Zarouhie Bedrossian’s Best Chicken Kebabs
Kebab (n): a skewer upon which meat, vegetables and/or seafood are cooked and served. Kebab (v): To transform an average day into a party.
Jamee Moltini’s Stove-Top Dolma
Jamee Moltini (née Ashjian) and I grew up together in Fresno. Our fathers were great friends in their youth, and remain so to this day. Another commonality? Jamee’s dad’s mom and my dad’s mom were both named Florence, excellent cooks, and joyful conveners of their families for occasions big and small. Florence Ashjian’s parents were from Bitlis, Turkey, just to the west of Lake Van, where my mom’s father was born. And the connections go on!
Yet for all of these similarities, there are interesting differences in how we cook. For example, I was taught to bake dolma, but Jamee makes hers on the stove-top in this marvelously rich tomato broth. With one hour as the total cook time, Jamee’s is certainly a more expedient way to make the dish. And as for the taste, it does not disappoint. See for yourself, and vive la difference!
Jamee Moltini’s Stove-Top Dolma
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Yield:
Serves 3-4
Prep time:
20min
Cook time:
40min
Total time:
1h
INGREDIENTS
| ½ | onion, chopped |
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| 1 | lb. ground beef (80% lean) |
| 4-5 | flat-bottomed bell peppers (any color but green) |
| 56 | oz. tomato sauce |
| 1 | cup white rice (such as Jasmine) |
| 1 | stick unsalted butter |
| 1 | lemon |
| 1 | tsp salt |
| ½ | tsp pepper |
| ½ | tsp granulated garlic |
TOOLS
- A sharp knife, cutting board, medium saucepan and any old pot with a cover will do.
INSTRUCTIONS
| 1. | Bring the rice and two cups of water to boil in a medium saucepan, cover, reduce heat to medium-low for 20 minutes and set aside. |
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| 2. | Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables: chop the onion, remove the tops from the peppers and hollow out their contents. |
| 3. | In a large bowl, combine the cooked rice, onion, beef, salt, pepper, garlic and 14 ounces of the tomato sauce. |
| 4. | Mix well with your hands (preferably) or a wooden spoon (if you must). |
| 5. | Stuff the mixture into the peppers, packing it nicely to create a little mound atop each pepper. |
| 6. | To a large pot or Dutch oven, add the remaining 42 ounces of tomato sauce, 28 ounces of water and the juice of the lemon. |
| 7. | Place the peppers right side up in the pot and dot the broth with the butter. |
| 8. | Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a summer and baste frequently to moisten the peppers. |
| 9. | Cook for 20 minutes; taste and adjust seasonings (adding more salt, pepper, butter, or lemon) as desired. |
| 10. | Serve in bowls, each with one ladle of the broth, a pepper and dollop of plain yogurt on top. Enjoy with moistened lahvosh (Armenian cracker bread) if you can find some. |
NOTES
| If you wish to bring down the sodium content, use half the amount called for in this recipe and adjust as needed – either during the cooking process or at the table. (Usually one teaspoon of salt is recommended for each pound of meat, but ultimately the amount of salt, pepper, and even garlic used are entirely up to you.) |
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