Home » Dolmadakia – Stuffed Grape/Vine Leaves

Dolmadakia – Stuffed Grape/Vine Leaves

Written by Published on Updated on November 3, 2022 in Appetizers

Hello, I hope all is well, and you all enjoyed your long weekend.  Sunday, was the first day we BBQ for the year, it was great!!!  The weather was nice, so we took out the bbq and starting our preparations.   My hubby really does a great job grilling. 🙂   He has his own little secrets when it comes to basting the meat before placing on the grill, I don’t get involved when it comes to grilling, seeing that he truly enjoys doing it, and he does do a great job, and believe you me it tastes fantastic. Yummyyyyy.

So, to accompany our Wine, and Ouzo I made some appetizers, Dolmadakia.  It really does not get any more traditional than this, seriously…..  I have never actually seen anyone not use their fingers to grab one of these delicious little green stuffed with rice leaves.   This is why I like to call them Finger Food…..whenever a plate of these appetizers  even comes close to landing on any table, you can see how everyone just tries desperately to grab one.  It’s like once everyone sees them coming it’s race on!!!

A truly loved appetizer dish, along with Tzatziki, Taramosalata, Tyrosalata, Fried Zucchini, Fried Eggplants, Calamaria and the list just goes on and on.  I forgot to add French Fries an absolute must! 🙂

DOLMADAKIA – STUFFED GRAPE/VINE LEAVES

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Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 cup Short grain white rice
  • 300 grams of Grape/Vine leaves 50 leaves
  • 2 medium size finely chopped Onions
  • 1 cup finely chopped Parsley
  • 1 cup finely chopped Dill
  • 1 1/2 cup Olive Oil
  • 2 Lemon juices
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Instructions
 

  • Start off with the Grape/Vine leaves, if you are able to find fresh leaves at the farmers market, then that is great. All you need to do is boil them just so slightly for about 3 minutes, just so that they are easy to fold. If your not able to find fresh leaves, then the store bought ones do just fine, all you have to do is strain completely. I am not able to find fresh leaves either, so I always use store bought jars.
  • Ok, next step is to take the sauce pan and add 1/2 cup olive oil, toss in the onions and stir for 5 minutes. Add in the rice and 2 cups of water, stir continuously so that it does not become one big blob. 🙂 Boil for 10 minutes on low heat Set aside
  • In a large bowl add in the Parsley, Dill and the rice mixture.
  • Ok, this is really simple, I mean the rolling part. Place one leaf on your work surface, shiny side down, add one tablespoon or teaspoon (depending on how large the leaf iin the middle. Then just turn in both sides of the leaf, take the bottom part of the leaf and start to roll upwards, this will turn out to look into a log.
  • Take the large sauce pan and start by putting the Dolmathakia in a circle until finished. I have to invest in some new sauce pots and pans. The ones I have at the moment are so old and not very helpful. 🙂 Anyway, if you have any rice mixture left over after rolling the logs, I usually add it into the sauce pan.
  • Add the rest of the Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper, Lemon Juice and Water just enough water to cover the Dolmadakia. Add a small plate on top to hold them down while boiling and this also helps the logs not to fall apart.
  • Boil for 50 minutes..leaves and rice should be done by now. If not add a bit more water and let them boil until soft. These appetizers are eaten cold, and are delicious dipped in Yogurt and or Tzatziki.

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Welcome to a small corner of my Greek Heritage. Growing up in New York from Greek parents, was a challenge of its own...but the traditional food, tastes and aromas that my mother cooked always travelled me back to Greece. My mother is a wonderful cook, our house would always have that smell of home cooked food. I remember very clearly that we were only allowed fast food, once a week, that was a huge day for myself and my brother. Jumping up and down in the back car seat, laughing, just being kids. It is true that we all like to eat different foods, taste, smell, even try food that looks different than our regular meals at home and I think that is so natural. In my teens, I was not really into cooking, I enjoyed my magazines after school, listening to music, and just taking a breather. There were times that I would glance at some of my mom's recipes, more out of curiosity than to actually try to cook them. At that time I did not realise that cooking would become my passion one day. Slowly, I would start to look into my mom's recipes a bit more each day and I started to find it interesting as a hobby. Each month I would go into our neighborhood bookstore and pick up my monthly book, until one day I decided to stroll over into the cooking section. That summer was the first time I actually bought a cooking magazine....and I loved it. Cooking and baking started out as a hobby, but now after many years it is my passion. Exploring the cuisines, the spices, the oils, the scents, the variety of smells and tastes that exist. It was and still is an amazing journey without limits. So, come along with me on this adventure, and I hope you enjoy my recipes. Sophie

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