Kurdish Stuffed Tomatos Recipes

TOMATOES STUFFED WITH RICE

Steps:

• Cook the rice in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water, stirring periodically, until just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain. Rinse the rice under cold running water. Set the rice aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut a 1/2-inch thick slice off the top of each tomato; reserve the tomato tops. Cut and scoop the seeds, pulp, and juice from each tomato into a small bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup of the tomato juice and pulp.
• Oil the bottom of an 8 by 8-inch baking dish with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Place the hollowed tomatoes in the prepared dish.
• Toss the rice with the reserved tomato juice and pulp. Add garlic, basil, parsley, Parmesan, the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and salt and pepper, to taste. Combine well.
• Spoon the rice mixture into the hollowed tomatoes, mounding slightly. Sprinkle leftover stuffing on the bottom of the pan. Drizzle entire dish with olive oil. Place the reserved tomato slices atop the tomatoes. Bake until the rice is heated through, about 20 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

MOROCCAN STUFFED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush a baking dish, large enough to hold the tomatoes snugly, with a little olive oil. Arrange the tomatoes in the dish, cut side up, and sprinkle lightly with salt.
• Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat, and add 3 tablespoons olive oil. Heat until shimmering. Add onion and sauté until golden and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and zucchini, and sauté until the zucchini is just starting to soften, about 2 minutes.
• Remove pan from the heat, and add cilantro, chile flakes, and 2 tablespoons pistachios. Season with salt to taste, mixing well. Divide the filling equally among the tomatoes, mounding the tops.
• Bake for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked as desired. Garnish with the remaining pistachios. Serve warm or at room temperature.

EPRAX (KURDISH STUFFED VEGETABLES AND LAMB)

Steps:

• Make the filling: Rinse rice in colander until water runs clear. Transfer to large bowl, add water to cover, and let soak for 30 minutes.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground meat, salt and pepper and sauté over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, breaking up meat with a spoon. Stir in garlic and onions and sauté for 1 minute, stirring.
• Reduce heat to low and mix in tomato paste, celery, tomato, lemon juice, spices, oil and parsley. Remove from heat. Drain rice. Add meat mixture to rice, mix well to combine, cover, and set aside to cool.
• Prepare the vegetables: Fill a microwave-safe bowl with an inch of water. Using a knife, make a cut halfway from the side just into the center of the onion (so it is not fully cut in half). Place onion in bowl and microwave for 3 to 5 minutes, until onion has swelled and become soft, and layers are pliable. Remove from water, drain and let cool. Repeat with cabbage, making a cut into its core and placing in a bowl with water. Microwave for 5 to 10 minutes, until leaves become pliable, and can be easily separated from the head. (Remove outer layers as they soften while cooking.) Cut leaves into pieces about the size of your palm. (Alternatively, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook onion for 5 minutes, and cabbage for 10 minutes.)
• Soak grape leaves in cold water in a mixing bowl until ready to use. Cut any leaves bigger than the palm of your hand in half.
• Cut a 1/2-inch-thick lid off each bell pepper or tomato, or both, reserving lids. Core and seed each, so the center of each piece can be stuffed.
• Cut off stem end of eggplant, then cut in half so you have two short cylinders about the height of a bell pepper, and use a knife to cut out the middle of each piece of eggplant, leaving a roughly 1/2-inch wall, so there is a cavity you can stuff.
• Peel potato. Halve and carve out the center with a spoon so there is room to stuff each half.
• To assemble: Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season lamb chops with salt and pepper, then add to skillet. Sear 2 to 3 minutes per side, until evenly brown. Set aside.
• Lightly grease bottom of a large pot with a lid (10 to 12 quarts) with 1 teaspoon oil. Arrange squash pieces in a circle on the bottom of the pot. Place lamb chops on top.
• Fill about 20 grape leaves: Place a grape leaf (with the bumpier veined side of the leaf up) on a surface, with the stem closest to you. Place 1 scant tablespoon rice mixture near the stem. Roll up leaf to form a roughly 2-inch cigar shape, folding ends over halfway through rolling. Repeat with remaining leaves, and fit into pot between and over chops. Season with salt and pepper.
• Loosely stuff peppers or tomatoes or both, cover with their lids, and place in pot on their sides. Loosely stuff eggplant and potatoes, and place in pot on their sides.
• Separate cooled onion into its individual layers, so you have 6 to 8 individual curved pieces whose ends meet to form little tubes. (Don't use the smallest pieces.) Loosely fill onion layers, as if you were stuffing Italian-style pasta shells, and fit them in between the other vegetables to fill gaps. Season with salt and pepper.
• Use remaining rice mixture to stuff as many cabbage leaves as you can, then use stuffed leaves to create a top layer in the pot. (If you don't have enough stuffing to make a full layer of stuffed leaves, cover the stuffed vegetables by draping them with leftover cabbage leaves.) Season with salt and pepper, then drizzle lemon juice over top.
• Add water to pot until it comes about halfway up the sides of the vegetables (about 2 inches below the top layer). Cover pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook at a hard simmer for 10 minutes.
• Drizzle vegetables with 2 tablespoons oil, then cover pot again, lower heat to a simmer, and cook for 35 to 45 minutes more, or until rice is cooked and much of the liquid has been absorbed. To check for doneness, cut into one of the leaf bundles on top and check to see that the rice inside is fully cooked; to check the liquid, tilt the pot so you can get a sense of the water level. If there is more than 1/2 inch water, carefully drain off excess.
• Place a large circular platter or tray on top of pot and carefully invert the pot onto platter, tapping bottom of pot to loosen any remaining ingredients before removing it. (If you'd like, line tray with flatbread first before turning out dolmas, or serve flatbread on the side. The bread absorbs the excess water.) Pat any stray vegetables back into a big pile. Serve in the center of the table.

