2. February 2009 by Azat.

Dolma - Vegetarian(sarma)
Serves: 15
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Difficult

Ingredients:
•1 cup rice
•½ cup pure olive oil
•2 large onions chopped
•4 cloves of garlic chopped
•1 tbsp. salt
•½ tsp. black pepper
•¼ tsp. red pepper
•½ cup diced green peppers
•½ cup fresh lemon juice
•½ cup chopped fresh parsley
•½ cup chopped fresh dill
•½ cup chopped fresh mint
•6 large tomatoes ground the in the food processor

Cooking Instructions:
In a large pan put the olive oil, onions and the garlic. Fry the onions until they are about to get translucent. Add the green peepers. Mix well, then stir in salt, black and red pepper. When the onions are translucent and the green peepers are just starting to get soft add the rice. Mix and let it cook for about 5-10 minutes. Add chopped parsley, mint and the dill. Add 6 tomatoes and lemon juice. Cook on low heat for approximately 20 minutes. Make sure to mix while it is cooking such that the rice does not stick to the bottom.

If using fresh grape leaves make sure to cook them in salt water for about 10 minutes to make them soft, but you may already find precooked grape leaves from your local grocery store. Using a tablespoon fill each grape leave with approximately 1 tablespoon each(some more some less, you will get the hang of it after your first 4-5 tries). Put the mixture 1 inch from the top edge of the dull side of the leave and first bring the back side on top of the mixture then bringing the two sides in and then rolling the whole thing. Make it a firm role.

Place the stuffed grape leaves in a pan for now. When done, get a new pan and place half the unused grape leaves on the bottom of the pan such that the entire bottom is covered. Now place the stuffed grape leaves in a circular fashion and layer them until all are in the pan and cover all the dolmas with the remaining unused grape leaved. Add a ¼ of water and ¼ of lemon juice to the pan and under slow heat let it simmer for about 15-30 minutes until all the water has evaporated. let it cool for 30 minutes prior to serving(you can serve this entirely cold as well)

Posted in Recipes, Food | Print | No Comments »

2. February 2009 by Azat.

 2005 Chappellet “Signature” Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

90+ points from Robert Parker: “Revealing a deeper ruby/purple color as well as a classic bouquet of blueberries, creme de cassis, spring flowers, and background earth, the medium to full-bodied, moderately tannic 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon(link to the 2006 vintage) can be drunk now or cellared for 12-15 years.” (Dec. 2008)

I got 3 bottles at the winery last summer and had the first bottle today post Superbowl with some BBQ.  The is an exceptional wine.  Dark garnet.  Black cherry and oak on the nose.  Black cherry forward fruit that takes on chocolate flavors on the finish, moderate acid, moderate soft tannins, long fruity finish.  In many ways this wine reminds me of many of the Bordeaux style wines.  This is a very nice wine with lots of fruit and interesting complexity. It is accessible now and will soften out more with a few years of aging.  Too bad I only have 2 left.

I would rank this wine 4 stars and it is a bit on the pricey side for my day to day consumption at $40 but it is a great wine for special occasions.

On a different note the picture in my intro is from the winery.  If you ever go to Napa you have to make a visit to the winery.  Its beautiful.

Posted in $$$, ****, Wine, Blogroll | Print | No Comments »