Vegetarian Diaries - Dolmades

It's here!  The much anticipated vegetarian Dolmades post!

A few posts back, I posted my recipe for Dolmades (or Stuffed Grape Leaves) and promised to post a vegetarian version.  I have tried vegetarian Dolmades at restaurants and I kept saying that I had to try making them at home.

I found a couple of recipes online and in cookbooks.  This recipe is taken from:  From a Traditional Greek Kitchen:  Vegetarian Cuisine, by Aphrodite Polemis.  I put some additions at the end of the recipe that you can add to change it up.

Here's the recipe:

Vegetarian Dolmades

ingredients:
1  16oz jar grape leaves
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 medium onions, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped (or 1 Tbsp dried dill)
3/4 cup uncooked rice
1 Tbsp dried mint
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1 1/2 lemons
1/4 cup pine nuts (optional)


directions:
Rinse grape leaves to remove brine and set aside.

Heat oil and site the chopped onions until soft.  Stir in parsley, dill, rice, mint, lemon juice, salt and pepper and pine nuts.  Stir for 2-3 minutes over low hear.  Remove from heat and let cool.

Take out your grape leaves and cut of the thick stems.  Put the grape leaf shiny side down.  Place 1 teaspoon of the filling on the leaf near the stem end and fold base of leaf over filling.  Fold over sides to enclose the filling.  Layer stuffed grape leaves seam side down, covering the bottom of your saucepan.

Add remaining lemon juice.  If you have left over grape leaves, these can be placed over the top of the stuffed leaves.  Place an inverted plate on top and add enough hot water to cover the plate.   Bring to a boil, then cover the pan and simmer for an hour.  Taste one to see if the rice is tender.


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If you want to make the sauce that goes with Dolmades, check out my first Dolmades recipe.

I would suggest adding more mint.  It gives it a richer flavor.

Adding cooked and chopped chick peas (garbanzo beans) to the recipe will also give it a little protein.


If you try making Vegetarian Dolmades, let me know how it all worked out!   I'd love to hear about it!

Enjoy!