Dolma

Dolma refers to a group of stuffed vegetable meals popular in Armenia, Georgia, Lebanon, and a number of other Balkan, South Caucasus, Central Asian, and Middle Eastern countries. It was originally part of Ottoman palace cuisine and means "stuffed" or "full" in Turkish. Dolma is produced by hollowing out a vegetable and stuffing it with a seasoned filling of rice, pork, and other components. Bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, onions, and eggplant are just a few examples of vegetables that can be filled and turned into dolma. Punjene paprike is one of the most prevalent forms of dolma (pictured below). Roasted sweet peppers are packed with a rice, ground beef, garlic, onion, paprika, and black pepper mixture.

Ingredients

• 1 (16-ounce) jar grape leaves, 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling, 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced, 4 cloves garlic, finely minced, 1 tablespoon parsley, 1 tablespoon basil, 1 1/2 cups uncookedwhite rice, long-grain, such as basmati, 1/2 cup pine nuts, raw, optional, 8 cups vegetable broth, divided, 2/3 cups lemon juice, divided, plus more for drizzling

Instructions

• Gather the ingredients.
• Gently remove the grape leaves from their jar, then rinse each thoroughly under cold water, taking care not to rip the leaves. Pat the leaves dry and place on a cutting board.
• Using a small, sharp paring knife, remove the stems from the leaves.
• Cover with a paper towel and set aside.
• In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil, adding the onion, garlic, parsley, and basil once the oil is hot. Stir continuously until the onion is soft and fragrant, about 6 minutes.
• Add the rice and pine nuts and sauté, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes longer.
• Add 4 cups of the vegetable broth and bring to a low boil. Turn down the heat to low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the rice is cooked, adding water if necessary.
• Add 1/3 cup of lemon juice, stirring well to combine, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove the pan from heat.
• Assemble the Dolmas
• Prepare a dry, clean workspace. Place one of the grape leaves, shiny side down, flat on your work surface. Place 1 to 2 tablespoon of filling on the lower-middle portion of the leaf, right above where the stem used to be.
• Fold in the sides of the leaves over the center.
• Then roll the bottom of the leaf over the filling and continue to roll, holding the sides in, until you've rolled the dolma completely and no filling is visible.
• Place the dolma seam-side down in a large saucepan or pot big enough to fit all of the dolmas in a single layer.
• Repeat until all of the grape leaves are used, placing one dolma directly next to the other and leaving no space in between.
• Drizzle another 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the dolmas, followed by the remaining lemon juice.
• Pour the remaining 4 cups vegetable broth over the grape leaves to cover.
• Cover the pot and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 hour (do not boil). Add water as necessary to keep them covered.
• Remove the pan from heat, uncover, and let the dolmas cool in the liquid for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, gently transfer the dolmas to a serving dish. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice and serve at room temperature or cold.