Can I make these ahead of time?
This is the kind of food that gets better with time. The Dolmades taste best straight out of the fridge the next day, so you can make a ton of these for entertaining or to meal-prep for the week. The cooked Dolmadakia will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to five days.
What do I need to make stuffed grape leaves?
Grape leaves –here’s my favorite brand of jarred grape leaves. Rinse them well under cold water, drain, and remove the stems. Sometimes, the leaves will be small and torn, so always start with double the amount of what the recipe calls for. You can always make a quick batch of extra filling to use up extra grape leaves. The torn and small leaves can be used to line the bottom of the pot.
Long grain rice -I like basmati, but regular white, brown, or jasmine rice would be good, too.
Extra Virgin Olive oil -a full-flavored cold pressed extra virgin adds rich flavor to the filling, and I drizzle a bit over the finish platter.
Onion -finely chopped so when you sauté them, they get buttery and meaty.
Water -so the rice gets nice and fluffy but doesn’t compete with the lemon.
Lemon juice -always use fresh lemon juice because the bottled stuff is only for cleaning.
Fresh parsley -chopped finely for earthy herbiness.
Fresh mint -chopped for cool sweetness.
Dried dill -or 1/4 cup fresh dill for super fresh, citrusy notes.
Salt & black pepper -seasons every part of the dolmades, so every bite is delicious.
Ingredients:
8 ounces grape leaves from a jar, rinsed, drained, and stems removed
1/2 cup long grain rice
3/4 cup Ariston Extra Virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup water
2 lemons, juiced (1/2 cup or more)
3-4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon dried dill or 1/4 cup fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon Ariston Mediterranean Herb Sea Salt or Ariston Authentic Himalayan Coarse Rock Salt
1/4 teaspoon Ariston Mix Blend Peppercorn
Instructions:
Sauté onions with 1/3 of the olive oil over medium low heat about 10 minutes or until very soft and lightly golden. Do not brown the onions.
Add rice and mix to combine.
Pour 1 cup water, half of the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 6-7 minutes or until the rice absorbs all of the liquid. At this point the rice is only par boiled.
Add all the herbs and mix well. Cool completely.
Rinse and dry the grape leaves. Cut the hard stem from each leaf. Reserve the smallest and the torn leaves to lay on bottom of pot.
Lay a grape leaf shiny side down and place a tablespoon of rice filling on the bottom end of the leaf, near the stem.
Fold the stem end of leaf over the filling. Fold the sides over and roll up snugly but not too tight. The rice will expand a bit more while cooking.
Repeat with all of the remaining grape leaves until your filling is done.
Layer half of the small and torn grape leaves to create a bed for the dolmades in a pot.
Place the dolmades seam side down and very close together over the bed of leaves.
Pour the remaining olive oil and lemon juice over the dolmades.
Place the remaining reserved small leaves over the dolmades.
Pour enough water to just cover the dolmades.
Place an inverted plate over the dolmades to weigh them down and to prevent them from moving around and opening while cooking.
Cover with lid and bring to a boil.
How long do I cook dolmades?
Reduce to simmer and cook (covered) for 35-40 minutes. Some liquid will remain in the pot. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes, and the juices will be absorbed.
Transfer them to a platter and drizzle some olive oil over them. Serve with delicious tzatziki sauce and lemon wedges.
Enjoy! Kali Orexi!
Notes
When working with store-bought grape leaves in the jar, sometimes the leaves will be small and torn so always start with double the amount than what the recipe calls for. You can always make a quick batch of extra filling to use up extra grape leaves. The torn and small leaves can be used to line the bottom of the pot.
Try not to overstuff the grape leaves. The rice will expand during cooking.
If using fresh grape leaves, blanch them in boiling water and drain.
The cooked dolmadakia will keep fresh in the refrigerator for 5 days.
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