Armenian Stuffed Vegetables (dolma)

Total Time: 2 hrs Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 1/2 lbs ground lamb or 1 1/2 lbs ground round or 1 1/2 lbs lamb and lean ground top round beef
• 1/2 cup rice (preferably a combination of the two) or 1/2 cup cracked bulgur wheat (preferably a combination of the two)
• 1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped fine
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 8 ounces crushed tomatoes or 8 ounces tomato sauce
• cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon black pepper (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
• 1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth or 1 (14 ounce) can beef broth, enough to cover the vegetables

Recipe

• 1 preparation of vegetables:.
• 2 a variety of vegetables can and should be used including red, gold, and or green bell peppers. also used are large sized zucchini squash, tomatoes, and onions.
• 3 scoop out the vegetables leaving an opening for the filling of about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter and about 2-3 inches deep. fill the scooped out vegetables with the filling mixture and place upright in a large covered casserole.
• 4 pour over the crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce with broth or 1 cup of water. cover and cook in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 1-1 1/2 hours.
• 5 try this dish served with a dollop of mahdzoon (yogurt) over the filled vegetables.
• 6 see my mahdzoon recipe -- enjoy!