Pırasa Dolması With Ground Beef
Pırasa dolması (stuffed leeks) are not a type of stuffing that is made in my home town. In fact, I even learned about the existence of stuffed leeks quite late. When I first heard about it, I thought that the leeks were removed whole and stuffed without cutting the layers. Then one day, when I saw it on a cooking show, I said, "Of course, it makes more sense to do it this way.".
I don't want to stir things up, but there's something like this. Don't you think this dish should be called wrapped leeks or leek wraps? After all, it is made by wrapping it like sarma. For example, in some regions, sarmas are called dolmas. Those who call it sarma explain it as "Dolma is dolma because it is stuffed (dolma is directly translated as stuffed), and sarma is sarma because it is wrapped (directly translated as sarma)." If so, why isn't pırasa dolması called pırasa sarması? Let's think and discuss.
Normally, I make dolma and sarma by half cooking the filling. In my opinion, onions and ground meat are not delicious unless they are roasted and the raw juices of them are evaporated. But since the ends of the stuffed leeks are open, the filling should not be grainy. That being the case, I compromised on this habit and choice for the first time. But I still think that roasted sarma and dolmas are more delicious.
I baked stuffed leeks in the oven like stuffed onions. Since the ground meat and onion are not roasted, I wanted the leeks to at least caramelize a little so that it would have a good flavour. It was exactly what I wanted. But if you don't have such an obsession, you can also cook it by arranging it in a pot like sarma.
I also added a table spoon of pomegranate syrup to the sauce to make it slightly sour and sweet. It really gave a great taste. It is not necessary to use it, but if you have the opportunity, I recommend using it.
Enjoy the recipe...
Pırasa Dolması With Ground Beef with Video
Ingredients
- 6 thick stalks of leek,
- 250 g of ground beef,
- 3 tablespoons of rice,
- 1 onion,
- 1 handful of chopped parsley,
- 1 teaspoon of tomato paste,
- 1 teaspoon paprika,
- Salt to taste.
For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste,
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil,
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate syrup,
- Salt to taste.
Preparation
- Cut and separate the green stems of the leeks,
- Cut the white parts about four fingers thick,
- Make a longitudinal scratch on the pieces you cut,
- Place the leeks in a pot of boiling water and cook until they are soft enough to shape easily,
- Remove from heat, strain and run through cold water,
- For the stuffing, take the ground beef, rice, grated onion, parsley, tomato paste, paprika and salt into a bowl and knead it,
- Separate the layers of the leek one by one, put 1 teaspoon of stuffing on one end of each piece lengthwise and wrap it in a roll shape,
- Spread the pieces that are not suitable for wrapping at the bottom of a baking dish large enough to fit the dolmas,
- Arrange the dolmas on them,
- For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a saucepan,
- Add tomato paste and stir fry,
- Add water, salt and pomegranate syrup, mix and remove from heat,
- Pour the sauce over the dolmas,
- Cover it with a wax paper, place it in a preheated oven at 180 degrees and bake until the stuffed wraps are cooked and the water is absorbed.
Enjoy your meal...