Üç Bacı (Three Sisters) - Azerbaijani Dolma #EattheWorld

This month the Eat the World bloggers are headed, by tabletop, to Azerbaijan. Read more about the Eat the World project here.

The Azerbaijani Line-Up

• Lamb Piti by Pandemonium Noshery

• Qutab / Kutab – Azerbaijan Stuffed Flatbread by  Sneha's Recipe

• Shirin Chorek by A Day in the Life on the Farm

• Sweet Turmeric Milk Bread (Shirin Chorek) by Amy's Cooking Adventures

• Üç Bacı (Three Sisters) - Azerbaijani Dolma by Culinary Cam (you're here)

About Azerbaijan

I wanted to share some interesting facts about the country...

• Part of the former Soviet republic, Azerbaijan lies between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains. Its capital, Baku, is famed for its medieval walled Inner City.

• The country is home to more than three hundred mud volcanoes.

• The name - Azerbaijan - means 'protector of fire' and the inhabitants have a long history of fire-worshipping. Yanardag, which means ‘burning mountain’, located in the village of Mammadli, is home to natural flames that burn constantly. Descriptions of this natural phenomenon that sometimes exceed the height of a three story building were first described in the memoirs of Marco Polo in the 13th century.

• In 1901, the country's oilfield were supplying more than half the world's oil.

• Azerbaijan is home to the village of Khinalig, a village that was on the list submitted to UNESCO's World Heritage Committee in 2020. The construction of the village is unique in its housing-style and the houses' proximity to each other which provides protection from blizzards and frosts. The inhabitants are one of the ancient Caucasian-Albanian tribes whose distinct language is called 'Ketsh.'

• They granted women's suffrage in 1918, making them the first country to do so in the Muslim East, which predates women's suffrage in the United States. The 19th Amendment wasn't passed by Congress until June 1919 and wasn't ratified until August 1920.

Üç Bacı (Three Sisters)

Azerbaijani Dolma

Before I get to the recipe, I need to share that this is not actually Üç Bacı. It is more three stuffed vegetables. But the traditional Üç Bacı which means 'three sisters' is stuffed eggplants, stuffed peppers, and stuffed tomatoes; I stuffed peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini. But given that they also stuff potatoes, onions, quince, and even apples, I kept the name.

Ingredients

• vegetables for stuffing (I used bell peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini)

• 3 Tablespoons butter

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• 1 pound ground lamb

• 2 onions, peeled and chopped

• 1 bell pepper, chopped

• 1 cup tomatoes, diced

• 1 cup chopped fresh basil

• salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

Prep the peppers and tomatoes by slicing off the top and spooning out the inside, leaving the shell intact. Prep the zucchini by cutting them in half, lengthwise, and scooping out some of the insides.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large flat-bottom pan, melt the butter in olive oil. Add the onions and the lamb. Cook until the meat is no longer pink and the onions are translucent. Stir in the peppers and tomatoes and simmer until softened. Stir in the basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Stuff the vegetables with the meat mixture, pressing gently with a spoon to get rid of any air pockets. Place stuffed vegetables in a rimmed baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and cover with foil. Bake for 50 minutes, in the preheated oven, then uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes so the tops get nicely browned.

Serve hot.

That's a wrap for my offering for the #EattheWorld trek to Azerbaijan this month. We'll be back with another destination in December. As Juli and I are handling the country reveals a little differently, I will share that the group will be making and posting recipes from Iceland in December. Stay tuned!

Our 2024 Tabletop Travels So Far

Click on my recipe title to go to the original post and see the other bloggers' offerings

• January - Spain - Arroz con Langostinos y Carabineros

• February - Afghanistan - Afghani Dumplings: Aushak and Mantu

• March - Indonesia - Rijsttafel, An Indonesian Feast with a Colonial Twist

• April - Denmark - Stegt Flæsk Med Persillesov and Some Danish Memories

• May - Oman - Squid Mishkak and Majboos

• June - Costa Rica - Ceviche De Tiquicia

• July - Palestine - Deconstructed Sayadieh, the Power of Food, and Other Palestinian-Inspired Bites

• August - Zimbabwe - Huku Ne Dovi (Zimbabwean Chicken and Groundnut Stew)

• September - Kiribati - Ika Mata

• October - Belize - Two French Sweets that Landed in Belize: Rum Cakes and Coconut Sugar Cakes