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Dolmades

Print Recipe
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Greek

Ingredients
  

Leaf Wrappers

  • 16 oz grape leaves, (500ml jar)
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 cup chicken broth (or stock)
  • 4 tbsp lemon juice ( 1 medium lemon )
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Filling

  • 1 cup white rice
  • 2 tbsp oil for cooking the meat (regular olive oil is good)
  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 1 large finely chopped onion
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup each fresh mint, parsley, dill ( 3 tbsp dried = 1/2 cup fresh )

Instructions
 

Leaf Wrappers

  • Rinse leaves, and lay flat in a colander to drain. If the leaves are not labelled as "tender" or if they are tough to chew, boil in water at medium heat for 5-10 minutes, soak in cool water, and lay flat in a colander.

Filling

  • Soak the rice in a large bowl of water for 15-20 minutes, or until it is easy to break a grain of rice. Drain well.
  • While the rice is soaking, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet, on medium.
  • Add the onions, and sautee until translucent, about 2 minutes.
  • Add the meat and cook until fully browned.
  • Drain the fat, and season with salt, pepper, and cumin.
  • Set aside to cool.
  • In a large bowl, add the rice, meat, and rest of the ingredients from the Filling list, and mix well.

more Leaf Wrappers

  • Place a leaf on your workspace, shiny side down, trim off the stem if present, place a heaping teaspoon (less than a tablespoon) 2/3 from the top, roll up, fold the sides over, then finish rolling the leaf. Repeat until all the leaves are stuffed.
  • Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a separate pot.
  • Cover the bottom of a large pot with the 4 tbsp olive oil.
  • Layer the bottom with any broken leaves, preferably build up 3 layers to prevent anything from sticking and burning.
  • Cover the bottom of the pot with the dolmades, seam facing down.
  • Add the rest of the dolmades, seam-side down.
  • Place a temperature-safe plate on top of the dolmades, and set the heat to medium.
  • Pour the boiling broth over the dolmades.
  • Add boiling water or additional broth to cover the plate, if needed.
  • Cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes, until the liquid is all absorbed.
  • Remove the plate, add the lemon juice, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let cook for another 30-40 minutes (test one at 30 minutes to see if it's done).
  • Remove dolmades from heat, let rest for 20-30 minutes.
  • Add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, serve with tzatziki, or Greek yogurt and lemon wedges,

Notes

  • If you have fresh grape leaves, wash them thoroughly, remove the stems and blanch them in a boiling water for 1-2 minutes, until soft. Remove the leaves with a slotted spoon and place them in a cold water. Do this in batches of 12-15 leaves.
  • Vegetarian option - replace ground beef with 3/4 cup rice
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