Quinoa Pilaf in Turkish Dolmas on CBC's Weekend Morning Show!

 On Saturday, I'll be presenting the following Dolmas using local Tamarack Farms Quinoa, for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod.  

Turkish Dolmas with local Quinoa pilaf (Adapted from Classical Turkish Cooking, by Ayla Algar)

1 cup Tamarack Farms Quinoa

2 cups vegetable stock

1 onion, finely diced

2-3 tbs olive oil

½ cup fresh tomatoes, finely diced

½ cup almond slices (or pine nuts.  I used almonds due to cost and allergies)

1-2 Tbs Turkish Baharat – or – ¼ tsp each of cinnamon, dried mint, fresh dill, nutmeg, cloves, pepper

3 tsp sugar

¼ cup currants (or zerishk)

¼ cup raisins

3 tbs lemon juice

salt, to taste

For the Cabbage:  ¾ cup water, 3 tbs lemon juice, salt

For the Peppers:  Rich tomato sauce, red wine

1. Sauté the onions in olive oil in a pot.  Add seasonings, tomatoes, almonds, currants, raisins, currants and then salt and lemon juice.  Add the quinoa and coat through.  Add the stock (or water) and bring to a simmer.  Cover and let simmer for 20+ minutes.  Let cool.

2. For the cabbage leaves:  Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and place a cored cabbage in the water for 4 minutes.  Peel off leaves and return to pot to repeat to remove more leaves. 

Cut out a small triangle of the core of each leaf.

Place a tablespoon or two of the pilaf at the top of the leaf, and roll, like a burrito or salad wrap, and place in a baking dish that has been lined with extra cabbage leaves at the bottom.

Fill the baking dish and cover with the water, lemon juice, olive oil and salt mixture. Bake at 300ºF for 1-1/2 hours.

Serve warm or cold.

3.  For the peppers:  Core the peppers and cook in the boiling water for 4 minutes, to soften.  Fill with pilaf and place in a baking dish with a rich tomato sauce with red wine.  Bake at 350ºF for 1 hour, or until soft.

Serve hot, warm or cold.

Enjoy !