Armenian Stuffed Peppers and Vegetables (Dolma) from @TinaKashian1

 Hello from TINA KASHIAN! I have memories of coming home from school to the delicious simmering aroma of Dolma which is the Armenian version of stuffed peppers and vegetables. My mother used green peppers, but also tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and grape leaves. It is a time consuming dish to prepare, but everything goes in one pot, and the final Middle Eastern dish is savory and worth the preparation time.

 

Ingredients:

Two large peppers,

2 long, thin zucchinis,

2 large tomatoes

1 pound ground beef or lamb

1 cup long-grain rice

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

 

Cooking Liquid:

2 cups hot water

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

 

Directions:

In a large bowl mix together the meat, rice, onion, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Rinse zucchinis. With the prongs of a fork, scrape the skins lengthwise for a striped effect. Cut off stem. Cut zucchinis in half. Using an apple corer or a vegetable peeler, hollow the insides of each piece while leaving a ¼ inch thickness on the bottom. Add the insides of the zucchini to the large bowl of meat and rice.

With a teaspoon, carefully hollow the insides of the tomatoes while leaving a ¼ inch thickness around the sides and bottom. Add the insides of the tomatoes to the large bowl of meat and rice.

Hollow out the insides of the peppers and discard.

 

Stuff the peppers, zucchinis, and tomatoes with the meat and rice mixture. Leave ¼ inch on top because the rice will expand during cooking.

 

Place in a large saucepan. Mix the cooking liquids together and pour over stuffed vegetables. 

 

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Cover. Cook for an hour until rice is cooked and vegetables can easily be pierced with a fork.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Do you like stuffed peppers or vegetables? If not, what is your favorite one pot dish? Please share!

 

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Not even her impending nuptials can keep Lucy Berberian, manager of her family-owned Kebab Kitchen, from the Jersey Shore’s annual Polar Bear Plunge. But her dive into the icy ocean is especially chilling when she finds a fellow swimmer doing the dead man’s float—for real . . .
 
Who would kill a man in cold blood during Ocean Crest, New Jersey’s most popular winter event? When Lucy learns the victim is Deacon Spooner, the reception hall owner who turned up his nose—and his price—at her wedding plans, she can’t help wondering who wouldn’t kill the pompous caterer . . .
 
Perhaps the culprit is the wedding cake baker whose career Deacon nearly destroyed? Or the angry bride whose reception he ruined? With her maid of honor, Katie, busily planning Lucy’s wedding without her, Lucy will have to get to the bottom of this cold-hearted business in time for Kebab Kitchen’s mouthwatering Christmas celebration—and before her hometown’s holiday spirit washes out to sea . . .
 
Recipes included

 

Tina Kashian writes the Kebab Kitchen Mediterranean mystery series, and her first book, Hummus and Homicide, spent six weeks on the B&N bestseller list. Tina is an attorney and a mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. Tina spent her childhood summers at the Jersey shore building sandcastles, boogie boarding, and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant business, as her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years. Tina still lives in New Jersey with her supportive husband and two daughters.

You can also connect with Tina at:

Website: www.tinakashian.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TinaKashianAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TinaKashian1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinakashian/