Ingredients:
• 12 oz. fresh grape leaves or 18 oz leaves out of a jar
• 1 pond ground lamb or beef
• 4 oz. lard
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 2 cups rice, cooked
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon Ivan Chai (optional)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• a bunch of cilantro, chopped
• 4 cups beef broth
• 3 tablespoons ghee
Directions:
• Mix together meat, rice, onion, turmeric, cumin, salt, pepper, van chai, and cilantro.
• Bring a big pot of water to a simmer.
• Blanch the grape leaves in the hot water for 5 minutes.
• Drain then trim the stems and any hard veins from the leaves.
• Pat dry with paper towels.
• To assemble the dolmas, lay a grape leaf on a work surface, shiny-side down.
• Put 1-2 tablespoons of the filling near the stem end of the leaf.
• Fold the stem end over the filling, then fold both sides toward the middle, and roll up into a cigar, it should be snug but not overly tight because the rice will swell once it is fully cooked.
• Squeeze lightly in the palm of your hand to secure the roll.
• Repeat with remaining grape leaves and filling.
• Place some grape leaves on the bottom of the Dutch oven, that will prevent dolmas from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pot.
• Place the dolmas seam-side on top of the grape leaves.
• Pour the broth over the dolmas, the liquid should cover the rolls, add some water if necessary.
• Put some grape leaves on top of dolmas.
• Spread ghee over the grape leaves.
• Place a plate over grapes leaves, that prevents the dolmas from unwrapping. You can also place a weight on top of the plate.
• Cover the pan with a lid and simmer over low heat for 50-60 minutes.
• Let the dolmas to cool down in the pot for 5 minutes before serving.
• Serve warm, at room temperature or cool.
Note: You can also use crushed tomatoes instead of broth for extra flavor but then increase the cooking time by 10-15 minutes.
