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A Global Grocery for Global Cooks

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SERVES 4
Side

Ingredients

Part 1: For the filling
  • fine cracked bulgur,1/2,cup,,fine-bulgur
  • zucchini,4,,large, or substitute 8 smaller summer squash such as yellow or crookneck,
  • ground beef,12,ounces,at least 20% fat,
  • dried purple basil,2,tablespoons,or substitute 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons dried regular basil plus 2 teaspoons ground anise,
  • black pepper,1 1/4,teaspoons,freshly ground,medium-grain-black-pepper
  • Crushed red pepper flakes,1 1/4,teaspoons,or to taste,syrian-style-red-pepper-flakes
  • fine sea salt,1 1/4,teaspoons,,la-baleine-fine-sea-salt
  • olive oil,3,tablespoons,,canaan-jenin-olive-oil
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Zucchini Dolma with Garlicky Yogurt and Tomato Sauce

For these dolma (stuffed vegetables), zucchini are hollowed out, filled with a bulgur-beef mixture liberally seasoned with dried purple basil (a combination of Italian basil and ground anise makes a fine substitute), and steamed. To serve, they are sliced into rounds and drizzled with Garlicky Yogurt and a tomato-and-pepper-paste butter sauce.

Use ground beef that is at least 20 percent fat, or your dolma will be dry. You’ll need fine bulgur to give the filling a light texture. This recipe is an ideal use for oversized older zucchini, which are also much easier to hollow out than younger, smaller specimens. If you make dolma often, or plan to, consider purchasing an inexpensive Turkish vegetable corer, which looks like an extra-long, extra-sharp apple corer. Note that the Garlicky Yogurt must rest for at least an hour before serving.

Like all dolma, these taste better after some time in the refrigerator, so I usually double the recipe to guarantee leftovers. Serve with Fingerprint Flatbread or other plain bread to mop up the juices, along with a chopped salad of tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, and parsley. — From Istanbul & Beyond by Robyn Eckhardt. Buy this book from Indiebound or Amazon.

ZUCCHINI DOLMA WITH GARLICKY YOGURT & TOMATO SAUCE is excerpted from Istanbul & Beyond © 2017 by Robyn Eckhardt. Photography © 2017 by David Hagerman. Reproduced by permission of Rux Martin Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Written By Robyn Eckhardt | Oct 15, 2018

Ingredients

Part 1: For the filling
  • fine cracked bulgur,1/2,cup,,fine-bulgur
  • zucchini,4,,large, or substitute 8 smaller summer squash such as yellow or crookneck,
  • ground beef,12,ounces,at least 20% fat,
  • dried purple basil,2,tablespoons,or substitute 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons dried regular basil plus 2 teaspoons ground anise,
  • black pepper,1 1/4,teaspoons,freshly ground,medium-grain-black-pepper
  • Crushed red pepper flakes,1 1/4,teaspoons,or to taste,syrian-style-red-pepper-flakes
  • fine sea salt,1 1/4,teaspoons,,la-baleine-fine-sea-salt
  • olive oil,3,tablespoons,,canaan-jenin-olive-oil
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Step one

Put the bulgur in a large bowl, pour over the boiling water, and stir. Set aside for at least 10 minutes.

Step two: While the bulgur is soaking, prepare the zucchini

Slice off both ends of each one. Hold a zucchini in your left hand (if you are right-handed) and insert an apple corer, Turkish vegetable corer, or a thin, sharp paring knife into the middle of one end and carefully carve out the flesh, being careful not to pierce the skin. (If you do pierce the skin, simply slip a piece of zucchini flesh back into the zucchini to “patch” it.) Work from both ends of the zucchini to remove as much flesh as possible; an expert dolma maker would aim to leave no more than a ¼-inch thickness of flesh. Repeat until all of the zucchini have been cored. 

Step three: Make the filling

Drain off any water that was not absorbed by the bulgur. Add the beef, the basil (or basil and anise), crushing the basil between your palms as you add it, black pepper, red pepper flakes, salt, and oil to the bulgur and use a fork or your hands to mix well.

Step four: Assemble the dolma

Select a lidded pot that will accommodate the zucchini in one or at most two layers, with at least 2 inches left free at the top. (If you don’t have a pot large enough to accommodate the whole zucchini, cut them in half crosswise.) Spoon the filling into the zucchini, gently packing it in with a small  spoon or the end of a chopstick. Don’t pack the filling too tightly, or it won’t have room to expand as it cooks, and leave about ½ inch free
at each end of the zucchini. Arrange the zucchini in the pot.
 
