Dolmas - Greek Stuffed wine Leaves
This classic Greek starter dish, I aught in an on-line class for healthy-ageing live from the beautiful island of Crete. I love this recipe, as it's the perfect example for using everything from a plant to make a simple and healthy dish, that is also versatile. It can be made with a with a vegetarian or meat filling.
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 frying pan
- 2 Bowls
- chopping board, knife
- 1 small ceramic plate to fit into the large saucepan up-sode down for weighing down the dolmades
Ingredients
- 450 gr vine leaves (or cabbage, Swiss chard, etc)
- 350 gr long grain rice
- 6 spring onions finely chopped
- 1 onion (red or yellow) peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 lemons
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tbsp fresh chopped herbs (parsley, coriander, mint, chives, dill, etc)
- 600 ml water or vegetable stock use nutritional yeast based stock for extra digestibility and health benefits
- freshly ground pepper and salt to season
Instructions
- Heat 3 tbsp of olive in a pan and add the vegetables.
- Sauté over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, or until the onion becomes translucent.
- Add the rice to the pan and sauté with the vegetables for a few more minutes, stirring everything through to make sure the rice grains are coated in the oil.
- Add one cup of boiling water and simmer, stirring occasionally.
- When the water has boiled down, add a little more water.
- Once the rice is half cooked and all water has evaporated (remember to stir occasionally reaching the bottom of the pan, to prevent sticking), add salt and pepper.
- Remove the pan from the heat and cover with a lid.
- Add the chopped herbs and green onions
- Put the rice filling in a bowl or plate and let cool down to room temperature.
Preparing the Leaves
- Bring a pot of water to the boil and blanch the leaves for 2 minutes
- Remove and rinse the leaves with cold water (do in batches, if necessary)
- Line the bottom of a saucepan with a layer of leaves (to protect the dolmades whilst cooking)
- Spread out one or two grape leaves at a time (depending on size)
- Place a tbsp of rice stuffing over the leaf/leaves and roll the dolma folding the sides in as you go along to make parcels.
- Place in the pot and finish the process with the rest of the leaves and filling.
- Pour the lemon juice and rest of the olive oil over the dolmades
- Place a plat small enough to fit inside the pot over the dolma to prevent them floating up.
- Submerge the rolls with water, and a little salt. Cover the lid and simmer gently for around35-40 minutes.
- Add more water, if needed, during the cooking process.
- Remove the Dolmas with a spoon or slotted spoon and serve warm or at room temperature with tzatziki or another preferred sauce or dip.
Notes
Tip:
Serve with a fresh home-made tzatziki, it's the perfect summer snack or side dish for a BBQ. The wine leaves can easily be substituted for Cabbage or Swiss-Chard leaves. After all, we don't all have a vineyard around the corner...
For alternative fillings:
- include grilled sardines (popular in Thessaloniki)
- Jewish ‘Yaprakes Finos’ – stuffed with rice, pine nuts, tomatoes and onions
- Iranian ‘Dolma Bargh’ – stuffed with rice, peas, cilantro (coriander) and spices
- Armenian ‘Yalachi Sarma’ – rice, parsley, tomatoes and cinnamon.