I've got several bundles of vineleaves in the freezer, and just lately, every time I have opened it, they have been taunting me and demanding that I make some dolmades. So I did.Brown Rice Dolmades
1 cup brown rice
3 cloves garlic
2 tbs pinenuts
2 tbs green olive tapenade
1 tsp dried dill
Zest and juice of a lemon
Olive oil
1 cup tomato passata
preserved vine leaves
Parboil the rice until almost cooked. Combine the rice with the chopped garlic, pinenuts, tapenade, dill and lemon zest. Taste for seasoning. Roll up in vineleaves - this quantity made about 24 tiny wee ones.
Place a good glug of olive oil into a heavy-based pan, and layer the dolmades up with the lemon juice and the tomato passata, then add another good glug of olive oil. Cover and cook gently until the leaves are tender and the juices are almost all absorbed. Serve at room temperature.
We had them with kleftiko (made with a small shoulder of mutton), tzatziki and some red peppers stuffed with cherry tomatoes & garlic. καλή όρεξη !
20 comments:
I love dolmades--and of course the brown rice is a great way to go. Looks like it was part of a fabulous dinner!
I wish I had some grape leaves taunting me so that I could make these! They look delicious.
Deb - I was very surprised how light they were, given the brown rice. Very tasty!
Joanne - it's the advantage of having grapevines over the back fence!
Are all vine leaves safe to eat then? I have one I optimistically planted a couple of years ago and the next door neighbour's one also overlaps into our garden. Methinks I could get busy this Summer.
yummy! I never have made these myself, maybe its time to
Jude - I think so! Pick them when they are small, about the size of the palm of your hand. Otherwise they can be a bit tough.
Kat - they are tasty! Pretty economical and I like the feeling that I am getting something for nothing.
What a lovely spread.
Wow, you put Greek words in your blog -- how clever! My boss and his wife (former dear friend until she taunted me with e-mails about her trip) are going to Greece for all of May, including a cooking holiday on Kea with a charming man named Costas. I don't like them any more :-).
Rachel - thank you!
Cranky - I used Babelfish, so I do wonder if it is actually Greek!
And I thought only my freezer taunted me, LOL.
I adore Dolmades. I really should try them with Brown Rice. Yours look like little packets of goodness!!!
Thanks for sharing...
Wish I just "happened" to have some grape leaves to use up! Lucky you and what a great dish!
Louise - oh no, my freezer has a lot to say!
Barbara - I'd send you some of mine, but I don't think they'd like the post!
These sound so good - quite nostalgic. I know it's not quite the same, but my aunt used to make stuffed cabbage leaves as a special treat when I used to visit so I've love dolmades ever since.
I still have not tried dolmades. And I even have two grape vines that are sadly bare right now. I must remember this when summer comes...summer is coming, right?
Your cherry blossom dinner made me happy.
Choclette - I love stuffed cabbage leaves too!
Laurie - summer sure is coming! The vines haven't woken up yet though.
Ah, dolmades - happy memories of Greek holidays!
I'm not usually a great fan of brown rice, but I think it works well in these. Something about the nuttiness of it...
You should keep me away from these. I wouldn't be able to stop at just one.
Oh my goodness, I adore dolmades, I am going to coerce someone to help me try your recipe and then eat twenty.
Forkful - I've come around to brown basmati. It's tasty and less roughage-y.
Esi - no need to stop at one! Have loads. It'd be rude not to.
GWG - Good plan! You know, some homemade pesto would be a nice flavouring for them!
Mmm, with pesto too, now you're talking!
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