Swiss Chard Rolls with Bulgur Stuffing – Bulgurlu Pazi Dolmasi

Wash the Swiss chard leaves. Cut out the ribs from the leaves. In a large pot, bring 3 cups of water to a boil, remove from heat. Place leaves in hot water for 10 minutes to soften for rolling. Remove leaves, drain in a colander, set aside.

Place bulgur in a strainer, rinse and let it drain.

In a pot, sauté onions in olive oil until golden brown. Add garlic and bulgur, sauté for another 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a small bowl, combine tomato paste and 1 cup of boiling water, gently stir until smooth. Add tomato sauce, salt and pepper to taste to the pot. Stir for a minute, remove from heat, set aside with lid closed, letting bulgur absorb the sauce. Add chopped parsley, dill and mint to the pot, stir with a spoon. The filling is ready.

Drizzle some olive oil to the bottom of a pot. Now you’ll roll the leaves and will put the rolls into this pot and cook.

Take each half leaf, put it on a flat surface with rough side up. Place a teaspoonful of the filling to the bottom portion of the leaf. First fold the bottom over the filling, then fold the sides and start rolling it up like a burrito. Place the roll in the pot with the seam at the bottom. Repeat this for each half leaf until all of the leaves are rolled.

For the sauce, mix the tomato paste and the boiling water, add a pinch of salt. Pour the sauce over the rolls. Place a small, flat plate over the rolls. Cover the pot with the lid. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat to low, let it simmer until leaves are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat, let it cool to room temperature. Transfer to a serving plate, garnish with slices of lemon.

 Afiyet Olsun! Bon Appetit!