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Lamb and bulgur dolma with mint sauce

Lamb and Bulgur Dolma with Mint Sauce

Wonderful stuffed grape leaves with lamb. Dolma is great with lamb! But you can use any meat you like, so feel free to experiment.

Dietrich

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Grape leaves

200

Lamb (I use the leg/hip)

Lamb fat-tail (fat-tail fat)

150

Onion

200

Bulgur

Water

130

Ground coriander (whole coriander seeds are even better — available at any market)

Cumin

Ground cinnamon

0.5

Ground black pepper

Table salt

Butter

150

Egg yolks

Mint

Onion

150

White wine (dry white wine)

Red wine vinegar

Ground black pepper

Table salt

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 30 % 9 g

Fats 57 % 17 g

Carbohydrates 13 % 4 g

199 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

Trim the membrane and sinew off the lamb.
Step 2:

Pour boiling water over the grape leaves and let them sit for 5 minutes. Drain them in a colander and let the water run off. Snip off the stem at the base of each leaf. (If the leaves are brine-packed, first soak them in water, then rinse them well.)
Step 3:

Run the lamb, lamb fat-tail, and onion through a meat grinder with a fine plate. Add the rinsed bulgur and the ground spices to the meat.
Step 4:

Pour the warm water into the meat mixture, mix, and season with salt to taste.
Step 5:

Lay a leaf on the table, glossy side down. Put 1–1.5 tablespoons of filling near the base, fold the bottom of the leaf over it, then fold in the sides. It's the same principle as cabbage rolls — which is what dolma essentially is. Roll them up!
Step 6:

Line the bottom of a pot with whole grape leaves (so the dolma doesn't stick). Arrange the dolma on top in a circle, packed tightly together so they don't unroll. Layer them up, covering each layer with whole leaves. Cover the top layer with leaves and a plate (to keep the dolma from floating). Pour in salted cold water up to the level of the plate. Cover, set over medium heat, bring to a boil, and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
Step 7:

In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt 130 g of butter over low heat. As it starts to foam, skim the foam off the surface with a spoon. After about 10 minutes the butter will turn clear — that's clarified butter. Take it off the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
Step 8:

Melt the remaining 20 g of butter in a saucepan. Add the finely chopped onion and half of the finely chopped mint. Cook over low heat, stirring, until the onion is translucent (be careful not to let it brown!). Add the vinegar and wine and cook over low heat, stirring, until only 3 tablespoons of liquid remain. Take it off the heat and let it cool, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve.
Step 9:

Whisk the egg yolks into the strained liquid in a saucepan. Set it over low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens (do not let it boil!). Take it off the heat and whisk in the clarified butter a little at a time.
Step 10:

Season the sauce with salt and ground black pepper, and stir in coarsely chopped mint leaves.
Step 11:

Serve the stuffed leaves hot, drizzled with the warm sauce. That's it — enjoy!

I love dolma with matsoni (a fermented milk drink). Stir some chopped garlic, cilantro, and mint into the matsoni and it's downright fantastic! If you like it that way, you can skip the recipe's sauce altogether — and save a lot of time. It's delicious either way, trust me! Ninety minutes is nothing, and it's guaranteed to please everyone lucky enough to get a serving.