Dolmas “Gorky Style”
Jacky Cheng and Tananya Prankprakma
Dolmas “Gorky Style”
Materials (3 portions):
Dolmas
Grape leaves 20 pieces
Ground beef 12oz
Onion 1
Black pepper some
Short grain rice 1.5 cup
Butter 1 stick
Chicken stock 2 cups
Extra virgin olive oil some
Allspice some
Cumin some
Parsley 1 bunch
Garlic 1 head
Sumac garlic yogurt
Yogurt, plain ~10 oz
Ground sumac some
Garlic 1 head
Charred eggplant puree
Eggplant 2
Extra virgin olive oil some
Lemon 1
Pomegranate chili sauce / combined with reduction
Pomegranates 3
Bird’s ey chili peppers (fresh) 3
Champagne (or rice) vinegar some
Honey some
Heavy cream few, if needed. 250mL
Sugar 50g
Balsamic vinegar 10ml
Herb chlorophyll sauce
Mint 2 bunches
Parsley 1 bunch
Heavy cream few, if needed. 250 mL
Procedure:
Dolmas
1. Rinse rice and soak in water for 20 minutes
2. Sautee onions in butter until browned
3. Combine rice, onions, minced meat, EVOO, then season with salt and pepper
4. [R&D] take half of the stuffing and add additional allspice, cumin, parsley, garlic
5. Roll dolmas (12) using grape leaves and stuffing
6. Layer grape leaves on the bottom of pot
7. Add dolmas to pot
8. Place a plate or aluminum foil on top of dolmas for stability
9. Add 2 cups of chicken broth (salted!) and cook for 50 minutes on low heat
Rationale: no spices in dolmas so they can be enjoyed alone, or with every single type of sauce. Compare dolmas with and without allspice and cumin.
Charred eggplant puree
10. Roast eggplant in oven for 30 minutes, 400F
11. Scoop out flesh of roast eggplant and blend with EVOO
12. Rectify taste with lemon juice and salt
13. Strain into container and store in hot water bath
Herb chlorophyll sauce
14. Prepare ice bath
15. Blanch parsley and mint in boiling water for 5 seconds
16. Move the herbs to ice bath and chill
17. Transfer herbs to a separate container and blend with EVOO and salt. Gradually add more ice water and olive oil, and heavy cream
18. Strain into container and set aside at room temperature
Pomegranate chili sauce
21. Filet chili pulp
22. In a small stockpot, simmer pomegranate seeds and chili with 2 tbsp of vinegar
23. When all the vinegar evaporates, add EVOO and blend peppers with blender
24. Rectify the taste with honey, rectify thickness with olive oil and water
25. Strain into container and store in hot water bath
Pomegranate reduction
26. In boiling water, add pomegranate seeds and sugar
27. Boil for 10 minutes to extract flavor and color
28. Strain out pomegranate seeds
29. Use rapid reduction to reduce liquid to syrup, let cool
30. Rectify taste with balsamic vinegar
31. Strain into container and set aside at room temperature
Sumac garlic yogurt
32. Grate raw garlic
33. Mix grated garlic with yogurt and sumac powder
34. Strain into container and keep refrigerated
Serving
35. Line platter with baking sheet
36. Using a spoon, splatter sauces in the order of:
eggplant puree à yogurt à tomato sauce à herb sauce
37. Arrange dolmas on platter
38. Drizzle with pomegranate reduction
39. Finish with Maldon salt flakes
