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Persian dolme, stuffed vegetables

Persian Dolme (stuffed vegetables, Persian style)

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Servings

4 Servings

Ingredients

  • Ground beef and turkey
  • 1/4 - 1/3 cup rice. I use aborio though some like Basmati. Quantity varies according to taste. Some like more rice than meat some more meat than rice.
  • 1 large zucchini
  • 2 mini eggplants
  • 1-2 medium onions
  • Prunes as many as you want/need. I usually do prunes at the end using the leftover meat.
  • 2 medium size potatoes
  • 2 tomatoes
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Onion powder
  • Tomato sauce preferably the plain Hunts; please, no marinaras!

Instructions

  • Meat Mixture:
  • Start mixing the ground meat together with the turkey and add salt, pepper, onion powder (Persians often add also cinnamon powder) and 1/4 cup of arborio rice (you can use also Basmati but personally I think it's a waste). 
  • Add some plain tomato sauce  to the mixture. Tomato gives it a good taste so add as much as you want, but don't let it get too watery.
  • Once mixed, cover and set aside. Maybe better if in the fridge.
  • Vegetables:
  • Wash the zucchini and cut in 3 (as small tubes). Scoop out the insides. You can chop the insides and throw them into the pot where you're going cook the Dolme.
  • Do the same with the eggplants. Keep the tops and put them back on once you have stuffed them with the meat, it looks pretty!
  • Scoop the tomato insides into the pot. Keep the top to put back on once you have added the meat.
  • The onions are the tricky ones: You have to peel them and separate each layer to stuff them. It will be easier to peel by working on both sides. I like the smaller onions, but that is a personal choice. You can separate as many layers as you need, all from the same onion (1 onion can make up to 6 stuffed onions depending on how big it is).
  • With the prunes, try to dig into the hole and fill them up with as much meat as you can.
  • Peel and cut the potatoes in chunks and throw them on top, if you have room, or on the side of the stuffed vegetables.
  • Add salt to the potatoes, add more sauce on top of everything, add some water (to halfway cover the vegetables).
  • Bring to a boil on and then lower the flame. Keep simmering until you see the rice is cooked.
  • Enjoy!