Tag Archives | dolma

Stuffed Peppers and Zucchini with Bulgur, Ground Meat and Spices; Antakya Style

By Ozlem Warren on May 21, 2012 in Fascinating Turkey, Regional Signature Dishes; Mains, Sides and Desserts, Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil 36

Stuffed peppers and zucchini with bulgur, ground meat & onion

Some of the food we eat has the power to transport us to our childhood, have a special link to bond us with those precious memories. These stuffed peppers and courgettes (zucchini) 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 in the ancient city of Antioch, Antakya.

My Grandmother’s 450 year old house in ancient Antioch; we used to gather around a big table in the courtyard for wonderful feasts

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 dolma 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 children:)

My mother rolling the stuffed vine leaves; we would all help preparing the vine leaves, removing stalks, or making Turkish coffee!

We Turks love stuffing vegetables. The word dolma is used for the vegetables like aubergines, peppers, courgettes that are stuffed. Fruits such as apples, quince and plums can be stuffed too. We also stuff vine leaves (that is called sarma) and cabbage leaves (lahana sarma, here is the link for that recipe), either with an aromatic rice, pine nuts and currants or with ground meat, rice, herbs and spices.

Stuffed peppers with aromatic rice and herb filling

This recipe comes from the ancient town of Antakya, Antioch, where my roots are from. This is the region where bulgur, red pepper paste, pomegranate molasses and spices like red pepper flakes, cumin, and mint are used frequently. All these add such rich, wonderful flavor to the dishes, and very healthy too. I used bulgur instead of the traditional rice for stuffing, like we do in Antakya. Bulgur’s nutty, wonderful flavor adds another dimension to the dish, with bonus of bulgur’s many health benefits. In Antakya, once the flesh of the vegetables taken out, they are given a little wash with pomegranate molasses & little water. The tangy and sweet flavor of the molasses adds to the richness of the flavor. You can use a good balsamic vinegar if you can’t get hold of pomegranate molasses.

I hope you enjoy this delicious, satisfying dolma packed with flavor and memories and have a chance to visit the fascinating Antioch sometime.

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

I am passionate about sharing authentic Turkish recipes from my homeland and the wholesome, delicious Turkish cuisine; this lovely recipe and many more (over 90 recipes) are included at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland. You can order Signed copies at this link, delivered promptly worldwide.

If you live in the US, Canada or Mexico, hardback copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book can be purchased at this link with lower shipping rates.

Serves 6-8

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

3 medium size courgettes (zucchini)

3 medium size bell peppers

30ml/2tbsp pomegranate molasses or good balsamic vinegar, mixed with 1tbsp water

3 small tomatoes, cut in half (to cap the dolmas)

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 coarse bulgur wheat

1 medium onion, finely chopped or grated

Handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

10ml/1tbsp olive oil

10ml/1 tbsp concentrated tomato paste or red pepper paste

5ml/1 tsp red pepper flakes/chilli flakes

5ml/1tsp ground cumin

5ml/1tsp dried mint

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Bowl of plain (natural yoghurt) or cucumber, yoghurt dip, cacik to serve

Stuffing ingredients all together

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.

Stuffing ingredients, after mixing

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.

Scoop out the seeds of the peppers to prepare for stuffing

Cut the courgettes in half. Scoop out the flesh of the courgettes with the help of a long coffee spoon (in Antakya, we use a long and thin scooping device made just for that purpose). Carefully remove some of the flesh to create a cavity that is large enough to stuff. Take care to leave the bottom of the courgettes intact.

Taking the flesh out of the courgettes (zucchini); long coffee spoon would work here

I Iike to save the flesh of the courgettes, as they go very well in the bulgur, tomato and courgette recipe. You can keep them in a sealed freezer bag in the freezer up to 3 months.

Give a little wash to the peppers and zucchini with pomegranate molasses and water mix

Mix the water with the pomegranate molasses (or balsamic vinegar) and wash the inside of the peppers and courgettes with this mixture. Add the left overs of this delicious juice to filling mixture, mix well.

Take spoonfuls of the filling mixture and pack it into the vegetables. Take care not to overfill to the top, as bulgur will need a little space to expand. Place the stalk ends and the halved tomatoes as lids. Place the stuffed vegetables upright, packed tightly, in a heavy pan. Pour a couple of cups of water to the pan, until it covers the half of vegetables. Stir in the cloves of garlic and cover. Bring the liquid to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook gently for about 40 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Cap the stuffed peppers and zucchini with the pepper stalks and halved tomatoes

Serve hot with plain natural yoghurt or Cacik; yoghurt and cucumber dip.

