Recipe Category: Sauce
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Ingredients
SERVES 6 to 8 as an appetizer; 4 as a main dish – Cooker: 5- to 7-quart – Time: 10 minutes at HIGH pressure
TZATZIKI SAUCE
- 1 large hothouse cucumber
- salt
- 2 cups plain 2% fat Greek yogurt
- 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
DOLMAS
- 1 recipe Fresh Grape Leaves in the Pressure Cooker (p. 238) or 1 (1-pound) jar grape leaves
- 1 quart water, brought to a boil
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup finely chopped white onion
- 3 tablespoons slivered almonds
- ¾ pound lean ground lamb
- 2 cups cooked long-grain white or brown rice
- ¾ cup grated carrot (1 large carrot)
- 3 tablespoons dried currants or minced dried apricots
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint or cilantro
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- lemon wedges, for serving.
Method
- Make the Tzatziki Sauce
- Cut the cucumber in half, remove the seeds, and cut into ½-inch dice
- Remove excess moisture from the cucumber; salt the dice generously and place in a colander
- Let drain for 30 to 45 minutes, then rinse and pat dry
- In a small bowl, beat the yogurt until smooth
- Fold in the garlic, oil, and dill
- Season to taste with salt
- Fold in the cucumber
- Chill at least 2 hours before serving to blend the flavors
Makes 2½ cups
- Make the dolmas
- Drain the jarred grape leaves, carefully remove them from the jar, and place in a large heatproof bowl
- Sort the leaves, selecting the most perfect to stuff, the rest to layer in the steamer basket
- Pour the boiling water over them to cover and let soak 15 minutes
- Drain and rinse under cold running water
- Set aside in a colander to drain
- They are packed in brine and very salty so don’t skip this step
- In a large skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat until very hot
- Add the onion and cook, stirring a few times, until softened, about 3 minutes
- Add the almonds and cook, stirring, until they begin to brown, about 2 minutes more
- Add the lamb and cook, breaking up any clumps with a spoon, until there is no pink
- Transfer the onion-lamb mixture to a large bowl
- Add the rice, carrot, mint, parsley, currants, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper to the bowl and mix gently with a fork to combine and coat the rice with the oil
- To stuff the leaves, line them up in a row, rib side up, on your work surface
- Choose a perfect leaf
- Trim off the stem, if there is one
- Depending on the size of the leaf, place 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of the leaf
- Shape it into a little log, running side to side across the leaf
- Fold the stem over the filling, then bring the sides into the center as you would for an envelope and roll up jelly-roll fashion to make a small, tight, plump cylinder
- If you have any tears, snip off a lobe and patch it from the inside
- Repeat until the filling is used up
- Place the stuffed leaves in a steamer basket as you make them, seam side down, making sure the loose ends are tucked firmly underneath the roll
- Arrange them close, side by side, but don’t jam them in
- Make as many layers as necessary, separating the layers with extra or torn grape leaves
- Pour the water into a 5- to 7-quart pressure cooker and add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt
- Insert the filled basket
- Pour the lemon juice and the remaining oil over the dolmas
- Cover the leaves with a layer of heavy plastic wrap, pressing in around the edges of the basket
- Close and lock the lid
- Set the burner heat to high
- When the cooker reaches HIGH pressure, reduce the burner heat as low as you can and still maintain HIGH pressure
- Set a timer to cook for 10 minutes
- Remove the pot from the heat
- Open the cooker with the Natural Release method; let stand for 15 minutes
- Be careful of the steam as you remove the lid
- Remove the basket from the pot and let stand 10 minutes, still covered with wrap
- When you remove the dolmas, discard the extra leaves
- Serve just slightly warm or at room temperature, although traditionally they are served cold
- If not serving right away, refrigerate them
- They will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days
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