Keith Bonner moved to Hollister from San Jose six years ago to be closer to three of his four adult children. Wanting to share his heritage, Bonner was found this holiday season preparing traditional Armenian dolmas to share with his family on Thanksgiving Day. Bonner learned this recipe from his “mother who was full blooded Armenian,” who in turn learned this recipe from her mother who was born and raised in Armenia. When it comes to dolmas, Bonner said, “We have had it (dolmas) since we were little. It’s always been a family dish at get-togethers. My mother had six siblings and when we got together we always ate these and other Armenian dishes."
Bonner’s grandparents moved to the United States from Armenia in 1912 to, as he explained, "escape the persecution of the Turks against the Armenians". This persecution would lead to the Armenian Genocide three years later during WWI. The Armenian National Institute's website estimates that of the two million Armenians found in the Ottoman Empire prior to WWI, one and a half million died between the years of 1915 and 1923.
Wanting to keep his heritage alive on Thanksgiving Day, Bonner prepared his family recipe, just as his mother did, to share the dish he grew up eating with his own family. “It is a tradition to pass down so you don’t forget your Armenian roots,” Bonner serves dolmas on Thanksgiving Day, next to the traditional turkey and stuffing.
Once cooked dolmas can be served both hot or cold. Bonner’s family recipe is listed below.
- DOLMAS Recipe ingredients – one pound of ground beef or desired ground meat, one jar of grape leaves, half of a large onion, half a cup of long grain white rice, salt and pepper to taste, one eight ounce can of tomato sauce, and half a handful of parsley.
- Step 1 – Mix raw meat, rice, salt, pepper, tomato sauce, diced onion, and parsley together.
- Step 2 – Roll out grape leaves from jar.
- Step 3 – Place desired amount of mixture onto the base of the grape leaf.
- Step 4 – Roll the grape leaf from the bottom, folding in the sides as you go.
- Step 5 – Place rolled dolma in a pot until the pot is full.
- Step 6 – Once full fill the pot with enough water to cover the bottom layer of dolma's.
- Step 7 – Place the pot full of dolma's on the stove. Bring the pot to a a boil with the lid covered.
- Step 8 – Once the water boils, turn the stove down to a low boil, like cooking rice, and heat for one hour.