A constant—an icon—of my Armenian American childhood were grape leaves, cabbage leaves, bell peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes wrapped around or stuffed with lamb and rice sausage. My mother, a native of the American Southwest, married my father, an Armenian who enjoyed the honor of being the first of his direct family line to be born in the United States. So, in our family it was he who carried forward the Armenian tradition of lamb at table. That was not difficult for my mother to accommodate: her father was a rancher who raised sheep from time to time. In other words, lamb was a food that my parents easily shared through their more than half century of marriage. Interestingly, though the sausage stuffing was the same whether it was tucked into grape leaves, cabbage leaves, or vegetables, there was a name distinction: wrapped in leaves, the dish was called sarma, but stuffed into vegetables, it was dolma. Dolmas and sarma made with cabbage leaves were considered family fare, and they were a dinner staple in our household. Stuffed grape leaves, which require more time and earnest effort, were festive fare, so they were saved for family get-togethers or special birthday requests (mine in particular). For how to blanch and separate the leaves for making stuffed cabbage leaves, see page 151.

Ingredients

　　1 cup steamed long-grain white rice (page 7), cooled

　　1 pound ground lamb

　　1 yellow or white onion, very finely chopped

　　1/4 cup tomato paste

　　2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

　　1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

　　1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

　　1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

　　3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl, and knead with your hands until thoroughly blended. Use right away as directed in individual recipes, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

　　Sausage