Dried Eggplants and Peppers

First, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the dried eggplants and peppers, and boil them for 5–10 minutes, checking occasionally until they soften.
Remove them from the hot water and transfer them into a bowl filled with cold water. Let them sit for a while, then drain thoroughly.

Now, for the filling:
In a wide, shallow mixing bowl, add the rice that’s been soaked in hot water for 20 minutes and drained.
Add the ground meat, olive oil, finely chopped onion, parsley, tomato paste, pepper paste, salt, spices, and finally the pomegranate molasses. Mix everything gently but thoroughly—being careful not to break the rice.

Stuff the softened eggplants and peppers a little more than halfway full with the filling.
Arrange them side by side in the pot where they will be cooked, standing up if possible.

Place a plate or a traditional dolma weight stone on top to keep them in place during cooking.

To make sure none of the filling mixture goes to waste, pour boiling water into the bowl that had the filling, swirl it around to pick up any remaining oil and paste, and then pour this liquid into the pot.

Cook on high heat for the first 5 minutes, then reduce to low heat and let it simmer until fully cooked.