Friday, February 5, 2010

Stuffed grape leaves (dolmades)

Contributed by: Janelle Reske

Ingredients
1 8oz jar grape leaves
1 lb very lean ground lamb
1 (16 oz) can tomatoes
1 cup long grain rice
1/3 cup olive oil
2 bunches green onions, chopped
3 cups loosely packed mint leaves, chopped
2 lemons, juice of

Directions
To prepare the grape leaves: Drain the jar and carefully remove the roll of leaves. Separate the leaves, rinsing them and stacking them, being careful not to tear them. Set aside.
Chop the canned tomatoes finely. Combine the lamb, tomatoes and their liquid, olive oil, scallions and mint.
Lay a grape leaf, vein side up with stem pointing toward you on your work surface. Place a tablespoon of filling at the base of the leaf and roll up, tucking in at the sides to make a little bundle. (You want to roll it up tight enough so that it stays together but leave a little room for the to expand as it cooks). Repeat until all filling and/or grape leaves are used up, placing each bundle seam side down into a cooking pot. It is ok to layer them but put any extra grape leaves between layers to keep them from sticking.
Squeeze lemon juice over the bundles, then add water nearly to cover. Place a small plate over the bundles to weigh them down (so they won't fall apart during cooking). Cover and bring to a boil, reduce and simmer for 1 hour. You need to make sure there is always water covering the grape leaves--if it simmers down too much it will cause the grape leaves to stick to the bottom of the pot.
Serve hot or cold.

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