Tender grape leaves rolled around a fragrant rice with fresh herbs, olive oil, and lemon. A bright Greek classic, served warm or at room temperature with its lemony juices.
Ingredients
- 50 leaves grape leaves in brine
- 220 g short-grain rice
- 1 piece yellow onion
- 2 pieces scallions
- 120 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 pieces lemon
- 0.5 bunches fresh dill
- 0.5 bunches fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 6 sprigs fresh mint
- 30 g pine nuts
- 25 g golden raisins
- 1 tsp fine salt
- to taste ground black pepper
- 600 ml water
Method
- Rinse the grape leaves under cold water to remove the excess brine, then drain them well; they should remain pliable, glossy, and easy to unfold without tearing.
- Sweat the yellow onion and scallions in olive oil over low heat for a few minutes, until they become translucent and sweet, without noticeable browning.
- Add the rinsed rice, pine nuts, and golden raisins, then stir until the grains are pearly and lightly coated with oil; the filling should smell of warm olive oil and sweet onion.
- Off the heat, fold in the finely chopped herbs, salt, pepper, and a little lemon juice; taste the filling, it should be distinctly herbaceous, lemony, and slightly salty.
- Line the bottom of a Dutch oven with the damaged leaves, then lay each leaf vein-side facing you, place a little filling near the base, fold in the sides, and roll tightly but without squeezing, as the rice will swell.
- Arrange the dolmades seam-side down in tight layers in the Dutch oven; they need to support each other so they do not unroll during cooking.
- Pour in the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, and water just to cover, then weigh them down with an inverted plate to keep the rolls in place.
- Simmer over very low heat until the leaves are tender and the rice is cooked; the liquid should be almost completely absorbed and the aroma should be lemony, vegetal, and well-rounded.
- Turn off the heat and let rest covered before serving, so the dolmades firm up and absorb the remaining olive oil and lemon juices.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 565.5 kcal
- Protein
- 5.99 g
- Carbohydrate
- 57.41 g
- Fat
- 35.79 g
- Fibre
- 3.79 g
- Calcium
- 23.69 mg
- Iron
- 1 mg
- Magnesium
- 27.99 mg
