Dolma / Stuffed Grape Leaves

Ingredients For Dolma Mix:

Ingredients For Layering, Stuffing and Cooking:

Directions:

In a large bowl, add the washed rice.
On a cutting board, cut 2.5 pounds of sirloin beef very tiny. Or ask your butcher to grind/ground beef. Then add it to the mix/rice bowl.
Cut up one onion very small and add to the mix.
Mince the garlic and add to the mix.
Add salt, pepper, and spices to the bowl and mix with your hands.
Add the tomato paste and sauce to the bowl and mix all together.
Add fresh lemon, and make sure everything is well blended.
Now you are done with the stuffing. Set aside and work on the onions, eggplant and zucchini.
In a 10 quart pot, add 1/4 cup of vegetable or olive oil.
Then shave carrots and celery and add to the pot. Just organize them in there.
For the eggplant and zucchini, just shave every other length wise and take out the insides.
Peel the onions. Cut the ends of the onions and add 1/4 teaspoon of salt on each end of the onion and set aside for 15 minutes. This process is done so that each layer of the onion opens easier without breaking.
After 15 minutes, stuff the onions.
Stuff the eggplant and zucchini.
Stuff the grape leaves.
First layer, as I mentioned is the celery and carrots, then onion, then zucchini and eggplants. Last layer is the grape leaves.
When you are finished layering, add a stick of butter.
Then add the lemon juice and water.
Cook on stove top on high heat until it comes to a boil.
After it comes to a boil, turn to low/medium heat and let it cook for 30-45 minutes.
When it is done cooking, wait about 30 minutes to an hour before flipping.

Enjoy 🙂