The story
Stuffed leaves have been prepared around the eastern Mediterranean for centuries, with versions shaped by Ottoman and regional household cooking. Greek dolmades are commonly filled with rice, onion, dill, mint and lemon, while meat-filled versions are also traditional. Dolmades are famous for packing an aromatic, lemony filling into a compact parcel. The tender vine leaf gives a gentle tang and makes the dish as attractive on a meze platter as it is practical to share. They appear at celebrations, family tables and tavernas, often served at room temperature with lemon or yoghurt. Rolling them is frequently a shared kitchen task, so the dish carries a strong association with patience and home cooking.
Ingredients
- Main
- 10 piece vine leaves20 vine leaves
- 100 gram rice200g rice
- 0.5 piece onion1 onion
- 1 portion mint and dillFresh mint and dill
- 15 millilitre Olive oilOlive oil [Phase 1 metric normalisation: standard small-batch olive oil amount for serves 2; source-check if oil is central to dish]
- 15 millilitre Lemon juiceLemon juice [Phase 1 metric normalisation: standard lemon juice amount for serves 2]
- to taste to taste Salt and pepperSalt and pepper [Phase 1 metric normalisation: salt/pepper seasoning remains to taste]
Method
Method
Blanch vine leaves. Mix rice, herbs, onion, and seasonings. Roll into leaves, place in a pot, cover with water and lemon juice. Simmer for 40 minutes.
Nutrition
per serving
Estimated nutrition for Dolmades; use as editorial/testing data and refine from exact ingredient weights if needed.
