Go Get Shtuffed

A friend of ours is comin' over tomorrow, and he really digs my homemade dolmas (a.k.a. stuffed grape leaves). I make 'em veggie, so they're perfect for him 'cause he's one of them damn vegans. Now, I've been without meat or fish for over half my life at this point, but give up cheese? Nuh uh.

Anyway, making dolmas is a fairly intensive process, but well worth it. I use a great recipe from a vegetarian Armenian cookbook I've had for a few years that's packed with great recipes. These taste a helluva a lot better than the stuff you'll get at the corner falafel joint.

Oh -- and if you're planning a special meal, heat the dolmas in this incredible egg lemon sauce for an amazing, rich side dish. I had them prepared this way for the first time in Lesvos about five years ago and was blown away.

So, I snapped a few shots this morning while assembling the dolmas after preparing the filling last night. The filling is a mixture of rice, red pepper, scallions, parsley, mint, walnuts, tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Luckily I live in an area highly populated with middle easterners, so picking up a jar of grape leaves ain't no thang.

You may notice that some of the final dolmas have some dark patches, which is really 'cause I should have taken them off the stove a little earlier then I did, but it really doesn't affect the texture or taste at all (plus it adds to that homemade appeal)....