Stuffed Zucchinis and Potatoes- Algerian Dolma

 
Algeria dolma

Algeria dolma

Every culture has a version of this dish. Veggies stuffed with meat. In Algeria, it is called Dolma and it is a staple dish in every Algerian home. Traditionally made with zucchinis when they are in season, and potatoes and green peppers all year long. Growing up, this was a dish my mom made regularly during Ramadan and throughout the year. I used to love the potatoes, but the older me has come to appreciate the zucchinis too.

Cored Zucchinis and Potatoes for Algerian Dolma Recipe

#wastenothing

Keep the core of the zucchinis and potatoes to use for vegetable soup or stock

 


Stuffed Zucchinis and Potatoes- Algerian Dolma

by The Lore | May 2019

  • Prep time:30 minutes
  • Cook time: 70 minutes
  • Total time: 100 minutes Serving: 4 servings

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ pound beef stew meat cut in 1 inch chunks*
  • 1 red onion
  • 3 cups of water (see note)
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1 tomato (peeled and diced) *
  • 2 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 4 potatoes *
  • 4 zucchini
  • 1 bunch of parsley *
  • 4 cloves garlic *
  • 1 pound ground beef *
  • ½ cup rice
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoon cumin
  • 16 ounces chickpeas

Instructions:

  1. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a medium sized heavy bottom pan. Once it’s heated, add ½ onion and saute until translucent. Add stew meat and sear on both sides.
  2. Add diced garlic, cumin, salt and cinnamon.
  3. Add tomato paste, allowing it to sauté with the meat for 5 minutes.
  4. Add chopped tomato and water and cover pan. Leave to cook on low heat for 30 minutes.
  5. While meat is cooking, peel potatoes and wash zucchini well. Core the zucchini and potatoes. Set aside. See note.
  6. In a medium sized bowl, mix ground beef, rice, parsley, red onion, egg, cumin, cinnamon, and salt. Combine well without overworking the meat.
  7. Stuff the zucchini and potatoes. Any left over meat can be shaped into meatballs and placed in the sauce to cook with the veggies.
  8. Add the zucchini and potatoes to the sauce. At this time, also add the chickpeas and any meatballs made from the remaining mixture. Make sure the vegetables are halfway submerged into the sauce.
  9. Cook the vegetables covered on low heat for 30 -40 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through. Make sure to flip the stuffed vegetables halfway through so they cook evenly on all sides.
  10. Plate with some parsley on top for garnish and enjoy!

Notes:

  1. Instead of water you can use low sodium beef or vegetable stock.
  2. You can cook the beef stew meat in a pressure cooker for 10 minutes to get a more tender texture.
  3. Save the zucchin and potatoe cores and use them to make veggie soup or stock. They can also be frozen and used at a later time.
  4. Cook the stuffed vegetables at low heat, cooking them at a higher temperature will cause the stuffing to come out..

Denotes items that we prefer to be organic. Read more about it here: Items to buy organic when grocery shopping.