Sarmas (Stuffed Collard Greens)

We got collard greens in our Boston Organics box again this week, so I was looking for a recipe and found this: a Turkish dish called sarma. They looked to be similar to dolmades or stuffed cabbage rolls. I used the same basic approach described in that post, but substituted ground seitan for the bulgur wheat. The seitan was from a recipe I made a few months ago - we made a loaf, then ran it through our food processor to yield a ground meat substitute. I didn't add any salt, because the seitan was pretty salty as is. I also, sadly, didn't have any mint or fresh lemons -- I think those would improve this dish. It was my first time making any kind of stuffed leaf dish, and it turned out great! I served them with some leftover roasted potatoes, parsnips, carrots, and beets from earlier in the week.

A heaping tablespoon of filling on each leaf

Ingredients:

Large bunch collard greens, stemmed, quartered

A little oil for sauteeing
1/2 red onion, diced
Bell peppers, chopped (I used about a cup of frozen)
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
About 8 oz ground seitan (could substitute Gimme Lean or vegan chorizo or even crumbled firm tofu)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 T tomato paste
2 T lemon juice
2 c water

Sarmas in the pan, before adding water and covering with the plate.

Method

Bring a large pot half filled with water to a boil. Submerge collards and boil for 1-2 minutes, then drain and put in a bowl filled with ice water and set aside. Saute onion, pepper, and garlic in a little oil until the onion is softened. Add seitan and stir to combine. Add cumin, red pepper, lemon juice, tomato paste, and about 1/4 to 1/2 c of the water to help everything come together. Mix well. Remove the seitan mixture to a bowl and rinse out the pan. Take a quarter of a collard green leaf, and with the widest edge facing you, spoon a heaping tablespoon (or whatever amount will fit) onto the leaf. Fold in the sides and roll toward the opposite point. Roll tightly! Place in your pan and repeat until all the collards are filled or you run out of filling. Pour the rest of the water over the sarmas. Place a large plate over them, cover with a lid, and cook on medium for 10 minutes, then on low for another 10-15 minutes.

Makes about 4 servings.

The final product, served alongside roasted veggies.