Title: Dolme (Stuffed Vegetables, Persian Style)
Categories: Meat Israel Jewish Persian
Yield: 1 Servings

STUFFING
1	c	Raw rice, well rinsed & covered w/water, AND
1	ts	Salt for 1/2 hr
2	c	Fresh or canned chopped tomatoes
1/2	c	Yellow split peas, soaked IN
1	c	Water for 1 hr
4	tb	Corn oil
2	md	(1 cup) onions, chopped
1/4	ts	Ground turmeric
6		Scallions, chopped
1	c	Celery leaves, chopped
2	tb	Dried lime (limoo amoni), crushed to powder
1/2	c	Fresh parsley, chopped OR
2	tb	Dried parsley
2	tb	Dried dill
1	tb	Dried tarragon
1	ts	Dried mint
1	lb	Ground lamb or beef, mixed W/
1/2	c	Onion, fine-chopped
1	c	Pureed tomatoes
2	tb	Fresh lemon juice

Stuffed vegetables of many kinds are prepared by communities all over the world. The Persian method follows their traditional seasonings w/ emphasis on herbs & slow cooking. Eggplant, lettuce leaves, grape leaves, yellow summer squash, onion, cucumber, Swiss chard, beet greens, and in fact anything that be folded or hollowed out can be stuffed. And Dolme can be made in large quantities for celebrations.

1. Pour off half water from rice, put rice in a pan, and bring to a boil over low heat. Stir in chopped tomatoes & continue to simmer for 7 mins, or until most of liquid has evaporated.

2. Put yellow split peas in a pan, bring to a simmer & cook over low heat for 15 mins, or until nearly all liquid has evaporated. Set aside.

3. Heat oil in a large pan, add onions & turmeric, and stir-fry until onions are light brown, abt 5 mins over moderate heat. Remove pan from heat & add rice mixture, split peas, scallions, celery leaves, dried lime, parsley, dill, tarragon, mint, and meat. Mix everything together & set aside. This is enough stuffing for 6 tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, or 12 to 15 cabbage leaves.

4. Select 6 vegetables you wish to use. An assortment such as tomato, pepper, & squash, or cabbage & tomato, is more interesting than all one kind. Or use whatever is preferred & seasonally available.

Prepare vegetables as follows: For tomatoes, cut a 2-inch disc in the top & scoop out pulp, leaving a firm wall. Reserve disc for a top & pulp for sauce.

For pepper, red or green, cut a disc in top & scoop out seeds and ribs. Save disc.

For squash, cut each lengthwise into halves. Scoop out & discard pulp from each half, leaving a firm wall.

For cabbage, bring a pan of water to a boil. Drop in 2 green outer leaves & submerge in water for 2 mins. They will become quite flexible. Remove leaves w/a slotted spoon & set aside. These are to be used for pan lining. Do same w/12 to 15 inner white leaves & set aside.

5. Stuff tomato, pepper, & squash abt 3/4 full w/prepared stuffing. Cover each tomato & pepper w/its own disc.

6. Spread green cabbage leaves on bottom of a large pan. Fit in whatever assortment of vegetables you are using.

Continued in R-SEPHARDIC-PERSIAN.067B (missing)

Recipe: "Sephardic Cooking" by Copeland Mark -- 600 Recipes Created in Exotic Sephardic Kitchens from Morocco to India -- Copyright 1992 Published by Donald I. Fine, Inc., New York, N.Y. David Pileggi

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