Stuffed peppers and zucchini; they go so well with plain yoghurt by the side

Afiyet Olsun!

Snapshot from home, Turkey: Ancient city of Antioch, Antakya

Here is a new section in the blog! Whenever I can, I would like to give a little snapshot of fascinating places in Turkey that I have visited. Food and travel complement one another so well, and I hope this part could bring the places alive and inspire you to visit sometime.

Ancient Antioch, Antakya; cradle of many civilizations

Here, I would like to introduce my beloved, ancient home town Antakya, located in the southern part of Turkey. Antakya was one of the three biggest cities of the Roman Empire and the capital of the east. Antakya was founded in B.C. 4 by the Syrian King, Seleukos, and he named the city after his father, Antiochos. Over the centuries, the city was under Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and French rule. As of 1939, Antakya became a part of the Republic of Turkey.

One of the many grand mosaics at the Antakya Mosaic Museum

Antakya Mosaic Museum is the world’s 2nd biggest mosaic museum in terms of the richness, quality and the size of the mosaics. The mosaics you’ll see there are from the Roman and the Byzantine periods, and they are simply fascinating. The museum also hosts magnificent sculptures; the most important of them is the 3 meter high figure of Apollo.

Friendly children of Antakya, guiding us towards the Church of St Peter

St Pierre Church (Church of St Peter) is another fascinating sight. St Peter’s Church, built in a cave, on the skirts of Habib Neccar Mountain in Antakya, is known as one of the first places that the early Christians gathered. St Petrus, one of the followers of Jesus (A.D. 29- 30), came to Antakya and used this “cave” to expand Christianity. St PierreChurch is regarded as the first church of Christianity outside Jerusalem. Due to its importance, Pope Paul 6th declaredSt Pierre Church a pilgrimage for Christians. Every year on June 29th, Remembrance of St Petrus ceremonies take place in Antakya, with the participation of thousands of Christians from around the world.

Church of St Peter, Antakya

Another wonderful visit in Antakya is the Long Market, Uzun Carsi, city’s ancient market. This is the place I visited many times as a child, to get our daily bread, yoghurt, cheese and vegetables, when we used to visit my Grandma. The smells and colors are simply mesmerizing. Antakya’s cuisine has an incredible richness of fresh herbs and spices, packed with flavor. A type of wild oregano, zahter, cumin and red pepper flakes are used very commonly. The red pepper paste, biber salcasi, is one of the landmarks of Antakya too. The richness of this red pepper paste adds a wonderful flavor to casseroles and meat dishes. Another specialty food item worth mentioning is the nar eksisi, the syrup made from concentrated sour pomegranate juice. This incredibly rich, concentrated flavor is a must for many traditional salads and meze spreads.

The Long Market (Uzun Carsi) in Antakya, packed with mesmerising spices, olive oil based soaps and many more

Hand carved wooden spoons in the Long Market; I use them everyday!

This is the Tunel of Vespasion, in the village of Kapisuyu, Antakya. It was built as a water channel in the 2nd century. Another fascinating visit.

The Tunnel of Vespasion, Antakya – Hatay

There are many more photos of my travels to Turkey here, if you would like to have a look.

Happy travels to you all!

Rolled grape vine leaves with aromatic rice; Yaprak Sarma

By Ozlem Warren on August 24, 2010 in Appetizers and Mezes, Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil 18

Etli Sarma – Vine Leaves Stuffed with Ground Meat, Rice and Herbs

We made the etli sarma – stuffed vine leaves with meat and rice – with my mother when I was in Istanbul, it was a very special experience. Mother’s sarma (a version of dolma, done with grape vine leaves) is always the best and I was watching her with all my senses. This is a real treat; you can get together with friends and family and make it together and then enjoy it. I love it best when served with plain yoghurt and a little crusty bread to soak up wonderful juices.

You can also make the same sarma/dolma using green or red cabbage leaves.

Serves 4 -6
Preparation time – 15 minutes Cooking time – 40 minutes

30 grape vine leaves
350 gr/12 oz ground lamb or beef
2 small onions, finely chopped
115 gr/4 oz long grain rice, rinsed and drained
1 bunch fresh dill and flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
5 ml/ 1 teaspoon dried mint
45 ml/ 3 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and ground pepper to taste
8 fl oz/ 1 cup water to cook the stuffed vine leaves
90 ml (or more) / 6 tablespoon plain yoghurt to serve

Place the ground meat in a bowl and stir in the onions, rice, herbs and spices. Season, combine with 1 tablespoon olive oil and knead well.

