Rice filled dolmas with a drizzling of lemon juice and olive oil and soft, herbed Turkish flatbreads – perfect vegan mezze dishes you can make at home
Vegan Mezze – Turkish Dolmas and Garlic Flatbread
For the Dolmas
INGREDIENTS
300 g pickled grape leaves
2 cups of white rice
2 tomatoes
1 medium sized white onion
5 parsley stems
2 heaped tbsps of dried currants
1 lemon
4 tbps of oil
Half glass of olive oil
Salt to taste
METHOD
– Finely chop onion and combine half of cooking oil with half of the olive oil and roast the onions in a big pot
– Wash the rice and currants
– Finely chop the parsley and add all these in to the pot with a sprinkle of salt
– Add 1 cup of boiling water and boil for one minute
– Remove pot from the stove and cover
– Wash the pickled grape leaves a little bit to take away the extra saltiness
– When the rice is ‘Al dente’ you can start rolling your sarmas
– Carefully pull out the little branches from the leaves, and place some of the rice mix in the centre
– Start rolling individual dolmas in at the sides, and then into a cigar shape
– Once complete, add back into the pot using leftover leaves as a barrier between the dolma and the pan, then add some lemon slices on the top and cover grape leaves.
– Cook for 30 minutes on low heat.
– Take off the top leaves and generously pour over some olive oil
For the flatbread
INGREDIENTS
1/2 tsp active dry yeast
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp rosemary
3/4 tsp salt
250g plain flour
1 tbsp olive oil
180 ml lukewarm water
METHOD
– Add the yeast, garlic, rosemary, salt, and flour to a large mixing bowl and gently combine ingredients with a whisk
– Create a well in the mixture then add the olive oil water
– Carefully stir into the mix and form a dough; adding water as required
– Knead the dough on a flat, floured surface
– Roll dough ball in a small amount of oil and place in a bowl covered with a damp towel
– Set aside in a warm area to rise
– After one hour, divide dough into 6-8 pieces then individually roll into thin circles (1cm~ thick)
– Add a dash of oil into a large flat pan and cook on medium heat for 2 minutes either side
– Serve with homemade hummus or favourite veggie dip
