well. You can season with sea salt and ½ tsp. dried mint, if you like.

For the hot pepper paste (or tomato paste) sauce; stir in 1 tbsp. Turkish hot pepper paste, biber salcasi or tomato paste and 2 tbsp. olive oil in a small pan, over low heat. Stir and pour 4 tbsp. water, gently simmer for a minute. Season with salt and ground black pepper if you like; the sauce is ready.

Drizzle the hot pepper paste sauce over the cooked rolls and sprinkle a little Turkish red pepper flakes (if you like) and serve hot, with garlic yoghurt aside.

Stuffed winter leaves with ground meat and aromatic rice; Kis Sarmasi

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Note: The stems or any broken leaves and a bit of left over filling can turn into a delicious meal. Simply chop the leaves and stems and sauté with some olive oil and garlic, adding the filling if any left over. You can add a few tomatoes in it or crack an egg; it would make a delicious bite.

Stuffed Peppers and Tomatoes with Ground Meat and Rice – Dolma

By Ozlem Warren on June 17, 2013 in Casseroles and Stews, Gluten-free recipes 35

Stuffed peppers and tomatoes in ground meat, onion and aromatic rice; domates ve biber dolmasi – delicious and also gluten-free

Some of the food we eat has the ability to transport us to our childhood, have a special link to bond us with those precious memories. These stuffed peppers and tomatoes have such power on me; they are the delicious gateways to take me back home, right to my mother’s as well as my grandmother’s kitchen. Preparing the dolma is quite a grand ritual at home; cousins, sisters, whoever available, gather around a big table; filled with trays of vegetables and stuffing. Some prepare the vegetables, scooping the flesh out, some make the filling, and some do the stuffing. These all happen, of course, with constant flow of Turkish coffee and tea (cay) and catching up! We would then eagerly wait for the dolmas to be cooked; then me and my sister would eat the dolma with a dollop of plain yoghurt on top. We used to call them our “savory ice cream”; I am now trying this trick on my own children 🙂

A dollop of plain or garlicky yoghurt over the dolmas is delicious

We Turks love stuffing vegetables. The word dolma is used for the vegetables like aubergines, peppers, courgettes, tomatoes that can be stuffed. I like to save the scooped flesh of the tomatoes and use it in the sauce of the dolmas. Stuffed tomatoes are especially a staple of the summer season when tomatoes are abundant and at their peak. For a richer taste, you can also add red pepper paste, biber salcasi or tomato paste to the sauce. This dish is made from wholegrain basmati rice and it is also gluten-free. You can also enjoy the vegetarian stuffed peppers with aromatic rice, Zeytinyagli Biber Dolmasi, at my book SEBZE, Vegetarian recipes from my Turkish kitchen, copies can be ordered worldwide here.

SEBZE, Vegetarian Recipes From My Turkish Kitchen

Hope you enjoy these dolmas, Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Serves 6-8

Preparation time: 40 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes

3 medium size bell peppers – or 5-6 small bell peppers

4 medium tomatoes

6-8 cloves of garlic, crushed

For the filling:

110gr/4oz/ 1/2 cup ground beef/lamb or ground turkey

115gr/4oz/generous 1/2 cup wholegrain basmati rice, rinsed

2 medium onion, grated

Bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

10ml/1tbsp olive oil

10ml/2 tsp dried mint

10ml / 2 tsp ground black pepper

Salt to taste

For the sauce:

The flesh of the scooped tomatoes, finely chopped

15 ml/1 tbsp. olive oil

15ml/1 tbsp. red pepper paste or tomato paste – optional-

Red pepper flakes to serve – optional-

Bowl of plain (natural yoghurt) or garlicky yoghurt to serve

Filling ingredients for the dolmas; dried mint and parsley add a delicious, refreshing flavour

Put the ground meat in a large bowl and stir in the rest of the filling ingredients. Season and knead, until all blended well. The filling is ready.

Scoop out the seeds of the peppers; save the flesh of the tomatoes

Scoop out the seeds of the peppers; save the caps of the peppers and tomatoes.

Now, let’s prepare the vegetables. Cut the stalk ends of the peppers and save them aside (we will need them to cap the stuffed peppers later). Scoop out the seeds of the peppers.

Save the flesh of the tomatoes to go at the sauce of the dolmas, stuffed peppers and tomatoes.

Slice the tops of the tomatoes and save them aside. Using a spoon, scoop out the tomato flesh, chop them finely and reserve in a bowl. Take care not to pierce through the skin of the tomatoes.

Stuff the tomatoes and peppers with the filling until they are about ¾ full.

Take a few spoonfuls of the filling and pack it into the vegetables, until they are about ¾ full. Take care not to overfill to the top, as the rice filling will need some space to expand. Place the stalk ends and tomato tops as lids.

Once cooked, pour a little of the dolmas’ delicious sauce over each stuffed pepper, tomato before serving.

Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in to a heavy pan. Place the stuffed vegetables upright, packed tightly, in the pan. For the sauce; combine the chopped tomato flesh with 1 tbsp. red pepper paste or tomato paste (if you are using, for a richer taste) and stir in to the pan. Then pour a couple of cups of water around the stuffed vegetables, until it covers just about the half of vegetables. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Stir in the cloves of garlic and cover. Bring the liquid to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook gently for about 45 – 50 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the filling cooked.

Domates ve biber dolmasi; stuffed tomatoes and peppers; delicious & gluten-free

Once cooked, I like to take their cap off and pour a little of the dolmas’ delicious sauce over each stuffed pepper and tomato before serving and put their cap back on. Serve hot with plain natural or garlic yoghurt by the side. You can also sprinkle red pepper flakes over the dolmas if you like.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem