Dolma: Stuffed Grape Leaf Snack with Brown Rice

Dolmas come about often in my kitchen, but in various avatars each time. Stuffed Kohlrabi dolma, or stuffed Swiss chard dolma, and even stuffed Collard greens dolma are fun to make.

Now that grape leaves are handy in the backyard, the traditional grape leaf dolmas come about on and off. Blanching the grape leaves is the first step: just dunk them in boiling water for a few minutes and then plunge them in ice water to make them pliable and ready for stuffing.

The stuffing/filling, sometimes, is just leftovers that works well. And sometimes, it is tailor-made, like this time: a mix of chewy brown and wild rice with onions and dried fruits and nuts and Swiss chard from the garden.

Additionally, I steam the tightly wrapped filled dolmas; if steaming is not an option, then, place them in a pan with about half an inch of water and allow the water to boil, cover or weigh them down, and cook for about 5 to 8 minutes before serving.

I like them better as leftovers the next day, served at room temperature or chilled, with some tahini-yogurt-based dip.

Cassava Stuffed Tamales and Dolmas

I must admit, cassava is not a favorite at home, so, I don't go looking for it at the market and I don't  cook it often. Every once in a while (perhaps once a year), when it seems available at a reasonable price, I do give it a try to see if our tastes have changed. No such luck this year, we still seem to not be able to accept it without reservations.

Anyway, to keep things interesting, some of the cassava got incorporated into a rather unconventional filling for tamales and dolmas.

A bag of corn husks were handy in the pantry. The fresh green grape leaves were hanging off their vines in the backyard. A bag of coconut flour was waiting to be used up. And the cassava made a plea to be accepted with open arms.

Mushed cooked cassava, plus a few tablespoons of coconut flour just enough to make a cohesive filling is all there is to the stuffing. Some herbs and flavoring as the mood calls for, of course. I went with some annatto/achiote seasoning. Some chopped up broccoli, onions, and peppers for extra texture.

Simply wrap up the filling and steam for about 30 minutes. Lightly saute the dolma before serving, if preferred.

Stuffed Kohlrabi Greens Dolma Bites

Seasonal blueberry-picking and jam-making happened last weekend. I was all set to pay for the berries we picked and head back home when a gorgeous crisp bunch of cheerful kohlrabi jumped up at me. I couldn't resist. I brought it home with much gung-ho, only to get caught up in a million household tasks that couldn't wait any longer. So, the kohlrabi bunch sat there and waited patiently.

I had mentally made some Stuffed Kohlrabi in Coconut Cream Sauce and some Kohlrabi Naan and Kohlrabi Greens Koottu and was thrilled to have used up this new bunch of kohlrabi in fitting ways. Of course, mental-cooking is not the same as actual-cooking. So the kohlrabi sat there, sporting a pout and threatening to wilt. I had to act fast.

That's how the kohlrabi greens got made into these grape-leaf-dolma-like steamed rolls filled with spiced and fragrant rice and vegetables. Much like Swiss Chard Dolma and Collard Green Bites and Cabbage Rolls, these Kohlrabi Greens Dolma Bites were much relished by adults. Kids, not so much.

The filling is a favorite: rice sautéed with vegetables and flavored with aromatic spices, some walnuts and dried cranberries. Since the filling is a favorite side for dinners, I made quite a big batch and saved some. About a dozen large kohlrabi leaves got trimmed and washed and patted dry, ready to be stuffed and steamed.

After steaming for about 12 minutes, I sautéed them in olive oil and garnished with fresh cranberries and blueberries and some sesame seeds. The tartness of the cranberries plus the juicy sweetness of the blueberries complement the spice filling and the savory leaves.

As to the kohlrabi bulbs, they are getting pickled in vinegar - some of them at least. The rest might become fritters or stuffing when I find a pocket of time next.

Ingredients
12 to 14 kohlrabi leaves of uniform size
1 Tablespoon olive oil for sauteing
Favorite garnishes

Filling:
1 cup cooked rice
2 cups finely chopped mixed vegetables - onions, colorful bell peppers, tomatoes, Serrano chilies, cauliflower, cabbage
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Seasoning spices to taste - salt, chili powder, curry powder, paprika, turmeric, cumin powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Preparation

1. Filling: Heat the oil in a pan; add the veggies, saute a bit; then add the spices and saute some more; cover a cook till tender; then add in the rice and adjust seasoning
2. Spoon enough filling onto each kohlrabi leaf and wrap it tight like a burrito and place it in the steaming basket, free side down
3. Steam fro about 12 minutes; remove from steam
4. Heat oil in a pan, place the steamed rolled leaves gently on the pan; turn them over to gently saute all sides
5. Serve warm, garnished with favorite berries and nuts

Crock-pot Green and Red Cabbage Rolls in Sauce

Cabbage rolls are quick and easy to make in a steamer or pan. But sometimes, just the sheer joy of starting it early and having it ready hours later makes me turn to the electrical crock pot for this.

Red cabbage leaves are notoriously crispy and not pliable to facilitate easy rolling. Use slightly old red cabbage that feels wilted a bit, yet good for consumption. Outer leaves with thick ridges don't work as well, of course. Also, I prefer to par cook it in the microwave with some water to make it softer and easier to roll up.

For a quick filling, ready-made frozen veggie patties are perfect. Either TJ's Pizza Veggie Burger patties or Black Bean Chipotle patties are the current favorites at home. Simply cook the patties, crumble them to make the filling.

Start some tomato sauce with corn and onion cooking in a crock pot. Assemble the cabbage rolls: simply fill a layer of cabbage large enough to make a roll, roll like a burrito wrap or dolma, place gently in the crock pot with the sauce. Cover and cook for  5 to 6 hours till desired doneness. I start this in the morning before going to work, and it is ready for dinner that evening.

Swiss Chard Dolma

Dolmas: Something Stuffed.

Flavorful stuffing wrapped in favorite leaves and steamed. Be it East Asian style lettuce leaves or Mediterranean style grape leaves or Swiss chard.

Blanch the Swiss chard leaves after cutting away the white thick stems carefully. I have a tendency to over-stuff, but, this time I managed to use just enough and wrap it into tight little packages for steaming.

Brown rice with toasted pine nuts, feta, and dried cranberries, flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and a hint of cayenne pepper makes up the stuffing for these Swiss Chard Dolmas.

I served it with a Balsamic Vinaigrette dip and Sweet Chili Sauce. But a delicious rich tomato sauce or a light and delicate Mint-Yogurt sauce or Tahini-Sumac-Yogurt Dressing would be wonderful as well.

collard greens "sushi" bites

When I was little I remember my mom used to make several types of greens (keerai, in local language) - some pungent, some pretty bland, and some leaving me craving for more...

Greens, whether in salad, or cooked up as soup, or served as bite-size snacks, seem to be a favorite at home. So, for the JFI-WBB Going Green with Green Leafy Vegetables event, I thought it would be fun to cook up some Collard Greens in two simple ways, combining the ideas from two of my favorite bite-sized treats - viz., Dolma and Sushi .

Collard greens belong to the cabbage family and apparently have higher nutritional value when cooked than when raw due to the tough cell structure.

Good to know, because I am not sure I can eat collard greens raw :)

Dolmas are with grape leaves, stuffed and steamed; and sushi is with toasted nori, rolled up with cooked rice, among other things. Drawing inspiration from these, and knowing I like collard greens, I made one set of bite-sized treats with just rolled up cooked collards and the other set stuffed with flavored rice.




Ingredients
6-8 collard greens leaves
for the flavor sauce:
2-3 Tbsp Ponzu or soy sauce
2-3 Tbsp Tabasco® sauce
1 Tbsp chipotle sauce
for the flavored rice stuffing:
1 cup raw jasmine rice
¼ cup raisins and dry cranberries
2 Tbsp finely chopped walnuts
1 Tbsp Madras curry powder
salt to taste
water as needed

Preparation

Bring water to a boil in a large pot; remove the thick stalk^** from collard greens, cut the leaves roughly in half and drop them in boiling water; cover and cook till collard greens are just cooked - they change color and get quite soft; remove from water and drain
^**I usually save the stalk for using in sambar or curries; similarly with broccoli, when i meed to use only the florets, I save the stalk for other dishes :)

combine the Tabasco sauce, ponzu or soy sauce and chipotle sauce in a bowl, stir well and keep this sauce handy

In a plate, add some of the blended sauce from above, layer the drained collard greens on the plate, add splashes of the sauce, and another layer of collard greens and so on; leave it to marinate while getting the rest of the things ready

In a pot, combine 1 cup raw jasmine rice with 2½ cups water, some salt, curry powder, the dry fruits and walnut, cover and cook till rice is done; taste and adjust flavors, keep handy for stuffing

For the Collard Greens Bites: Layer about 3 or 4 of the marinated collard greens, roll into a tight cylinder/log while squeezing out any of the marinade; cut into bite sized pieces and arrange in a serving plate

For the Collard Greens Sushi/Wrap: Place a marinated collard green leaf on a plate, add some rice stuffing, wrap it tight as you would a dolma, or a burrito; cut on a bias if desired before serving

Serve at room temperature or cold.