Dolmades (Stuffed Vine Leaves)
Dolmades is another dish strongly associated with Greek cooking. The problem with these small rolls of vine leaves wrapped around rice is that you can't get enough of them. For best results use fresh leaves, but in case you don't live in Toscana or Champaign, you can buy preserved leaves in the local store.
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1 red onion
2 cups long-grain rice
1 tbsp. dill
2 tbsp. parsley
30 vine leaves
2 tomatoes
1 white onion
1 lemon
olive oil
salt
pepper
Preparation time: 1 hr. 15 mins
Difficulty level: Medium-up
Servings: 6
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Ingredients
Preparation
Start with the stuffing:
Wash and strain the rice.
Chop the red onion and sauté it in a pan with some olive oil until it becomes transparent.
Add the rice and sauté while stirring constantly for another 3-4 minutes.
Add salt and pepper and 1 cup of boiling water. Cover and cook on medium-low heat until the rice absorbs all the water (about 10 minutes), then set aside to cool.
Add chopped dill and parsley.
If using fresh leaves, boil some water in a pot and scald the leaves a few each time for 3-4 seconds, then immediately put them in cold water to stop the cooking process.
If using preserved leaves, just wash them in water and strain.
Roll the dolmades:
Put a leaf on the working surface shiny side down, the stem pointing at you.
Put a tbsp. of the stuffing close to the stem of the leaf, roll the leaf around the stuffing starting from the stem, then fold the side edges of the leaf inwards and continue to roll up so you get a sausage-shaped form.
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And finally cooking:
Slice the tomatoes and arrange them in a layer at the bottom of a cooking pot.
Slice the onion and arrange on top of the tomatoes.
Lay the stuffed vine leaves in circles (in two layers if needed).
Slice half lemon into thin slices and arrange them on top, squeeze the other half in. Add salt and pepper and pour 1/4 cup olive oil.
Cover the dolmades with an inverted plate, so that they don't fall apart when cooking.
Finally pour water to a level 2cm (0.8") above the dolmades.
Bring to a boil and let boil for 5 minutes, then set the heat to medium and cook for another 30 minutes, adding some boiling water if needed.
Serve at room temperature, garnished with some yogurt or tzatziki.
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Tips:
Don't roll the dolmades very tight since the rice will continue to expand during cooking.
When arranging the dolmades in the pot, put with the leave edge facing down.
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