Armenia - Dolmas: Stuffed Cabbage and Capsicum

This week I made Armenian Dolmas, which are stuffed vegetables. In the past I have made Greek style stuffed capsicums but the Armenian version were steamed/boiled which resulted in quite a different flavour. Both Peter and I don’t really like the the vine leaf dolmas, so we were both a bit sceptical about cabbage dolmas but they were delicious! 

Armenia is a landlocked country in western Asia with Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east and Iran to the south.

Between the late 3rd century and the early 4th century, Armenia became the first state in the world to adopt Christianity as its official religion. Armenia historically was was one of the world's oldest civilisations, but now the Republic of Armenia only comprises one-tenth of of its former size. This drastic reduction in population is due to the horrific Armenian Genocide, which occurred during WWI. In 1915 the Turkish government marched the Armenians out into the desert and the majority of them died of thirst and hunger. At the beginning of 1915 there was approximately 2 million people living in Armenia and by the early 1920s about 1.5 million Armenians had been killed. However, to this day the Turkish government denies that there was an Armenian genocide.

As a result of the genocide and subsequent diaspora of the Armenian people, much of their traditions and culture was lost. Historians suggest that the duduk, a double-reed woodwind flute made of apricot wood, is the only truly Armenian instrument that survived through history. In 2005 UNESCO proclaimed the Armenian duduk and its music as a Masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The duduk’s music is said to reflect the passion, celebration and suffering of Armenia.

Armenian cuisine is a combination of middle eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. Rather than heavily spicing food Armenian cuisine relies more on the quality of the ingredients and the use of herbs. The popular way to prepare meat, fish and vegetables in an Armenian kitchen is stuffing. Almost any vegetable, meat or leaf can be stuffed. The stuffing typically includes rice or bulgur wheat, ground meat, herbs and sometimes fruit and nuts.

Dolmas: Stuffed Cabbage and Capsicum

Ingredients

• 800g lamb mince
• ½ cabbage (makes 16 rolls)
• 4 capsicums
• 1 Tbs basil
• 1 Tbs parsley
• 1 onion diced
• 2 Tbs butter, melted
• 2 Tbs tomato paste
• 2 Tbs lemon juice
• ½ cup rice
• 1 ½ tinned diced tomatoes
• Salt and Pepper

Carefully remove the cabbage leaves, leaving them intact and trim away the thick stalks. Do not discard the cabbage scraps as you will need these later.

Bring a large pot of well salted water (it should taste like the ocean) to simmer and add 3-4 cabbage leaves at a time and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Carefully remove the leaves and set aside to cool in cold water. Repeat this process with all your cabbage leaves.

Remove the tops of the capsicums and scoop out the seeds.

In a large bowl combine mince, basil, parsley, diced onion, rice, melted butter, lemon juice, tomato paste, salt and pepper.

Stuff the capsicums with the mince mixture and replace the capsicum tops.

To stuff the cabbage leaves, lay a cabbage leaf flat and place about 2 Tbs of mince mixture on the bottom centre of each leaf. Fold in the sides of the leaf and the tightly roll up the leaf. Repeat this process until you have stuffed all your cabbage leaves.

In a large pot (you may need two) place the cabbage scraps in an even layer on the bottom (this prevents the dolma’s sticking). Then add the stuffed capsicums to the pot sitting upright. Place the stuffed cabbage rolls, seam side down, around the capsicums (the cabbage rolls can be piled up onto several layers).

Add 1 cup of tinned tomatoes to the pot (or 1 cup per pot that you used) and the add water until it reaches ⅓ of the way up the capsicums (you may need to add more water as it simmers).

Partially cover the pot and bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes or until the rice and the mince is cooked.

Serve with pita bread and yoghurt.

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I made this meal for Peter and my parents, and everyone thought it was delicious! Boiling the vegetables meant that the meat tasted a bit like sausage meat, which was a nice surprise. We recommend that you serve it with yoghurt, which adds a nice creaminess to the dish. This recipe makes enough for about 6-8 people.

188 meals to go. Next stop on my world tour: Australia!