Ok, so you are going to have to attempt growing your own Brussel Sprouts for this one. If you do, you have to trim the bottom leaves every few days to encourage the little cabbage-esque heads to form and what to do with all those leaves? Of course, you can just cook them like you would any hardy leafy green(collards, mustards, kale, turnip greens, etc.), but they seemed like a good texture to attempt Dolmas, so I tried it… and I was right! They are tough enough to withstand blanching, wrapping, and steaming, yet tender enough to not be chewy, and they have a sweet taste that is really a treat. These will be a little bigger than traditional stuffed grape leaves, of course, but not so big as to need a knife and fork.
You can really stuff them with whatever you like… leftover dirty rice, quinoa salad, eggplant dressing… as long as it isn’t saucy and has rice or quinoa as at least half of its consistency. I will include a suggested recipe for making a fresh vegetarian stuffing(although adding ground meat aint bad). If you do make fresh stuffing, I suggest undercooking the rice and then not rolling the leaves as tight. The rice will continue to cook and expand in the steaming phase and you don’t want to bust a dolma. Of course, making fresh stuffing will result in a superior texture, but I have received no complaints from using leftovers. For the liquid, you can use stock, water, or whey(leftover from making ricotta cheese).
Process
- blanch leaves a few minutes in boiling water
- de-stem the leaves by cutting a V shape up towards the center
- place around 2-3 tbsp(depending on the size of the leaf) stuffing in the center and near the bottom of the leaf
- roll leaf up once, fold in sides, and finish rolling all the way up
- place dolmas side by side in a heavy-bottomed pan with a lid
- cover with liquid of choice 1/2 way to the top of dolmas
- cover and cook on low for about 30 minutes or until pan is dry
- squeeze a lemon wedge or two and drizzle olive oil over dolmas
- serve with yogurt sauce(see below)
Basic Stuffing
- 1 cup minced onion
- 1 cup rice or quinoa
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, or chopped nut of choice(pine nuts are traditional, but expensive, cashews work well)
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups stock or water
- mint, dill, or both
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- black pepper
- sautée onion in olive oil until translucent
- add grain, nuts, salt, allspice, and stock
- bring to a boil, cover, cook about 10 minutes, until grain is al dente and liquid is absorbed
- remove from heat, transfer to bowl to cool, add pepper, lemon juice, herbs, and more salt if needed
Yogurt Sauce
The yogurt sauce, I make different every time. The simplest one I’ve made is just sea salt stirred in yogurt and it was a huge hit. Everyone wanted to know how I made this amazing sauce and I felt like the universe was mocking all of my culinary attempts. That this last minute throw together(“Oh shit, I forgot to make the Tzatziki! Now there’s no time!”) is what I get accolades for, really made me think about the effort to enjoyment ratio. There is a sweet spot, in my mind, where you gather the freshest ingredients and touch them so lightly with effort, that you cannot even see where a hand has come into play. In that place, we enjoy the deliciousness of this world for what it is, without our egos, traditions, or insecurities getting in the way… in all its salty, sweet, sour, creaminess.
However, any and all additions like minced garlic, dill, lemon juice, and cucumber(peeled, seeded, and minced) are of course welcome and are traditional Tzatziki ingredients.
Tzatziki
- 2 cups yogurt
- 2tbsp lemon juice
- 1 english cucumber peeled, deseeded, minced
- as much minced garlic as you can stand(start with 3-4 cloves)
- 1 bunch fresh dill, minced(or about 1 tsp dried)
- salt and pepper to taste
By the way, I never did get to harvest any actual brussel sprouts as record 3 day hard freeze wiped out the garden as I was making these, but I would attempt growing them again for leaves if nothing else.