Authentic Greek Dolmades on Foodista

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Marcie-for you-since I was in a "wrapping" mood!

Onions from our garden

Beef and cooked chilled rice, with all the other flavor agents



Mix it all up and fry a bit to taste...correct seasonings....

Wrap the little packets and tuck them into rows....thanks to Barbara who taught me these...so long ago. This recipe below is very close to the one I have in my head.....

(These are the changes I make: I use a large jar of grape leaves and scale everything up, I don't use the oil, but I line the pot with left over leaves and lime or lemon slices. I also add toasted pine nuts). These freeze really well and are great to pull out of the freezer at short notice!

Dolmeh-yeh Barg-e Mow

Ingredients: (4 servings)

Fresh vine leaves, 250 grams

Ground lamb or beef, 250 grams

Long-grain or basmati rice, 100 grams

Herbs: parsley, dill, mint, tarragon, spring onions, 250 grams

Large onions, two

Cooking oil

Tomato paste, two spoons

Salt

Black pepper

Fresh lime juice, 1/2 cup

Sugar, two spoons

· Directions:
Fry onions in cooking oil over medium heat until golden. Add ground meat and fry further until meat changes color. Add 1/2 cup water, salt, pepper and tomato paste. Mix and cook further until water boils off.

Wash and finely chop the herbs. Fry in oil over medium heat until wilted. Boil two cups of water in a small pot. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and rice and boil further until rice softens. Drain the water and let cool slightly.

Mix prepared meat, herbs and rice well. Remove any remaining stems from vine leaves, and wash. Add hot water and salt and boil for 1-2 minutes until leaves soften slightly. Drain water and allow to cool.

Mix lime juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Add half to the mix prepared earlier, and mix well. Pour 2-3 spoons of oil in a pot. Place 2 or 3 layers of vine leaves in the pot. Stack two leaves covering the cracks, place some of the Dolmeh mix on top and wrap the leaves tightly around it. Repeat until all leaves or the entire mix is used up.

Place the dolmeh's in the pot packed together. Add oil and 1/2 glass of hot water. Cover and cook over low heat for about 20-30 minutes. If necessary, add more hot water during cooking. Add the remainder of the lime juice and sugar mix and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Tamales-it's corn time!

A little "free form" salsas, cherries tomatoes from the deck and tomato paste from the pantry, onion, herbs, chili peppers.
Use the tamale recipe from the side of the masa bag....yes, use I lard and then add 2 cups of fresh corn off the cob.

Wrap with the saved husks and I use kitchen twine.

Steam for about an hour.....you can tell when they puff up, they look done. Don't have a photo of the plated dish....we were to busy eating. I also threw a mess in the freezer for a taste of sun shince in winter!

Labor of the Day-cooking!

We took the party in, and tried to capture the tastes of summer, roast beet salad with the last of the cherry tomatoes
The cooks...

Crab apple/lime zest cake using the fruit from the tree out front
And, they thought they didn't LIKE beets


Where are the dog days? Even the dogs don't know....

Aaron: Just "throwing" a few things togehter....what a feast!








Zeak and Grigio, new buds