dolmas done right

I first tasted stuffed grape leaves, or dolmas, in Greece. I was 19 and still naive in the cuisines of the near East. They were delicately Mediterranean, bursting with new combinations of taste and texture.

My friend and I were sharing a small, white stuccoed room on the island of Naxos, overlooking the Aegean Sea. We had met an Australian, Grace, who introduced us to the cigar-shaped delicacies packed in olive oil. To this day I still adore two of her recommendations: dolmas and halwa, a sweet spun from sesame seeds.

In those lazy days, we lived on dolmas and baklava. These days all I can find are the canned ones, packed in too much oil unless I want to pay a dollar apiece just up the street. With the way the weather has turned, that seems like a steep price to pay to have a Greek snack at hand. If you love the nutty, lemony squish of chilled dolma on a dog-day afternoon, why not make them yourself?

And then—thank Zeus!—along came a new friend, Susan, who passed on her expertise to me. Though I observed more than I participated, I learned that making them yourself cuts the oil and the need to fly back to Naxos. I also found out that dolma is from the Turkish word for “stuffed thing.” (Turns out I have more in common with this finger food than I thought.)

Grape leaves are available in any well-stocked international grocery store. I used a California-Style brand called Castella, an arbitrary choice really. These snacks are an easy substitute for the chopping, precision rolling, and meticulous fish-handling required for sushi. They are cool and light, the perfect compliment to a serene back porch gathering around a pitcher of sangria.

Easy to make and easy to eat, these dolmas are so good you might just want to break a plate or two. Just make sure they’re your own, not someone else’s Royal Daulton.

Dolmas (Greek Stuffed Grape Leaves)

Ingredients

40-45 grape leaves, in brine (available at Middle Eastern or specialty grocery stores)
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
3-4 cups white onion, finely chopped
zest of one lemon
3 Tbsp fresh chopped mint (approximately)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 cup uncooked white rice (not brown, it’s not starchy enough and won’t hold together in the rolls)
1/2 cup boiling water
3 Tbsp currants or finely chopped apricots (approximately)
1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
juice of one lemon

Filling:

1. Drain the grape leaves and place them in a large bowl. Pour just enough boiling water over the leaves and to cover them, and let them soak for about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Remove stems just where they hit the leaf.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest, mint, all of the spices, and salt to taste. Add the uncooked rice and stir until it is well coated in oil. Add the boiling water and stir for another minute. Add the currants and pine nuts and stir to combine. Remove from heat.

To make the rolls:

1. Lay one grape leaf vein side up and stem towards you. Put about 2 teaspoons of the filling on the lower section of the leaf. Roll the stem end over the filling, and then fold each side in. Gently but firmly, continue to roll the leaf up to the tip until you have a nice neat roll. (You want it tight enough to hold, but not so tight that the leaf will rip. Remember: the rice will expand inside.) Repeat with all 40-45 grape leaves, or until filling is used up.
2. Arrange the rolls in a single layer in the bottom of a large skillet. (If your skillet is too small to fit them all, separate the layers with a layer of grape leaves.) Drizzle with lemon juice and a few tablespoons of olive oil and add boiling water to cover. Cover the leaves with a heat-proof plate or lid that will sit flat against the top of the rolls. Simmer (bubbling just slightly) for 45 minutes to an hour. Fish the rolls out of the water and transfer to a serving platter.
3. Serve at room temperature with tzatzkiki (plain yogurt mixed with garlic and cucumber)
4. The rolls will keep well in the fridge for about 4 days.