Day 181 - Turkey! Dolma Stuffed Grape Leaves with Ground Lamb ~ Up Next, Turkmenistan

When I was pregnant with my second son, I had a whole slew of bizarre food cravings. I couldn't stand the smell of Chinese food (which I love), couldn't get enough mangoes, and Italian food of any kind was my preferred dinner. I also had a brief love affair with tuna subs (with pickles, of course). But the random craving that most stands out was an intense 15 minute binge on stuffed grape leaves a.k.a. dolmas. On one particular trip to the grocery store, the craving was so overwhelming that I single mindedly hunted down a container in the refrigerated section, ripped the oily package open in the isle and dug in, impervious to the bemused looks of my fellow shoppers. Okay - I was 8 months pregnant and way, way past the "isn't she cute" look -- I was huge, desperate and had no shame. So, although Turkey has virtually hundreds upon hundreds of incredible dishes of all kinds, I had to make dolmas, because, well, I have an emotional attachment to them and have never tried to make them...until now...........

Located in Western Asia (Anatolian Peninsula) and East Thrace in Southeastern Europe, Turkey is bordered by Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq and Syria as well as the Mediterranean Sea and Cyprus, Aegean and Black Seas. A democratic, secular, constitutional republic, Turkey's ancient cultural heritage maintains it's traditions along with a strong economic, military and regional presence, owing in part to it's strategic location at the crossroad of Europe and Asia.. The country's rich history includes, but is not limited to, Alexander The Great's conquests, Achilles' famed battle against the Trojan's in Homer's Iliad as well as the site where the Ottoman Empire fought legendary battles. Some of the world's most extensive remains of the Roman Empire are preserved in this beautiful country. One of the world's oldest continually inhabited countries, the vast majority of Turkish people are Muslim and speak Turkish, but Kurkish and Zazaki are also spoken by Kurds and Zazas who account for about 18% of the population. A little known fact about Turkey is that the tulip was first cultivated in the Ottoman empire.

Cuisine in Turkey is influenced by Ottoman, Asian, Middle Eastern and Balkan traditions, but varies greatly by region. In the Aegean area, food tends to be lighter in it's use of spices and extensive use of seafood. In the Black Sea region, fish is a staple and to the southeast, Kebabs, mezes and bakalava are enjoyed. Still to the west, olive oil is used extensively, and is actually considered as a category of cooking all its own. Of course, stuffed grape leaves, or Dolma (means stuffed or to be stuffed), are regularly eaten in most households. When stuffed with a meat and rice mixture, they are served hot with yogurt and lemon. When stuffed with rice, they are generally served at room temperature.

Rice, pine nuts and mint for the filling - I used brown rice because that's what I had

 Grape leaves packed in water and salt - rinse, drain and pat dry

 Minced onions and garlic are sauteed in olive oil until soft

 Dried mint and dill 

 Finely chopped parsley - oops, I forgot to add it to the filling mixture

 Mix ground lamb with rice, onions and spices - I gave up on the spoon and used my hands

 1.Turn leaf shiny side down                                                                       

              2. Roll up

3. Fold one side over

                              4. Fold other side over

                                                                       5. Roll the whole thing up

Tower of Dolma Beauty

 Place dolma seam side down in a heavy dutch oven lined with grape leaves, add broth

 Place a heavy plate or weight on top of dolma to keep them from opening up while simmering

 Serve warm with lemon and yogurt - These are wonderful as an appetizer or main dish!

Dolma Stuffed Grape Leaves with Lamb (Recipe Courtesy of Epicurious)
*Can be adapted to vegetarian by omitting lamb and increasing rice to 1 cup*

1 lb ground lamb or beef
1 jar grape leaves
2 medium onions finely chopped
1 clove garlic finely chopped
3 T olive oil
2 T pine nuts
1 T dried mint
3 T minced Italian parsley
1 t dried dill weed
1/3 C uncooked long-grain white rice
2 C beef broth or bouillion
2 T fresh lemon juice
Lemon wedges

Preparation


Sauté onion and garlic in 2 T olive oil until softened. Combine in large bowl with raw lamb or beef, herbs, rice, and pine nuts.

Unroll, wash and pat dry the grape leaves and trim off stems. With shiny side down, placed small amount of filling in center of each leaf and roll up, tucking in the sides. Arrange in layers, seam side down, in a large Dutch oven. Pour beef broth, lemon juice, and remaining T olive oil over the stuffed grape leaves, and lay a heavy heat-proof dish or press over them to keep them from unwrapping. Simmer uncovered 1 - 1-1/2 hours. Serve with lemon wedges - either hot or room temperature.

Makes 3-4 dozen, depending on size of grape leaves and amount of filling for each



© 2010-2011, What's Cooking in Your World? Sarah Commerford/All Rights Reserved

Oliveto's Whole Hog Dinner 2012

After experiencing one of the Whole Hog dinners at Oliveto last year, I couldn't wait to do it again. This time I brought along a friend Susie, who had just moved to the neighborhood. While it may seem like everyone is jumping on the bandwagon and doing a whole animal dinner, the one at Oliveto is one of the oldest and surely one of the best. For one thing, it's a la carte, so you can eat and spend as much as you like. This year chef Jonah Rhodehamel focused the selections and there were more rustic options, but it's not all ears and trotters.


First up was a very hearty favata bean soup made from dried fava beans. Restaurant owner Bob Klein is the mastermind behind Community Grains and really knows his beans! The soup had tender chunks of braised pork, a chewy crouton and plenty of lift from a minty herbal puree. This is the kind of soup I would make and eat all week long.


Next up was a spectacularly good lasagna from Calabria called Sagne chine it had the lightest noodles and meatballs, plus a fresh and spicy tomato sauce and thin slivers of hard boiled egg. It was the most ethereal lasagna I have ever tasted. I was tipped off that a similar recipe is in My Calabria:Cooking with Rosetta cookbook so you may want to bookmark it. The recipe includes peas, and the Oliveto version does not.



The main course we shared was not the more common porchetta, but rather spit-roasted pork leg served with roasted carrots, turnips and greens. It was lean but still juicy, full of flavor. The chef told me he gets his pork from several sources including the sustainably raised ones from Magruder Ranch and Riverdog Farm.


After a palate cleansing salad of garden lettuce, we chose a pear strudel for dessert with vin santo ice cream. The leaves of the strudel with crackly crisp, because of course, they were slathered in strutto. Ah porcine goodness from beginning to end!

Note: There may be a few more seats left for this dinner 2/10/12, but call the restaurant to find out.

Oliveto
5655 College Avenue
Oakland, CA
510.547.5356