Dolmathes (Stuffed Grape Leaves)

"These are great as an appetizer as well as a main course. If you're going to go to the trouble of making them - why not double the batch and really have some fun?"
 
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photo by Dr. Jenny photo by Dr. Jenny
photo by Dr. Jenny
photo by Rita1652 photo by Rita1652
photo by evelynathens photo by evelynathens
photo by Rita1652 photo by Rita1652
photo by Rita1652 photo by Rita1652
Ready In:
2hrs 15mins
Ingredients:
15
Yields:
50 dolmathes
Serves:
6-8
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ingredients

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directions

  • Saute onions in ½ cup olive oil until translucent.
  • Wash and drain rice well and add to onion along with 1 cup of water.
  • Cook for 10 minutes.
  • Add herbs, pine nuts, currants and salt and white pepper to taste.
  • Set aside to cool.
  • Prep leaves by rinsing well under running water and blanch in boiling water for 2-3 minutes.
  • Cut off any tough stems by cutting a V around the stem, and discarding stem.
  • Place 1 leaf on flat surface, shiny side down, add 1 teaspoon of filling and roll LOOSELY (as for a tiny eggroll, tucking in sides first and then rolling up), as rice will expand during cooking.
  • Place seam side down on bottom of large saucepan which has been covered with a layer of thicker grape leaves (rejects from your jar – they may be very thick, therefore, not tender or torn and not suitable for being used as a wrapper- these protect the dolmathes from scorching).
  • Repeat each grape leaf in same manner until all are used, packing them in tight- one next to the other- seam side down.
  • Add 1 1/2- 2 cups water, dash salt, 3/4 cup olive oil and the juice of 1 lemon (enough liquid to just cover the dolmathes).
  • Cover with a heavy plate to keep dolmathes immersed in liquid, and simmer for 45 minutes, or until rice is cooked.
  • Serve cold or at room temperature as a'meze'.
  • Nice served with a squeeze of lemon and/or a dollop of greek yogurt on top.
  • For Vegan option omit the yogurt.

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Reviews

  1. I made the recipe as written and had no problems, but thought the flavor was lacking. Maybe more lemon juice, some garlic or salt. I really washed the grape leaves overnight so there was no trace of brine left. The sweet taste of the currants over powered the other favors. Tip: For getting the Grape leaves out of the jar. Drain the liquid and then use chopsticks, compressing the most centered roll as near as you can get to the bottom and pull gently.
     
  2. These were wonderful!! I added extra pine nuts but didn't change anything else...EXCEPT that I didn't see the part where Evelyn says to wrap them LOOSELY. I forgot to do that, so some of mine broke open. Oh well. They were still wonderful and my SO loved them as well. Thanks for recommending these! Oh, and I served them with artichoke hearts stuffed with spinach and goat cheese and fresh mozzarella, as well as homemade tzatziki by Sue L. Also some kalamatas and feta. YUM!
     
  3. These were soooo good. I also followed the recipe exactly as written but left out the pine nuts (due to personal preference). It was time consuming but well worth the effort! They make great leftovers too. I ate them the next day cold right out of the fridge.
     
  4. This was great fun making and worth it! It was the first time I made them myself so I followed the recipe exactly as written. I served it with other Greek dishes, pita bread, and we enjoyed every bite!!
     
  5. We had fun making these last night. Like other reviewers, we used more than 1 tsp of filling per grape leaf; more like a tablespoon. Didn't change any of the ingredients or proportions. We thought maybe the grape leaves could use a little seasoning, but overall they were good. We served with Recipe #5836096 for February 2013 Sun and Spice event.
     
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Tweaks

  1. Made again for New Years eve 2011. Made with brown rice and used frozen herbs from my summer crop. Raisins in place of the currants. Love this.<br/>My first review.<br/>YUM! My 1 pound jar had 45 grape leaves and I found myself unrolling leaves to add more then a teaspoon of filling more like 2. Loved the fresh dill and mint. I toasted the pine nuts before adding to the rice mixture. I used raisins in place of the currants. Time consuming but well worth it. Served with feta and fresh lemon. Thanks.
     
  2. Positively wonderful! I found that a Tablespoon of rice mixture was perfect for the large grape leaves I was using. I made a few other variations based on what I had on hand. I used mint and fresh parsley instead of the dill and spearmint and golden raisins instead of currant. Also 'Vegan Dad' has a great vegan Tzatziki Sauce recipe http://vegandad.blogspot.com/2008/02/tempo-gyro-with-vegan-tzatziki.html. This is the best vegan dolmathes recipe I've come across yet!!!
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<style>body { background: url("http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3639/3512121819_f2f1aaf050.jpg?v=0"); background-repeat: repeat-y; }</style> OK, here goes. I live in Athens, Greece. I moved out here many, many years ago from Ottawa, Canada - so I am blessed in having two wonderful heritages! I suffer from compulsive obsessive behaviour with regard to food and my psychiatrist thought it would be a good idea to find a 'society' where many have the same problem and try to find a cure. So far, I've copied a couple of thousand recipes from this site and my psychiatrist has thrown the towel in and refuses to answer the phone when I call. What did I do wrong? Got 3 kids that keep me on the go - 10 and under at this point (2008) - I may not get round to updating this for a few years, so you'll have to do your own maths. I teach English full-time and Greek Cookery part-time. I would like to make the cooking part of it full-time and the English Grammar part of it part-time. That's all for now.
 
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