 

Ingredients

Part 2: For the cooking liquid
  • tomato paste,1,tablespoon,,tamek-tomato-paste
  • hot water,2,cups,,
  • olive oil,1,tablespoon,,canaan-jenin-olive-oil
  • fine sea salt,1/4,teaspoon,omit if your tomato paste is salty,la-baleine-fine-sea-salt
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Ingredients

Part 2: For the cooking liquid
  • tomato paste,1,tablespoon,,tamek-tomato-paste
  • hot water,2,cups,,
  • olive oil,1,tablespoon,,canaan-jenin-olive-oil
  • fine sea salt,1/4,teaspoon,omit if your tomato paste is salty,la-baleine-fine-sea-salt
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Step five: Make the cooking liquid

Stir the tomato paste into the hot water until it dissolves. Add the olive oil and salt, if using, and pour the liquid over and around the zucchini. If there are small blobs of tomato paste, just nudge them into the liquid. Place the pot over medium heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to a steady simmer, cover the pot, and cook until the zucchini give very easily when pierced in the center with a knife, about 15 minutes. If you have only a single layer of zucchini, use tongs to turn them halfway through cooking.

Ingredients

Part 3: For the sauce
  • unsalted butter, 4, tablespoons,,
  • tomato paste, 1,tablespoon,,tamek-tomato-paste
  • Turkish pepper paste,1,tablespoon,preferably hot or substitute more tomato paste,tamek-tatli-biber-salcasi-pepper-paste
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Ingredients

Part 3: For the sauce
  • unsalted butter, 4, tablespoons,,
  • tomato paste, 1,tablespoon,,tamek-tomato-paste
  • Turkish pepper paste,1,tablespoon,preferably hot or substitute more tomato paste,tamek-tatli-biber-salcasi-pepper-paste
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Step six: When the zucchini are almost cooked, make the sauce

Melt the butter in a small skillet over low heat. Add the tomato and pepper pastes, stir, and let the mixture sizzle until the pastes are aromatic and darken a bit (don’t let them burn), about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Step seven

When the zucchini are cooked, use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove them to a plate or cutting board. Cut them into 1- to 1½-inch pieces. If the cooking liquid is very watery, turn up the heat to reduce it while you plate the zucchini.

Ingredients

Part 4: For the garlicky yogurt and serving
  • plain whole-milk yogurt,2,cups,,
  • garlic,1,plump clove, or to taste,
  • kosher salt,1/2,teaspoon,or other coarse salt to taste,mortons-kosher-salt
  • fresh purple basil leaves,1/4,cup,coarsely chopped (optional),
  • Crushed red pepper flakes,,,for serving,syrian-style-red-pepper-flakes
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Ingredients

Part 4: For the garlicky yogurt and serving
  • plain whole-milk yogurt,2,cups,,
  • garlic,1,plump clove, or to taste,
  • kosher salt,1/2,teaspoon,or other coarse salt to taste,mortons-kosher-salt
  • fresh purple basil leaves,1/4,cup,coarsely chopped (optional),
  • Crushed red pepper flakes,,,for serving,syrian-style-red-pepper-flakes
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Step Eight: Make the garlicky yogurt

Place the yogurt in a small bowl and whisk until absolutely smooth.

Step Nine

Slice the garlic in half lengthwise and remove the bitter green shoot, if there is one. Mound the salt on the cutting board and balance the garlic clove on top. Place the blade of a chef’s knife over the garlic and press it down with the heel of your hand, splitting and crushing the garlic into the salt. Mince the garlic and salt together, stopping every so often to press the side of the knife blade against the mixture and drag it over the cutting board, until the garlic and salt are reduced to a paste. This should take only a few minutes.

Step Ten

Scrape the paste into the yogurt, whisk to combine, and taste for seasoning. The yogurt should be noticeably salty.

Step Eleven

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Step Twelve: Serve

Turn on the heat underneath the sauce to warm it. Arrange the zucchini on individual plates or a big platter. Spoon over the cooking liquid from the pot, then add some yogurt, about ¼ cup per serving. Finally, drizzle the tomato-butter sauce over all. Pass the remaining yogurt at the table, along with red pepper flakes.

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