In a resort town like ours summer means long hours on the beach and late dinners, so I stopped being surprised by our guests arriving at 10 pm and requesting food. After serving the starters, hot dishes and desserts, we get to wrap up the kitchen action and clean by the midnight at best. Chat with Özgür, this and that, and a glance to the clock confirms the new day has started. I go to bed around 1 am and would not wake up until 8.30 am meaning that after yoga, breakfast and planning the day with my husband we are ready to rock and roll by 11 am at the earliest. Shopping, paperwork, dealing with suppliers consume a good few hours and hopefully conclude by 3 pm when the staff arrives and the preparation for the night kicks off.
I feel like a squirrel on running wheel. Every day I find myself completing the same loop: waking up - coming to senses - planning the day - orchestrating the prep - serving and then cleaning up. The running wheel reminds me of my days as a strategy consultant. This time, however, feels different and way more meaningful: my life partner is here with me, and I am working on probably the most serious venture I have undertaken to date. We reflect a lot together, being grateful for the good things happening to us: more guests are coming, everybody seems to be having great time at Babushka and leave content. But I miss the kind of reflection that blog allows. Longer, deeper, reaching out further.
I guess if I am to wait for the opportunity to write and photograph more, you might as well not hear from me till November. So I am going to use the small windows of time to revisit this space and reconnect with myself and my readers. 20 minutes in between the late breakfast with newly made friends and arrival of our staff. 10 minutes after the staff meal as the guys are cleaning up and doing dishes. 5 minutes while I am waiting in the car for my husband to pick up some garden supplies. Those minutes that are mine and that I have power to gather and turn into something that is not a minute and lingers longer that the frequently changing menu of our Babushka and that I can share with all those far away from Alaçatı.
So here is my vegetarian stuffed grape leaves, or sarma. Note that sarma refers to anything “wrapped around” and differs from dolma pointing to a hollowed and then stuffed vegetable, a fine line in Turkish cooking you would not want to cross. We often make this sarma at my cooking classes when I have vegetarian guests. Last week as we were polishing off the leftovers during the staff meal, everyone voted for including the sarma in this week’s meze set at Babushka.
Like with many other traditional Turkish dishes the inspiration comes from my mother-in-law’s kitchen. I still remember the day in Sapanca when visitors from the nearby village arrived with a sack of freshly harvested grape leaves and zucchini flowers. To return the favor mom treated them to the lunch of sarma stuffed with red lentils and bulgur. She assured me that on the Turkish Mediterranean coast, her home base, thrifty home cooks would often resort to the lentils instead of the minced meat. That day when we had guests from the village all the women got together to roll the leaves and stuff the flowers. An hour or so later we ate the most delicious sarma I had ever tasted.
No wonder that now as the vines in the Babushka garden are expanding in all the possible directions and the leaves become sizable, I have recalled the red lentil sarma. In addition to the lentils I am using bulgur and rice, two common grains in Turkey, but opportunities are immense if you feel like experimenting with other varieties. Lentils and grains might be pre-soaked, but don’t require cooking ahead; they cook along with the other ingredients in the stuffing. You want to ensure the red lentils and grains have enough liquid to soak meaning plenty of onion, tomato and succulent herbs. Speaking of which .. I am off to stuff leaving you with the sample of Babushka menu this week and the red lentil stuffed grape leaves recipe.
Babushka Menu (May, 23-June, 5)
Meze set
Zaaluk (Moroccan Eggplant Dip)
Grape Leaves Stuffed with Lentils
Samphire and Purslane Salad
Beetroot Dip With Goat Cheese
Roasted Round Zucchini with Dill and Almond Pesto
Hot Starters
Hummus with Braised Beef
Zucchini Fritters
Mains
Pelmeni (Russian Dumplings)
Pan Fried Drunk Sardines
Spicy Liver Poached in Butter
Oven Roasted Scorpio Fish (With Greens and Baby Potatoes)
Ottoman Lamb Stew
Desserts
Muhallebi with Quince Preserve
Nevzine (Wallnut and Tahini Dessert from Cappadocia)
Red Lentil Stuffed Grape Leaves
If you can’t easily get your hands on the fresh grape leaves, opt for the brined ones; just soak them in water for half an hour or so to remove excess salt. You may even substitute grape leaves with fresh chard or collard greens: collard greens cook similarly to the fresh grape leaves while thinner chard calls for only brief blanching and the stuffed rolls will cook quicker too.
When prepping the ingredients for the stuffing keep the chopped pieces small and uniform to make sure all the flavors are evenly distributed. You can experiment with different varieties of grains and herbs choosing from what’s available to you like the home cooks do in Turkey.
Source: Olga Irez
Prep Time: 30 Min
Cook Time: 1 Hr
Total Time: 1 Hr 30 Min
Serves: 8
Ingredients
- 300 g fresh grape leaves (about 60-70 leaves)
- 2 medium onions finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 medium tomatoes peeled and finely diced
- 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup finely chopped mint
- 1/2 cup red lentils pre-soaked if desired and drained
- 1/2 cup coarse bulgur rinsed
- 1/4 cup rice rinsed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp red bell pepper paste
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp dry mint
- 1/2 tsp isot pepper
- 1 cup water for cooking
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil for cooking
- 300 g green plums or 1 large lemon, thinly sliced
Directions
- Prepare grape leaves: Fill a large cooking pot with water and generously season with salt. Bring to a boil, place the fresh grape leaves (work in batches if needed) in the pot and cook the leaves for 5-7 min at the rolling boil so they start softening. Transfer the leaves into a colander and immediately rinse them with plenty of cold water to prevent from further cooking.
- Make filling: Combine the rest of the ingredients (apart from the water and additional oil used in the cooking as well as the plums) in a large bowl.
- Stuff leaves: Place a leave shiny side down and veins facing up, the stalk closer to you. Remove the stalk with a knife and set aside. Place a teaspoon of the stuffing along the edge of the leave closer to you leaving a two finger wide margin behind. Fold that margin over the stuffing, then fold in the sides and now push the roll ahead to make a neat and tight parcel. Continue until you run out of the filling.
- Cook stuffed grape leaves: Arrange the leftover stems and leaves on the bottom of a wide cooking pot to prevent burning. Arrange the stuffed grape leaves in a pinwheel fashion in a few layers and scatter the green plums / lemon slices over. Add 1 cup water and sprinkle 2 tbsp olive oil over the leaves. Cover the stuffed leaves with a flat heat-resistant plate. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and cook covered at the lowest heat for 60-90 min depending on the thickness of the leaves. Check midway and add more water if needed. The best way to judge the doneness of the rolls is to taste one; the grains should be soft and the leaves must be no longer chewy. Serve the stuffed grape leaves hot or at room temperature along with garlicky yogurt (stir a clove of garlic and a pinch of salt for every 1/2 cup of thick plain yogurt). Stuffed grape leaves keep for 4-5 days in the fridge.
What lovely photos!