Stuffed Grape Leaves: Vegetarian or With Meat

Stuffed Grape Leaves

By Cat, Jun 2008 (Photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)

Stuffed grape leaves, or dolmades in Greece, can be made with a vegetarian rice or bulgur stuffing, or with a ground meat stuffing. Dolmathekia are tiny dolmades.

While dolmades are common throughout the Balkans and the Middle East, my first experience with them was at the Annual Greek Festival in Portland, Oregon (10). They are delicious, especially when served with a yogurt & garlic sauce.

The grape leaves are almost always stuffed with rice, with or without meat (typically lamb); I provide an example of each type here. Both these examples are steamed on stove top, but they can also be baked in an oven; see About.com recipe: Dolmathes sto Fourno: Baked Stuffed Grape Leaves with Meat (8) for an example.

• See also: 1. Mediterranean Foods Menu; 2. Grape Leaves (About); 3. Yogurt & Garlic Dressing; 4. Tsatziki (Greek Cucumber Sauce); 5. Horiatiki (Greek Village Salad); Other Sites: 5. Feta & Lamb Stuffed Grape Leaves (11)
• Includes: 1. Stuffed Grape Leaves with Rice & Herbs (Vegetarian); 2. Stuffed Grape Leaves with Rice & Meat

About Rice for Dolmades

Both of these recipes call for white rice, which are added raw to the stuffing. The first uses long-grain rice like Basamati or Jasmine; the second uses short-grain rice like Arborio. The main difference is that the shorter the grain the higher the level of amylopectin, which makes the rice ‘sticky.’ See Fine Cooking’s Guide to Rice (9) for more.

You can also use long/short-grain brown rice, but you’ll have the best result if you parboil the brown rice first (before preparing the stuffing).

1. Place brown rice in a small saucepan.
2. Add filtered water to cover, plus a little more.
3. Bring water to a boil over medium-high heat; continue to boil for 5 minutes.
4. Drain, the proceed with the recipe

Stuffed Grape Leaves with Rice and Herbs

This vegetarian recipe, adapted from About.com: Stuffed Grape Leaves with Rice and Herbs (6) makes 25 – 30 stuffed grape leaves.

Ingredients & Equipment:

• Leaves and Stuffing:
• 25-30 grape leaves
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• ½ cup Basmati rice (or other long grain rice; see ‘About Rice’ above if using brown rice)
• 1 Tbsp fresh dill
• 1 Tbsp fresh mint
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley
• 1 tsp unrefined sea salt
• juice of ½ lemon
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ¼ cup filtered water
• For Cooking:
• 2½ Tbsp olive oil
• 1½ – 2 cups water
• juice of ½ lemon
• Equipment
• colander
• medium saucepan
• wooden souvlaki skewers (optional)
• large, wide saucepan or saucier (wide enough to fit a dinner plate inside)

Method:

1. Preparation: Wash fresh leaves well, then blanch. See Grape Leaves (About) or for more detail, see Greek Cooking articles (1,2,3,4,5).  Drain in colander.  (If they’ve already been blanched, simply rinse and set in a colander to drain).
2. Heat olive oil in saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion and rice (see About Rice, above, if using brown rice) and saute until onion is soft.
3. Add herbs, salt & pepper, lemon juice, and the water.  Increase heat and bring to a boil.  Boil for 2 minutes the turn off heat.  Let sit 5 – 10 minutes.
4. Fold & roll grape leaves around filling, using 1 tsp for small leaves or 1 Tbsp for larger ones.  Refer to Greek Cooking articles (2,4,5) for folding instructions.
5. Line bottom of a pot with unused or broken grape leaves (can also use a plate or wooden souvlaki skewers; see cooking basics above).  Place the rolls, seam side down, in the pot in layers.
6. Cooking the Stuffed Leaves
7. Add the oil and water for cooking, using enough water to reach the top of the rolls.  Place a plate on top of the rolls to hold them securely while cooking.
8. Bring to a full boil; cook for 20 minutes, or until only the sauce remains.
9. Add remaining lemon juice and shake pot gently.
10. Remove from heat; set aside to cool.
11. Serving Ideas: see below the second recipe

Stuffed Grape Leaves with Rice & Meat Stuffing (Dolmathakia me Kima)

This recipe adapted from About.com: Dolmathakia me Kima: Stuffed Grape Leaves with Meat and Rice (7) makes 30 – 35 tiny stuffed grape leaves (made with small leaves). However, you could also use the larger leaves and just make fewer of them.  If you have leftover stuffing, use to stuff veggies:  tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, or cabbage rolls, or squash blossoms.