STUFFED TOMATOES

Steps:

• A big platter of these tomatoes goes well with grilled meat or fish, or serve them as a starter with cured meats and crusty bread.
• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Toast the bread, then remove the crusts and break it up into the food processor to make crumbs. Add the thyme, chives or parsley, oil and garlic, then pulse briefly to mix.
• Halve the tomatoes and put in one layer in a shallow ovenproof dish. Spread each cut side with a little mustard, then sprinkle a little of the crumb mix on the top. Bake for 15-20 mins until the topping is crunchy and lightly browned.

KURDISH STUFFED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Mix all the ingredients or the filling and set aside. If you use vine leaves/grape leaves, the small jar is the right size for this amount of filling. If you use cabbage or onion you should cut an x at the top and stick them in a pot of boiling water just for a minute or two so they soften. Remove from water and separate them. you need to make a cut boil them andante so they soften and then separate them. Once you've separated the leaves you lay them on a board or in your palm place a tablespoon or two depending on the size of the leaf and you fold the pointy part up, the sides in and roll. Watch the video to see how the professionals do it below. Place each roll in the pot, one next to/touching the other leaving minimal space. Once the pot is full sprinkle a table spoon of sugar, some salt, juice of a half a lemon and some more olive oil (exact measurements are not important). Cover with water, if pot is not full to the top place a plate upside down over the rolls to keep them from floating, bring to a boil and then simmer for 1 hour until most water is absorbed. Some moisture is ok and even preferred. Let it sit for a half hour. Turn over onto platter or just scoop out gently. Enjoy Tip: I put all the veggies in the food processor start with garlic and celery so they are fine and then add the tomato and onion and pulse it.

