In answer to a recent inquiry about how Etchmiadzin dolma
differs from regular dolma, Ara Kassabian offered a brief explanation and recipe. Ara notes that the main distinguishing characteristic of
Etchmiadzin dolma, apparently, is the additional use of apples and quince.
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| Apples and Quince (Image from lavenderandlovage.com) | |
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Here is a recipe Ara translated from Armenian into English for our benefit. His comments are in bold print inside [square brackets].
Etchmiadzin
Dolma
Stuffing ingredients:
1 kg (approx. 2.2 lbs.) of beef, ground
2 onions, finely chopped
1 cup rice [I
suggest short-grained or ordinary long-grained–not Basmati]
Tomato paste
Salt, red pepper, black pepper
Mixed fresh herbs [Recipe
does not say, but I would suggest parsley, plus mint or dill]
Vegetables:
1 head cabbage, outer leaves removed, inner leaves
separated and blanched
1 kg (approx. 2.2 lbs.) of tomatoes
1 kg (approx. 2.2 lbs.) eggplant
500 g (approx. 1 lb.) green pepper
1 kg (approx. 2.2 lbs.) of apples
Sauce:
50 g (approx. 3 ½ Tbsp.) melted butter
Additional tomato paste
Directions:
1. Make the stuffing by mixing all the ingredients.
2. Core the
vegetables [I usually add the core
material back into the stuffing, but that is optional].
3. Fill the cored
vegetables and the cabbage leaves with the stuffing [Note: Dolma in Eastern Armenia is made much larger than in Western
Armenia].
4. Place a platter on the bottom of a pot and arrange the
stuffed vegetables tightly on top of it. Cover with water and an inverted plate
to keep everything in place [Note: The
purpose of the plate at the bottom of the pot is to prevent the dolma from
burning. I suggest using the leftover cabbage leaves, parsley stems, etc., instead].
Cover and cook for 40 minutes (high heat until the water boils, then lower
to a simmer). 10 minutes before removing from the fire, add the melted butter
and tomato paste.