Enginar dolması (en-gee-nahr dohl-mah-suh) is a delightful Turkish dish to eat. The minced beef, tomato, onions and herbs in the filling work together to add rich flavours, with the lemon juice contrasting the earthiness of the artichoke. Adding rice to the filling provides texture and makes it firm and easy to scoop out with a fork while eating.
The Cyprus artichokes used in this recipe are widely available at Turkish supermarkets in winter months when they are in season. They have slightly purple outward pointing leaves that are perfect for stuffing. They are much easier to stuff than globe artichokes which have inward pointing leaves, though these can be used too.
The artichokes are a little fiddly to prepare for stuffing the first time that you do, but get easier with practice. Using kitchen scissors to trim the leaves first helps, as it makes pulling out the central leaves with your hands a breeze. After that, it's a simple task of removing the central choke (the fluff in the centre) with a spoon and washing the artichokes.
To eat enginar dolması, you tear each leaf off one-by-one from the outside and nibble the artichoke ‘heart’ at each tip, before discarding the rest of the leaf. After eating all of the filling, you will get to the heart which you can eat at the end. Enginar dolması is best served with fresh Cyprus potato chips and yoghurt on the side.
Serves 5 as a side | Preparation time: 30 minutes | Cooking time: 1 hour | Additional time: To strain the artichokes after washing and 10 minutes resting time after cooking
Ingredients
Artichoke preparation | |
5 Cyprus artichokes | 1-2 lemons |
Sunflower oil, for frying | |
Filling | Final preparation |
250g minced beef | 1 (150g) medium Cyprus potato (or other waxy variety), peeled and cut into 0.5cm thick slices |
50g medium grain white rice, washed well and strained | 1 medium onion, sliced into crescent shapes |
30g fresh parsley, finely chopped | 50ml lemon juice, or as desired |
1 medium onion, finely chopped | 50ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra |
400g tinned chopped tomatoes | 250ml hot water, plus extra |
100ml lemon juice, or as desired | 1 tbsp tomato paste |
1 tbsp tomato paste | ½ tsp salt, or as desired |
1 tsp salt, or as desired | |
1 tsp dried mint | |
1 tsp dried oregano | |
⅛ tsp ground cinnamon | |
⅛ tsp ground cumin | |
½ tsp ground black pepper | |
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil |
Hob heat settings
Method
Artichoke preparation:
Cut the stem of the artichoke so that it is flat at the base and remove the bottom layer of outer leaves.
Cut the central leaves in a straight line (about 2-3 cm off of the top of the leaves) with kitchen scissors and then the top 1 cm of each leaf on the outer layers around this.
Remove the central soft purple leaves by plucking them out and scrape out the central choke (fluffy centre) in circular twisting motions with a spoon, leaving a ring of 4-5 layers of leaves around this.
Wash the hollowed artichokes well by parting the leaves and rinsing in between to get all the fluff and any dirt out. Rub the juice of 1-2 lemons all over them (this will prevent them from darkening). Leave to strain well upside down.
Once strained, add a little sunflower oil to coat the bottom of a large frying pan and place on a medium-high heat. Once hot, fry the bottoms of the artichokes for 3-5 minutes, or until they are lightly browned.
Stuffing the artichokes:
Mix all the filling ingredients together in a large bowl. Lightly coat the bottom of a large saucepan with olive oil. The saucepan should be large enough to fit all the artichokes side-by-side comfortably (we use one that is 24cm in width). Lay out the sliced potatoes and onions (see ‘final preparation’ ingredients) evenly to cover the bottom.
Place the prepared artichokes on top of the potatoes and onions before stuffing each one. The artichokes shouldn't be spaced too far apart, otherwise the sauce will spill out while cooking. To stuff, you will need to part the leaves firmly with your fingers and squeeze the filling in with a spoon.
Mix the 250ml hot water, tomato paste, lemon juice, olive oil and salt (see ‘final preparation’ ingredients) and spoon 1-2 tbsp of this mixture gently over the tops of the filled artichokes.
Pour the remaining mixture around the artichokes, before topping up with enough hot water until it comes a third of the way up their sides.
Cooking:
Place a small plate on top of the artichokes to leave a 2cm gap around the edges of the saucepan (this will hold them in place).
Cook while loosely covered on a high heat for 5-10 minutes, or until the water starts to lightly bubble constantly. Reduce to a medium heat and cook for 50 minutes to 1 hour more, or until the filling has cooked through and the leaves pull apart easily from the artichokes. Leave to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Serve the enginar dolması with fresh chips, yoghurt and salad on the side.