STUFFED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Set up your grill for indirect heat. If using a charcoal grill, build the coals on one side only. If using a gas grill, heat one side only.
• Cut the tops off of each tomato and scoop out the inside flesh into a bowl. Set aside the tomato shells. Roughly chop the inside tomato flesh or break it up with your hands, yielding 1 cup. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Place a large saute pan over the direct heat side of the grill and add a drizzle of olive oil. Season the ground beef with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, add the ground beef and cook until it begins to brown, breaking it up into smaller pieces as it cooks, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic, onions, lemon zest, another drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Give it a stir and cook until fragrant and the onions are translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Then stir in the reserved tomato insides. Cook for about 1 minute, scraping the bottom of the pan for any brown bits. Add the mint and parsley. Give it one more stir and remove from the heat. Add the rice, pine nuts and goat cheese.
• Fill each reserved tomato shell to the top with the beef mixture and place into a cast-iron skillet. Sprinkle with the panko and drizzle with olive oil. Place on the indirect heat side of the grill and close the lid. Bake until golden brown on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with olive oil drizzled over the top.

GREEK STUFFED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Slice tomatoes in half, scoop out seeds, and place in a baking dish sliced-side up. Sprinkle with and salt and pepper . Bake for 5 minutes. Remove tomatoes from oven, drizzle with olive oil, and bake an additional 10 minutes.
• While baking tomatoes, mix together cucumber, yogurt, olives, basil, and sugar. Stir in feta cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Remove tomatoes from oven, fill with cucumber mixture, and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.

KURDISH KAHDEH

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix the flour and the salt
• Add water and mix until smooth and non sticky dough is achieved
• Cover and let rest for half hour
• Make dough balls about the size of golf ball
• Using a dough roller, flatten the balls to get about 4 inches in size wafers
• Spread some butter on top of the wafer
• Put about 1 tsp of shredded cheese in the center of the wafer
• Fold one side of the wafer over to create half circle
• Using your fingers pinch the edges so the two layer stick well
• Lay the pockets on a tray
• Spread small pieces of butter on top and around the pockets
• Pre heat oven to 400 deg F
• Bake the tray in the oven until top goldens and then turn the pocket over and bake until golden.

STUFFED KOHLRABI WITH TOMATOES AND FETA CHEESE

Steps:

• Combine vegetable broth and lemon juice in a large pot, bring to a boil, and cook kohlrabi until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain broth and reserve. Allow kohlrabi to cool lightly and scoop out the insides. Set aside kohlrabi shell and kohlrabi flesh.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cut a small "x" into each tomato and boil for 1 minute. Drain tomatoes, remove tomato skins and seeds, and finely chop.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium-low heat and cook shallots until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking dish.
• Finely chop kohlrabi leaves. Combine sauteed shallots, kohlrabi leaves, 1/2 of the tomatoes, feta cheese, green onions, parsley, garlic, and pepper in a bowl; mix to combine. Fill kohlrabi shells with the mixture.
• Set stuffed kohlrabi close together in the prepared baking dish and sprinkle kohlrabi flesh and remaining tomatoes in between. Pour 1 cup of kohlrabi cooking water into the dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until kohlrabi is soft and filling is lightly browned and cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes.

KURDISH STUFFED TOMATOS

Steps:

• Soak the rice in hot water for at least an hour.
• Slice the top of the tomatoes and keep it aside for covering later.
• Using a carver or a tsp, empty the inside of the tomatoes and keep them for the soup.
• Fry the onion until golden and let it cool off
• Add all ingredients except the lemon juice and the tomato paste.
• Stuff the tomatoes with the mix and put the slice from earlier on top
• Poke diagonally 2 tooth peaks one on each side to attach the cover to the tomato wall
• In a large pot or a large and deep enough pan, lay the stuffed tomato at the bottom.
• Add the water, the tomatoes inside that you took out earlier, the lemon juice, the tomato paste, salt and pepper, bring to boil and cook for 5 minute, then lower heat and cook for an hour.
• You may use other vegetables to suff such as small eggplants, onions, zucchini etc.
• The best result achieved when stuffing several vegetables together while using the insides as a soup mix to get much richer soup.