Dolmades made with fresh grape leaves are truly a late spring treat. Harvest grape leaves throughout May to mid-June. Look for leaves that are as big as your hand, without holes or flaws. After mid-June, grape leaves will be too leathery and thick for delicate dolmades. Of course, you can make these any time of the year with brined grape leaves, but they will not be quite the same as those made with fresh leaves.
Ingredients:
(Makes 25, enough to fit into a 9“ round baking dish or pan)
37-40 freshly harvested grape leaves, stems trimmed
4 tablespoons + 1/4 cup of olive oil
1 onion, chopped
zest and juice of 1 large or 2 small lemons
1 cup white, long grain rice
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper
1 lemon, sliced
Special equipment:
Ideally—Find a baking dish that fits into another baking dish, like 2 cake pans where one fits into the other. Pan or baking dish can be any shape, as long as all the dolmades fit snugly and have something to fit in and weight them down. You can also weigh down dolmades with oiled aluminum foil with pie weights or loose change. But the recipe will still work if you don’t take this step … it will be fine.
Method:
- In a large sauté pan, heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil on medium. Add the chopped onion, turn down heat to medium/low and cook for 8 minutes until translucent.
- While the onion cooks, fill a pot 2/3 of the way with water and bring it to a boil.
- Turn back to the onions: Add lemon zest and lemon juice, salt and pepper and continue to cook on low for another 3 minutes, until lemon juice is evaporated.
- Add the rice, stir to coat with oil and continuing sautéing for another 3 minutes.
- Add 1 1/2 cups of water to the rice mixture, turn heat to low and cook until water is absorbed by the rice. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
- By now the water in the pot should be boiling. Place the grape leaves in the boiling water, cover and turn off heat. Let the grape leaves sit in the hot water for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, remove them and place them into a bowl of ice water to stop cooking.
- Line your baking dish or pan with enough grape leaves to cover the bottom in one layer.
- Mix the herbs into the rice mixture. Season again with salt and pepper.
- Roll up your dolmades: Open up a grape leaf with the smooth-side-down, vein-side-up so that the top of the leaf is further from you. Place a tablespoon or so of the rice mixture in the middle of leaf, just above where the stem was cut. Start by folding the sides of the leaf in, over the filling. Tuck them in and roll up the leaf. Place the dolmada in the grape leaf lined pan, seam-side down.
- Repeat until you fill the pan and and used up your filling. Really squeeze them in, as tight as you can.
- When you have filled your pan or baking dish with dolmades, pour 1/4 cup of olive oil over them and add 1 cup of water. Cover with sliced lemon and then place the smaller pan or aluminum over it, you can even use a plate if it fits. Add pie weights, if using. But don’t worry, the recipe will still work if you don’t weigh them down.
- Place the pan or baking dish onto a larger sheet pan, and into the hot oven.
- Bake at 350F for 45-55 minutes until all the water has been absorbed. You can remove the top weighted pan after 35 minutes.
- Dolmades can be enjoyed warm, room temperature or even cold. Traditionally, they are accompanied with greek yogurt.