Dolmathes Recipes

DOLMADES (STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES)

Steps:

• To make the filling, coat a large saute pan with 1/4 cup of the oil and place over medium heat. Add the onion, fennel and lemon zest and stir until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the pine nuts and rice, saute for 2 minutes, stirring to coat. Pour in just 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and lower the heat. Simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 10 minutes. Scrape the parboiled rice mixture into a bowl and add the dill and parsley; season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool. Now on to the grape leaves.
• Bring a big pot of water to a simmer. Blanch the grape leaves in the hot water for 5 minutes until pliable. Drain then trim the stems and any hard veins from the leaves. Pat dry with paper towels.
• To assemble the dolmades, lay a grape leaf on a work surface, shiny-side down. Put 2 tablespoons of the rice filling near the stem end of the leaf. Fold the stem end over the filling, then fold both sides toward the middle, and roll up into a cigar ¿ it should be snug but not overly tight because the rice will swell once it is fully cooked. Squeeze lightly in the palm of your hand to secure the roll. Repeat with remaining grape leaves and filling.
• Place the dolmades in a large Dutch oven or wide deep skillet, seam-side down in a single layer. Pour the remaining cup of broth, remaining olive oil, and the lemon juice over the dolmades, the liquid should reach halfway up the rolls, add some water if necessary. Cover the pan and simmer over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the dolmades are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm, at room temperature or cool.

DOLMATHES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions until tender. Stir in rice and brown slightly. Add 3 1/2 cups water, and half of the lemon juice. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Stir in dill, parsley and pine nuts.
• Remove stems from grape leaves and place 1 tablespoon of rice mixture in the center. Fold in the sides and roll tightly. Place, folded side down, in a baking dish and cover with remaining olive oil, lemon juice and enough water to cover 1/2 of the dolmathas.
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

DOLMATHES

Steps:

• Put a pot that is large enough to hold the grape leaves over high heat. Add enough water to cover the leaves and bring to a boil. Add grape leaves and blanch for 5 minutes, drain and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine: ground beef, rice, sea salt, pepper, onion, olive oil, and dill, mix well.
• Take a knife and cut off the stem of each grape leaf.
• Place about 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture at the bottom of each leaf (ribs up) and fold over the sides of the leaf to cover the mixture. Then roll upwards. Place into a deep pot in layers (should have about 2 layers depending on the size of your pot).
• Once all dolmathes are done, cover the tops of them with any broken grape leaves (if you have them).
• Add the chicken broth, cover dolmathes with a small plate or lid to keep them down and together. Turn heat to medium.
• Bring to simmer, cook on low for about 15-20 minutes, or until the rice is cooked.
• Once cooked, prepare the avgolemono sauce.
• Beat eggs in a bowl for 5 minutes.
• Add lemon juice to the egg mixture and while still beating slowly pour in 1 cup of hot broth from the dolmathes pot into bowl with the eggs - this tempers them so they won't curdle.
• Now, pour egg mixture into pot with dolmathes and slowly mix everything together. Add salt and pepper if desired.
• Bring to simmer, cover, and remove from heat.
• Place a few dolmathes on a plate, pour some avgolemono sauce over them, and serve with lemon wedges!

DOLMADES: STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES

Steps:

• In a large saute pan over medium high heat, heat 1/4-cup olive oil. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and pine nuts and saute for 2 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly. Add the rice, salt, raisins, mint and juice of 1 lemon to the bowl with the onion mixture and mix well. Set aside.
• Bring a medium pot of water to a simmer. Remove the grape leaves from the jar and drop them in batches of 4 or 5 into the hot water. Quickly remove them from the water and spread flat on a towel-lined work surface. Cut the stem from each grape leaf, as needed. (NOTE: Fresh grape leaves also need to be blanched for 1/2 minute.)
• To assemble the dolmades, place 1 grape leaf on the work surface, dull side (or underside) of the leaf up. Place 1 to 2 teaspoons of rice filling near the stem end of the leaf. Fold the stem (bottom) end up over the filling, fold the sides toward the filling in the center, then roll up the leaf into a small cylindrical package, being careful not to fold too tightly, as the rice will expand during cooking.
• Place the dolmades in a large Dutch oven or wide saute pan, seam side down. Combine the remaining cup of olive oil and juice of 1 lemon, and pour over the dolmades. Cover with a heavy plate or baking dish and add water to cover to the level of the plate. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 1 hour, or until rice is tender.
• Serve at room temperature, with Kicked Up Tzatziki as a dipping sauce.
• In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients and chill for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to marry.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
• Recipe from New New Orleans Cooking, by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

DOLMAS (STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions until tender. Stir in rice and hot water to cover. Cover and simmer until rice is half cooked, about 10 minutes.
• Remove from heat and stir in tomato paste, currants, pine nuts, cinnamon, mint leaves, dill weed, allspice and cumin. Let mixture cool.
• Prepare a large pot by placing an inverted plate on the bottom; this protects the dolmas from direct heat when steaming.
• Rinse grape leaves in warm water; drain and cut off any stems. Place about 1 teaspoon of the cooled rice mixture in the center of a leaf. Fold in the sides and then roll into a cigar shape. Place in prepared pot. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
• Pour in just enough warm water to reach the bottom of the first layer of dolmas. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 to 45 minutes, or until rice is totally cooked. Check the water level often and add more as necessary.

DOLMADES

Steps:

• Place pepper directly on the trivet of a gas-stove burner over high heat. As each section turns puffy and black, turn pepper with tongs. (If you don't have a gas stove, place pepper on a baking pan, and broil, turning as each side chars.) Transfer pepper to a small bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Let sweat until it is cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a work surface. Peel off and discard blackened skin. Cut pepper into 1/4-inch dice, discarding seeds and inner membranes; transfer to a bowl; set aside.
• Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet set over medium heat. Add onion, oregano, and salt; cook until onion is beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to bowl with red pepper. Add cooked brown rice, currants, parsley, zest, and all but 1 tablespoon lemon juice; stir to combine.
• Remove stem from a rinsed vine leaf; lay leaf on work surface. Place 1 tablespoon filling at stem end; roll leaf tightly, tucking in ends. Repeat until all filling is used.
• Line an 8-inch saucepan with remaining leaves; arrange stuffed leaves, seam side down, in pan. They may be stacked in 2 layers. Drizzle with remaining tablespoon olive oil and remaining tablespoon lemon juice. Add enough water to the pan to just cover stuffed leaves; weight leaves for cooking with a kitchen plate or a lid smaller than the diameter of the pan.
• Place saucepan over high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low; allow to simmer gently until leaves are tender, about 45 minutes. Transfer stuffed leaves to a serving platter, and allow to cool. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

DOLMADES

Steps:

• Drain, rinse and dry grape leaves.
• Place off to the side.
• In a large bowl mix ground round, Lamb, salt, pepper, minced parsley, onion chopped, crushed or pressed garlic and Tabuli (or rice); mix well.
• Lay out one grape leaf stem up, place about 1 rounded tablespoon meat mixture near stem.
• Fold stem up over meat mixture fold one side leaf over mixture, fold top over then roll the rest but not tight.
• This is just like making a burrito.
• I use toothpicks to keep the stuffed leaves together.
• Place in at least 1 gal pot.
• Continue until all leaves are filled and snug in pot.
• If you run out of grape leaves that's okay, you can roll little balls of meat mixture and place in pot.
• Cover all stuffed leaves with chicken broth adding water if you don't have enough broth, more broth if you have it on hand (you can use just water if you want).
• Bring the broth to a boil then turn heat to low, simmer and cook covered until tender (pierced with a fork) about 30 minutes.
• Remove about 1 quart of broth from pot and let cool down a little.
• You want it hot just not scalding hot.
• In another bowl beat 4 eggs until frothy adding slowly juice from lemon.
• Take the warmed broth and add to the egg mixture slowly a 1/2 ladle at a time still beating the egg mixture.
• After all broth is mixed with egg & lemon slowly add to pot on stove.
• Cover the pot and turn flame off.
• Let sit for about 10 minutes then serve.
• I like it tart and rich so I use more eggs and lemon then the recipe calls for.
• You can experiment how many eggs and lemon you want for the egg lemon broth.
• Leftover broth in pot makes good Avgolemono (Egg Lemon soup).

GREEK DOLMADES RECIPE (STUFFED VINE/ GRAPE LEAVES DOLMATHES)

Steps:

• To make this traditional Greek dolmades recipe (stuffed vine/ grape leaves), start by preparing the vine leaves. For this dolmades recipe, you can either use vine leaves sold in jars or fresh (if you are lucky enough to find them). If you use the ones in jar, rinse the vine leaves, remove the stems and leave them in a colander to drain. If using fresh vine leaves, wash them thoroughly, remove the stems and blanch them in boiling hot water. Remove the leaves with a slotted spoon and place them in a colander to cool down completely.
• Prepare the filling for the stuffed vine/ grape leaves (dolmades). Place the rice in a colander and rinse with running water. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, add 1/3 of the olive oil and the chopped onions. Sauté the onions, until translucent (but not coloured). Add the rice and sauté for 1 more minute. Pour in 2 cups of warm water and half lemon juice and simmer for about 7 minutes, until the rice absorbs all the water and is parboiled. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the herbs, remove from the stove and set aside to cool down for a while. This will be the filling for the dolmades.
• Layer the bottom of a large pot with some vine leaves (use the ones that are little bit torn) and start rolling the dolmadakia. (This is probably the most difficult part of the traditional dolmades recipe). Place one vine leaf (shiny side down) on a flat surface and add 1 tsp of the filling at the bottom end (stem). Be careful not to overfill the dolmades, as the rice will expand during cooking. Fold the lower section of the leaf over the filling towards the center; bring the two sides in towards the center and roll them up tightly. Place the stuffed vine leaves (fold side down) on the bottom of the pot and top in snugly layers. Be careful not to leave any gaps between the dolmades to prevent them from cracking open when cooking.
• Drizzle the stuffed vine leaves (dolmathes) with the rest of the olive oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Place an inverted plate on top to hold them down when cooking and pour in enough water just to cover them. Place the lid on and simmer the dolmades for about 30-40 minutes, until the water has been absorbed and the dolmades remain only with the oil.
• Remove the pot from the heat, remove the lid and plate and let the dolmades cool for at least 30 minutes.
• Serve this delicious Greek appetizer cold or at room temperature with a squeeze of a lemon. Give this traditional dolmades recipe a try and enjoy your own fresh homemade stuffed grape leaves (dolmades)!

DOLMATHES (STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES)

Steps:

• 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.