Dolmades: Little Packages of Greek Goodness

Meredith’s recent post “Greek Fare” really got me in the mood for some Greek food. It was my turn to cook for small group this week and as I was brainstorming for what I could make to feed six people, my mind kept turning those roasted potatoes and tzatziki sauce that she made. I love anything with a yogurt base. I obsessed over this meal all day on Tuesday… my mom and Meredith can tell you… I was calling them in between classes and on breaks trying to think of what I could serve as a main course and how I could make my own pita bread. I finally decided to give myself a little challenge and make dolmades, or stuffed grape leaves. If you look at my class notes for this past Tuesday, the margins are filled with ingredients that I was considering filling the dolmades with. Wednesday was my birthday, so I decided to give myself a little gift and skip class to cook :) Praise God I did! It took me about five hours... a task that is certainly not for the faint of heart. In the end, however, it was totally worth it. I had so much fun making them and they were absolutely delicious. If you’re interested in spending an entire day in the kitchen making delicious treats to impress your friends, too, here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

- A jar of grape leaves (I found them in the international section of my Kroger)
- I cup of cooked basmati rice
- 1 lb of ground sirloin steak
- 8 ounces of feta
- 3-4 large lemons
- About two cups of organic flat leaf parsley, chopped roughly
- Lots of fresh oregano (I don’t know how much… I cut some from my garden)
- A package of chopped hazelnuts, toasted
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil


Directions:

1.Cook the rice according to package directions

2.In the meantime, cook your onion in a large saucepan with a little salt and olive oil until translucent. Add the garlic and sirloin until the beef has browned all the way through

3.Combine the cooked rice, sirloin, onions, garlic, feta, parsley, oregano, hazelnuts, and the juice and zest of two lemons in the food processor and give it a little whirl (you will probably have to do this in batches). After you’re done take a little taste and see if it needs any extra seasoning.

4.Now that your filling is all ready, carefully remove the grape leaves from the jar and soak them in a bowl of cold water. This will make them easier to deal with. One by one, take a grape leaf out, place it shiny side down on your board, and cut off the stem. Place a tablespoon of filling in the middle of the leaf and wrap it up like a little package, making sure to tuck the filling in tight. It may take a few times to get the hang of it, but you’ll find a rhythm. It makes A LOT of dolmades.

5.Coat the bottom of a large dutch oven with some lemon juice and olive oil. Cover the bottom of the dutch oven with a single layer of your wrapped dolmades. Put the top on, turn the heat on low, and steam the little babies for about five minutes. Do this with all your dolmades.

6.They’re ready! You can serve them immediately hot, or you can make them a day ahead of time like I did and serve them cold.

I served this with the roasted potatoes and tzatziki sauce that Meredith posted about before. I also made some easy flat bread by combining a cup of whole wheat flour with ¾ a cup of water and a little salt. Roll it out and bake it for about 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness of your dough. Dane and Julie brought a Greek salad and we had a feast!