Lay one of the vine leaves on a flat surface and spoon some filling in the middle of the leaf. Pull the leaf over the filling, fold in the sides, then roll into a tight log (try not to over fill, as the filling may ooze out). Arrange the vine leaves, seam side down, in a deep wide pan. Pack them tightly together, layer by layer.

Mix the remaining oil with 1 cup (8 fl oz) water, then pour over the vine leaves. The water should almost cover the top layer, so you may need to add more.

Place a heavy plate over the dolmas and put the pan on medium heat. Once it starts to bubble, lower the heat, cover and cook gently for about 40 minutes, until the rice and meat are cooked.

Serve hot, with a dollop of yoghurt and some crusty bread by the side.

Afiyet Olsun!

I am passionate about healthy, wholesome Turkish cuisine; over 90 authentic recipes are included at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table – Signed hardback copies are available at this link and delivered worldwide promptly.

Aromatic rice for stuffing vegetables and vine leaves – Zeytinyagli Dolma Ici

Turkish people are very fond of stuffed vegetables – dolmas. Stuffed tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are the year round favorites, cabbage leaves are stuffed in winter and vine leaves and zucchini flowers herald a fresh option in springtime. The success of any great dolma, which literally means “stuffed”, relies heavily on getting the stuffing right and the generous use of onions is of utmost importance. This recipe is for the stuffing used in “zeytinyagli dolma” recipes, which are made with generous usage of olive oil and without meat. They are eaten cold as an entrée or meze and a wonderful vegetarian option.

Recipe adapted from Angie Mitchell’s wonderful book, Secrets of the Turkish Kitchen.

Serves 4-6
Preparation time – 15 minutes Cooking time – 15 minutes

30 ml/ 2 tablespoons currants
8 fl. oz /1 cup long grain rice
2 fl oz / 1/4 cup olive oil
30 ml/ 2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 medium onions, finely chopped or grated
5 ml / 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 fl oz / 1 cup hot water
1 handful of freshly chopped parsley and dill
15 ml/ 1 tablespoon dried mint
Salt and sugar to taste
Freshly ground black pepper

Put the currants in hot water to allow them to swell, drain and put to one side.

Heat the oil in a deep pan and gently sauté the pine nuts until golden. Add the chopped onions and sauté until soft. Add the rice, currants and cinnamon, while stirring gently to ensure the rice grains are evenly coated. Add the hot water, salt and sugar, stir once and continue cooking for about 10 minutes or until the cooking liquid is absorbed and steam holes appear in the surface of the rice. It is important not to stir the rice during this time.

Remove from the heat, cover the top of the pan with a cloth, replace the lid and set aside to cool for 20 minutes.

Season with freshly ground black pepper. Add the herbs and combine gently with a wooden spoon. The rice stuffing is now ready to stuff into the vine leaves.

Grapevine leaves stuffed with aromatic rice – Preparation

Have a go at making these fantastic dolmas, it is really much easier than you think and you will certainly impress your guests.

Serves 4-6
Preparation time – 35 minutes Cooking time – 35 minutes

25 grapevine leaves
Aromatic rice stuffing (explained above)
30 ml/ 2 tablespoons olive oil
8 fl oz/ 1 cup hot water
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and sugar to taste
Sprigs of dill for garnish
Lemon wedges to serve

If you have fresh leaves, soften them in boiling salted water, drain and rinse under cold running water. If using the preserved variety, soak the leaves thoroughly in a few changes of water to remove the brine.
Cut away the stalks of the grapevine leaves. Place each leaf with the mat side facing you and one by one, place a walnut sized piece of rice stuffing at the base of each leaf. Fold the edges inwards over the stuffing and roll up to form a finger sized dolma. Pay attention not to stuff them too loose or too tight.
Line your pan with any discarded grapevine leaves. Arrange the dolmas in the pan seam side down and tightly side by side, creating layers. Whisk together the water, olive oil, lemon juice, sugar and salt and pour over the dolmas. Wet a circle of grease proof paper lightly and place over the dolmas. Place a heat proof dinner plate on top of this which fits easily and acts as a weight.
Cover and cook over a low heat for about 35 minutes or until the dolmas are tender. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Transfer to a serving plate, drizzle with a little olive oil and garnish elegantly with sprigs of dill. Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over.

Note : It is important not to remove the cooked dolmas from the pan before they cooled down completely. Vegetables cooked in olive oil, “Zeytinyaglis”, are served cold. Traditionally, they are cooked a day in advance or in the morning, to allow the dolmas to rest.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem