DOLMADES: VEGETARIAN STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES
Yield:
25-30 dolmades
Ingredients
- 8 ounces grape leaves from a jar, rinsed, drained, and stems removed
- 1/2 cup long grain rice
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup water
- 2 lemons, juiced (1/2 cup or more)
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped mint
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Sauté onions with 1/3 of the olive oil over medium low heat about 15-20 minutes or until very soft and lightly golden. Do not brown the onions.
- Add rice and mix to combine.
- Pour 1 cup water, half of the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 6-7 minutes or until the rice absorbs all of the liquid. At this point the rice is only par boiled.
- Add all the herbs and mix well. Cool completely.
- Rinse and dry the grape leaves. Cut the hard stem from each leaf. Reserve the smallest and the torn leaves to lay on bottom of pot.
- Lay a grape leaf shiny side down and place a tablespoon of rice filling on the bottom end of the leaf, near the stem.
- Fold the stem end of leaf over the filling. Fold the sides over and roll up snugly but not too tight. The rice will expand a bit more while cooking.
- Repeat with all of the remaining grape leaves until your filling is done.
- Layer half of the small and torn grape leaves to create a bed for the dolmades in a pot.
- Place the dolmades seam side down and very close together over the bed of leaves. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Pour the remaining olive oil and lemon juice over the dolmades.
- Place the remaining reserved small leaves over the dolmades.
- Pour enough water to just cover the dolmades.
- Place an inverted plate over the dolmades to weigh them down and to prevent them from moving around and opening while cooking.
- Cover with lid and bring to a boil.
- Reduce to simmer and cook for 35-40 minutes.
- There will still be some liquid in the pot. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes and the juices will be absorbed.
- Plate and drizzle some olive oil over them. Serve with delicious tzatziki sauce.
- Enjoy!
Despina says
This was so good! I’ve been looking for a recipe that doesn’t have the ground beef in it and this was just perfect. Thank you for your videos that do a wonderful job at clearly explaining the steps:)
Evgenia says
Dear Dimitra,
So excited to make this recipe with help from my 8yr old granddaughter! As Greek American, not growing up Greek, I’ve always wished I had my Yiayia to teach me. Now I have you! I’m old enough to be YOU’RE Yiayia but you have taught me so much.
One question, i used the two lemons, and I love lemon, but the leaves were super lemony. I used fresh harvested leaves from my grape vine that I did not blanch but froze until use. Could they have gone overboard absorbing the lemon?
Carol says
Love to look at your recipes Dimitri. Tried the Spanakopita -twice. Delicious! & well received by guests. Dolmades & ekmek kataifi – when the pastry is delivered. Just one question – is there any way of judging the calorie content of these dishes?
dimitra says
Hi Carol!! Unfortunately, I do not have any way of converting the recipes to get the nutritional info but, I’m guessing that google can help with this 🙂
Theo Brueseke says
Is it better to cook in a smaller pot in several layers or 1 very large skillet in one or two layers
dimitra says
I prefer cooking it in 2 layers however, I’ve made them in a smaller pot too. Just make sure to cover them with water or broth so that they cook evenly. Enjoy!
Parente Barbara Hopko says
Thank you for sharing you wonderful recipes. Your instructions are easy to follow. Love the end results.