To store, drizzle olive oil on top, and cover.  They can also be frozen; to use, reheat by steaming over a pot of water (don’t just thaw and eat).

Ingredients & Equipment:

• Leaves and Stuffing:
• 39 – 35 grape leaves (more, if smaller)
• 4 cups water
• 1 pound lean ground lamb or beef
• ½ cup uncooked short-grain rice (see ‘About Rice’ above if using brown rice)
• 1 medium-large onion, finely chopped
• 2 – 3 Tbsp olive oil (divided)
• small bunch of fresh dill, chopped
• ½ Tbsp fresh mint, chopped
• juice of ½ lemon
• ½ tsp unrefined sea salt
• ⅛ tsp black pepper
• For Cooking:
• 1½ – 2 cups filtered water
• juice of 1 lemons
• Equipment
• colander
• small cast iron skillet
• wooden souvlaki skewers (optional)
• large, wide saucepan or saucier (wide enough to fit a dinner plate inside)

Method:

1. Preparation: Wash fresh leaves well, then blanch. See Grape Leaves (About) or for more detail, see Greek Cooking articles (1,2,3,4,5). Drain in colander.  If they’ve already been blanched, simply rinse and set in a colander to drain.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and rice (see About Rice, above, if using brown rice), and saute until onion is soft.
3. Combine onion/rice with ground meat, remaining olive oil, dill, mint, juice of ½ lemon, salt and pepper in a bowl.  Mix well by hand.
4. Fold & roll grape leaves around filling, using 1 tsp for small leaves or 1 Tbsp for larger ones. Refer to Greek Cooking articles (2,4,5) for folding instructions.
5. Line bottom of a pot with unused or broken grape leaves (can also use a plate or wooden skewers; see cooking basics above).  Place the rolls, seam side down, in the pot in layers.
6. Cooking the Stuffed Leaves: Add the water for cooking, enough water to reach the top of the rolls.  Place a plate on top of the rolls to hold them securely while cooking.
7. Bring to a gentle boil; reduce heat to low, and add lemon juice.
8. Simmer 50 – 70 minutes or until rice is done.  Remove from heat; set aside to cool.
9. Serve at room temperature.

Serving ideas for Either Version

• Serve stuffed grape leaves with wedges of lemon, Tsatziki or yogurt dressing (see below).
• Typically, 4 – 5 small rolls are good as an appetizer for one person.
• Can also be served as a side dish.

References: 

1. About.com: Greek Cooking with Grape Leaves greekfood.about.com/od/ingredientpreptechniques/a/abelofylla.htm
2. About.com: Greek Food pictorial on working with grape leaves (greekfood.about.com/od/greekcookinglessons/ss/foldleaves.htm)
3. About.com: Greek Food: Cooking with Fresh Grape Leaves (greekfood.about.com/od/stuffedgrapeleaves/Stuffed_Grape_Leaves.htm
4. About.com: How to Fold Grape Leaves (greekfood.about.com/od/greekcookinglessons/ss/foldleaves.htm)
5. About.com: Greek Cooking with Grape Leaves (greekfood.about.com/od/ingredientpreptechniques/a/abelofylla.htm)
6. About.com recipe: Stuffed Grape Leaves with Rice and Herbs (greekfood.about.com/od/stuffedgrapeleaves/r/Stuffed-Grape-Leaves-With-Rice-And-Herbs-Dolmathakia.htm)
7. About.com recipe: Dolmathakia me Kima: Stuffed Grape Leaves with Meat and Rice
   (greekfood.about.com/od/appetizerssalads/r/leavesmeatrice.htm)
8. About.com recipe: Dolmathes sto Fourno: Baked Stuffed Grape Leaves with Meat greekfood.about.com/od/stuffedgrapeleaves/r/dolma_fourno.htm)
9. Fine Cooking: Guide to Rice: finecooking.com/articles/guide-to-rice.aspx
10. Annual Portland Greek Festival (portlandgreekfestival.com)
11. Wikia Recipes: Feta & Lamb Stuffed Grape Leaves (recipes.wikia.com/wiki/Feta_and_Lamb_Stuffed_Grape_Leaves)