One of the best meals I've ever had was in Istanbul 15 years ago - at a local restaurant in a small alleyway. The flavours and textures were incredible. I'd never tasted real dolmades before - just the canned ones. They are completely different - the taste experience has stayed with me and my mouth waters just thinking of being there.
I've recently started making my own. I forage through my permaculture garden and find a range of ingredients to make seasonal local versions of this very tasty meal and I am very impressed. They taste so good!
Pumpkin leaf dolmades.
It may seem unlikely, but pumpkin leaves steamed lightly for just a few minutes lose their prickliness and become amazingly soft and delicious. Pumpkin leaves can be added to anything you use spinach in - spanikopita, quiche, stir-fry, soup, stew, curry ....
Here is my recipe for dolmades made with fresh garden ingredients.
Recipe: Pumpkin Leaf and Choko Dolmades
Ingredients
1/2 cup pine nuts or sunflower seeds (toasted)
1 ½ cups rice
1 medium onion
1 small finely sliced fennel bulb
1 choko finely sliced
1/4 cup currants
1/4 cup fresh finely chopped mint (and/or tulsi, parsley, oregano...)
1 lime/lemon freshly squeezed
1 tbsp lemon/lime zest
50 young pumpkin leaves (or tender choko leaves)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Allspice
Instructions
Steam the pumpkin leaves for 5 mins and set aside to cool.
Dice the onion and sauté with 1/4 cup of olive oil.
When they turn translucent, add the toasted pine nuts/seeds* and sauté for 5 more minutes.
Add rice and stir constantly for 5-10 minutes until the rice is translucent.
After another quick stir, add 1/2 cup of boiling water and simmer on low medium heat for 15-20 minutes until all the liquid has absorbed into the rice mixture.
Take off heat and let cool.
Roll a tablespoon of the mix onto each leaf and roll.
Serve with fresh natural yoghurt or tahini sauce (recipe below)
Put the veined side of the leaf up - place mixture near the stem end, roll once, fold sides over then finish rolling to the tip.
Note: Normally at this point with dolmades, the rolls are then packed very tightly into a pot and simmered with oil, lime/lemon juice and water for approx 45 mins until the liquid is absorbed. However I find that the pumpkin leaves do not survive this process like grape leaves do. The choko leaves or OK with it.
* I use a flat plate sandwich maker to quickly toast seeds.
I made balls with the left over rice mixture and rolled them in toasted sesame seeds - mmm...an absolutely delicious lunchbox treat.
The abundant and easy to grow Society Garlic - the flowers have more garlic potency than the strappy leaves. They taste great in this tahini dressing. They taste great too in pesto.
Society Garlic Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
1 cup tahini
3/4 cup lukewarm water, or more for consistency
A big handful of society garlic leaves and/or flowers (the flowers are more powerful)
1 lemon/lime juiced
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp finely chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
Whisk together by hand or in food processor until good smooth consistency
