In one of the 2009 editions of Michel Drucker program on French Antenne2 TV-network, Jean- Pierre Coffe, the famous French gourmet (and also chef, actor and writer), prepared a dish to make a tribute to Charles Aznavour after an idea of Drucker himself.
After an enthusiastic talk about winemaking traditions of the South Caucasus territories and in particular of Armenia, the original country of Aznavour, and about the simplicity and the friendliness of its people and its food, he offered to the company a dish of cabbage dolmades.
(Coffe says among other things that even the wooden barrel was conceived in Armenia , an assertion which may not coincide with reality)
Dolmas is the term used in Turkey for stuffed vegetables and their particular preparation. In Greece, the same word indicates only stuffed grape leaves and all other kind of stuffed vegetables are generically called Yemista.
The recipe whose origins span across all Near South-East could be created in Armenia and South Caucasus, although in Greece it is said that the idea of wrapping food in vine leaves dates back to the time of Demosthenes, during the first defeat of Chaeronea, 338 BC, at the time of the siege of Thebes by Philip of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great.
Such an argument that dates back to 400 BC, does centainly silence everybody!
However, considering that territories around Mount Ararat, Armenian territories now partly independent republic and partly annexed to Turkey, in ancient times were called Lands of Wine and also that History, Bible and legends reference this country for excellent wine production, I guess I can say that these rolls could be born over there.
The stuffing in the best-known version includes aways rice and minced meat or rice and herbs in a common home edition. In Armenia, however, it can also consists of burghul, the dried & chopped sprouted grain prevalent in Middle Eastern cuisine and certainly more ancient than rice.
This is the simplest recipe. If you want to make it much richer, follow what Coffe says in the video for his cabbage leaves version.
One note: Coffe does not bend very well cabbage leaves so rolls could be damaged during cooking.
Read below how to do.
Ingredients for 6 servings: about 40 grape leaves fresh or frozen, 250g of rice , 2 or 3 scallions or onions , 2 tablespoons pine nuts , olive oil , chopped parsley end herbs(chives , fennel or dill, mint) and coriander ground and heated in a dry pan to release its aroma, the juice of 2 lemons , salt and black pepper
Pine nuts are almost never lacking and even chopped herbs such as mint, parsley and fresh coriander. This simple stuffing can be enriched with other tasting ingredients like ground beef or lamb, raisins of Corinth that in many Mediterranean recipes replaces minced meat.
In a little greasy pan, roast pine nuts gently without burning.
Wash rice and, after soaking it for about 15 minutes and draining, mix it with chopped herbs, salt and pepper and then let it rest.
Blanch vine leaves and then immediately plunge them into cold water to maintain their beautiful color, before you dry them on a towel. (In the original recipe vine leaves are used raw. But it should be considered that, as Coffe said, in Armenia it exists a special vine whose leaves, thinner than others, are specifically used for dolmades. In our countries we can only choose the best, young and delicate leaves from the common or the wild vine, which are usually pretty tough)
At the time of composing dolmades, take a leaf and place it on your hand or on a kitchen board. Cut stalk. Then put on it a teaspoon of filling and cover, folding the lateral leaf parts first, the right and the left, and then rolling up the strip to obtain small and very tight cylinders, on which ribs are visible. This is just one of the many methods to wrap filling and fold the leaf. There is room for personal creativity as long as the result will always be the same cylinder more or less long but very tight.
As you prepare rolls, place them in a shallow baking pan, previously greased with oil and coated with several layers of grape leaves or a layer of parsley stems. This arrangement will prevent dolmades from sticking to the pan during baking.
When they are all arranged in the pan, tight to each other, moisten rolls with lemon juice and enough water (or cooking liquid of grape leaves) to cover them completely: they must be submerged in liquid. Finish with an abundant thread of olive oil.
Salt and pepper and place on the rolls surface a dish to be shure they cannot move during firing. Cook on a gentle fire or in the oven at about 180°C for an hour and a half and even more, adding water if necessary. Even if they are young and fresh and previously blanched, vine leaves require long cooking. Check and eventually increased cooking time, maintaining rolls wet.
When lukewarm, arrange them carefully on a serving dish, sprinkle with lemon juice and olive oil and serve cold.
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