Stuffed Grape/Vine Leaves

Dishes of grape or cabbage leaves wrapped around a filling are called dolma or yaprak dolma 'leaf dolma' in many cuisines or they  may be distinguished as sarma. They go into the group cold olive oil dishes.

In Turkey, there are two main categories of dolma; those filled with a meat mixture: minced meat "kıyma", onion, rice, oil and some spices; and those filled with only rice mixture "rice, a lot of onions, olive oil, pinenuts, currants and herbs like fresh parsley, dill, mint and spices like allspice, cinnamon and black pepper".

This is an authentic Turkish "dolma" recipe for you. These delicious stuffed dolmas are also served as part of a meze platter. Homemade dolmas are far more delicious then any other Turkish mezzes and a here is how you can easily prepare them with this detailed step by step photos and recipe.  

Ingredients:

• 500g pickled or fresh vine/grape leaves/asma yaprağı
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• juice of 1 whole lemon
• 2,5 cups long-grain white rice
• 6-7 onions
• 2-3 tbsp small black currants
• 2-3 tbsp pine nuts
• 1,5 tbsp sugar
• 3 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 tsp allspice
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 cup tomato juice
• 1 bunch of chopped fresh dill
• 2 tbsp dried mint
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup water (while cooking)
• 1/4 cups of olive oil (while cooking)
• lemon wedges or slices to garnish

How To:

Soak the currants in warm water for half an hour. Drain them and set aside. If using pickled leaves place the vine leaves with enough cold water and let sit overnight. Rinse under cold water and leave them in a colander to drain.

If using fresh vine leaves, wash them thoroughly, remove the stems and blanch them in boiling hot water. Remove the leaves with a slotted spoon and place them in a colander to cool down completely. Place the rice in a colander and rinse with running water. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the finely chopped onions, sugar and the pine nuts and sauté until translucent but not coloured.

Add the drained rice, saute together for another 5 minutes. Add the currants, cinnamon, allspice, salt, pepper, mint, tomato juice and 1 cup of water, stir the mixture, cover the pot and cook until the water has been absorbed and is parboiled.  

Remove from heat and mix in the dill, stir and let the stuffing cool for an hour. This will be the filling for the dolmas. To prevent the dolma from sticking to the base layer the bottom of a large pot with some vine leaves.

Place one vine leaf, shiny side down, on a flat surface, a plate, and add 1 tbsp of the filling at the bottom end, stem. Bring the two sides in towards the center and roll them up tightly. Place the stuffed vine leaves folded side down on the bottom of the pot and top in snugly layers. Do not leave any gaps between the dolmas to prevent them from cracking open while cooking.

Pour 1 cup of cold water and drizzle the olive oil and lemon juice on the stuffed vine leaves. Cover with an ovenproof plate on top, place the lid on and simmer the dolmas for about 30-40 minutes, until the water has been absorbed and the dolmas remain only with the oil.

Remove the pot from the heat, remove the plate. Keep them in the refrigerator with the lid on overnight, transfer to a serving dish the next day. Garnish with lemon slices or wedges and serve.

Enjoy!

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