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Dolmathes, Cyprus Style

dolmas and tzatziki
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Cyprus Style Dolmathes

This recipe was taught to me by a lady from Cyprus. She made hers with lamb and beef and they were considered a meal rather than just an appetizer. I make them vegetarian most of the time, but making them with meat is VERY delicious!
Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine cypriot, greek
Keyword beef and chicken chili, dolmas, dolmathes, lamb, lamb dolmathes
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings 40 dolmas
Author misangela

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground lamb
  • 1 lb ground beef 90/10 (OR use all lamb)
  • 1 lg onion, small dice about 3/4 cup
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced about 1.5 Tbl
  • 2 tsp EACH S/P
  • 1 cup prepared rice basmati is my go-to, make sure to season with S/P
  • 1 14oz can tomatoes, any type drained
  • 1/2 cup fresh mint, finely chopped sub dry 3 Tbl, but fresh is best
  • 1 jar grape leaves, rinsed and separated most groceries have these in the ethnic aisle
  • 1 pkg lamb neck bones or shoulder chops about 1# or less
  • 1 8oz can tomato sauce
  • 2 lemons, zest and juice sub 1/3 cup jarred juice, but fresh is best
  • chicken stock as needed (have 2 cups or so on hand)
  • EVOO as needed
  • plain Greek yogurt
  • lemon wedges for serving

Instructions

  • There is a lot of prep for these. Assemble all your ingredients and take it step by step.
  • Prepare rice by package directions to yield about 1 cup and set aside. You can alter the rice to meat ratio here if you like. If you double the rice, you'll double the number of dolmas you make, keep that in mind.
  • In a large skillet over med hi heat, sauté lamb and beef with onions and garlic for about 8 minutes. It will be mostly cooked, but a little pink still. Season to taste with S/P - go a little salty here. The second cook will take out some salt.
  • Off heat, add tomatoes, lemon zest and mint to meat mixture, combine thoroughly. Set aside while you prepare the grape leaves.
  • In a large stock pot, arrange lamb bones or chops in the bottom.
  • Rinse and separate grape leaves. You may skip rinsing if you like the briny taste like I do.
  • Lay the leaf on the board with the stem UP, at the bottom. Trim stem if it's long. Put about 1 Tbl of filling at stem - do not overfill. Tuck in side leaves and roll like a burrito. (vegetarian filling shown)
    how to stuff dolmas
  • This recipe will make about 40 dolmathes, it depends on the leaves. Stack them seam side down, tightly in the stock pot on top of the lamb chops as you make them and drizzle each layer with EVOO. You should get a big pot of dolmathes from this recipe. Do not fill the pot over 3/4 full. If you have too many, either do two pots or freeze the extras.
  • Once the dolmas are made and in the pot, drizzle with a little more EVOO, then pour over the tomato sauce and lemon juice. Top with chicken stock to reach about 3/4 up on the dolmas.
  • Weigh down the dolmas with a plate and cook over med low for about 45 minutes.
  • Serve with Greek yogurt, EVOO and lemon wedges.

Notes

While labour intensive, dolmathes are truly worth it. I like them both vegetarian (Turkish) and with meat (Greek/Cypriot). 
Dolmathes freeze well! 

V1.22

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Smashed Cauliflower

This is one of those low carb diet dishes that is supposed to replace potatoes…and it’s good enough to actually make you forget all about those carbs!

1 head cauliflower, cut up
1-1.5cups chicky broth
salt/pepper
1Tbl butter
1 cup shredded cheese (whatever you like)

Put the cauliflower in a large skillet with a lid if you’ve got one. Pour in enough broth to come up halfway on the cauliflower and turn the heat to high. Let the cauliflower simmer until it gets soft. Drain off the broth, set aside. Add the butter, s/p and cheese. Turn the heat to medium. Start lightly mashing the cauliflower and cheese together. Add back in enough broth to keep the mixture moist but not runny. I like to leave identifiable chunks of cauliflower in mine, but you can smash it all the way if you like.

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Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

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Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

My recipe is not particularly unique, but I can tell you that this is an OLD cocktail nibbly from the 50s/60s. There are many iterations of it, mine is the usual soy sauce route. Enjoy!
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword 50s party food, 60s party food, bacon, bacon wrapped water chestnuts, cocktail nosh
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 10
Author misangela

Equipment

  • plain toothpicks

Ingredients

  • 2 cans whole water chestnuts, drained
  • 1 pound bacon, cut into 4ths NOT thick sliced
  • ½ Cup soy sauce
  • ½ Cup mirin or seasoned rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 Cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 Cup sesame oil or olive oil
  • black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Marinate the water chestnuts in a gallon zip bag with soy, mirin, brown sugar and oil. You can marinate up to 2 days ahead.
  • When ready to cook, preheat oven to 400°F. Cut up bacon and wrap each water chestnut in a piece of bacon and secure with toothpick.
  • On the sheet pan, sprinkle chestnuts with black pepper and a bit more brown sugar.
  • Bake for about 15 minutes, until the bacon is rendered and crispy.
  • Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

This is a HUGE party favourite! I usually double the recipe because they disappear so quickly. 
You can change up the flavour profile by modifying the marinade for the water chestnuts. Try it with garlic chili sauce or make them with L&P and rosemary for a completely different taste. 
You can also put bacon around dates or dried fruit. 
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More Recipes to come!

I think I’ll make a project of going through my recipes and posting them. I know I owe the Dolmathes and the Mirliton recipes, which I’ll get up ASAP. If there are any others that you guys would like, just ask.

Oh, and I’ll put up the Hot Wing Dip, too. :-)

There is a NEW category of posts called Angela’s Recipes with everything I’ve put up so far. To access it, scroll down past the news on the right and select the category you’d like to see. All posts from that category will be listed.

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Angela’s Green Bean Casserole

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Angela's Green Bean Casserole

Yes, everyone has a green bean casserole recipe. Here's mine! :)
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword christmas, green bean casserole, green beans, thanksgiving
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 8
Author misangela

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Green Beans cut into 2" pcs, blanched in salted water then rinsed in cold water to stop cooking
  • 1 8oz Cremini Mushrooms thinly sliced
  • 1 small White Onion (about half to 2/3 cup) VERY small dice (brunoise)
  • 4 cloves Garlic minced
  • 4 Tbl Butter pieces
  • 3 Tbl A/P Flour
  • 1 tsp Salt Dixie Crystal Kosher
  • 2 tsp Black Pepper
  • 2 Tbl L&P Worcestershire more if you like
  • 1 Cup Shredded Cheese whatever you like (smoked cheddar and gruyere is very good);
  • 1 Cup Half n Half whole milk is fine; you might need +/-
  • 1 container French Fried Onions try adding some of the jalapeño ones!!
  • ½ Cup Shredded Cheese for topping

Instructions

  • Get all your ingredients ready to assemble and your cooking will go much smoother.
  • Blanch the green beans in boiling salted water for 4-5 mins. Dump into a colander then rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Set aside to drain. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • Put the butter in a large saucepan over med hi heat. When melted, add shrooms, onions and garlic and cook gently until translucent (you may need to turn down heat to avoid browning the veg).
  • When veg is translucent, add in the flour and cook for another couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Add S/P and L&P.
  • Add in half and half and turn up heat to bring to a simmer, then add cheese, stirring constantly until the mix is thick and delicious. When cheese is melted, take off heat. This sauce should be THICK. Adjust accordingly.
  • In a big bowl, put the green beans and sauce and fold together. When combined, add about 1/3 of the fried onions to the mix and fold in. Taste for seasoning and adjust. You might like a bit more L&P or pepper. Also make sure it's thick enough. If your sauce is too thin, mix in a bit more cheese to add body as it cooks.
  • Spray a large oven proof casserole dish with food release (PAM) then pour in the casserole. Top with more shredded cheese and the remaining fried onions.
  • Cook at 375°F for about 30 minutes COVERED with foil, then uncover for the last 10 minutes. Topping should be golden brown and casserole should be bubbly around the edges. Internal temp should be 160-170º when done.

Notes

I recommend trying the fried jalapeno version of the French's onions in this dish, it is YUMMY. Not too hot, but adds a piquant flavour. 
You can also add a little cayenne to the sauce if you want more zip.