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grape leaves onion short grain rice water garlic lean ground lamb tomato puree Feta lemon green onion dill mint salt black pepper chicken stock eggs lemon
Viewed: 55 - Published at: 8 years agoIngredients
- 8 ounces grape leaves
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 1/2 cup short-grain rice
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 garlic cloves (chopped)
- 1 lb lean ground lamb
- 1/4 cup tomato puree
- 1/2 cup feta (crumbled)
- 1 lemon (zest)
- 1 bunch green onion (sliced)
- 1/4 cup dill, set aside a bit (to garnish, chopped)
- 1/4 cup mint, set aside a bit (to garnish, chopped)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups chicken stock, HOT maybe less
- 2 eggs
- 1 lemon (juice)
Method
- Separate the grape leaves and place in a large bowl. (This will take a long time guessing 20 minutes.).
- Cover the leaves in boiling water and soak for 20 minutes.
- Drain the water and rinse leaves few times.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add onion, rice, and water.
- Cover and simmer until rice is HALF cooked, about 8 minutes.
- Drain off and discard any liquid.
- Add garlic to rice mixture.
- Mix the onion/rice mixture, ground meat, tomato puree, feta, lemon zest, green onions, dill, mint salt and pepper in a large bowl.
- PREHEAT OVEN to 375 degrees.
- Take one leaf, shiny side down, cut off the stem, and place 1 teaspoon of the mixture at the bottom (stem) end of the leaf. (If you want a bigger amount, put 1 tablespoon of filling in.).
- Fold both sides of the leaf towards the center, roll up from the broad bottom to the top, and place into a 4 QUART POT.
- Repeat with all leaves, rolling tightly- leaving no gaps as leaves are placed in pot (to prevent from opening while cooking). Put onto tray.
- Repeat until all of the filling is used up.
- Put leftover leaves in bottom of baking dish.
- Place stuffed grape leaves into a baking dish in layers, squeeze them gently, pack tightly into container, and just cover with chicken stock-might be too much stock. WEIGH DOWN BY placing a heavy oven proof plate inside casserole directly on top of dolmades-weigh that down with another oven proof weight.
- Bake in a 375 degrees F oven for about 1 hour, check to see if rice is done. You do NOT want it to be a rolling boil or they will burst open.
- Whisk the eggs in bowl over a small pan of simmering water until frothy, about 3 minutes.
- Slowly pour in the lemon juice while whisking.
- Gradually add some of the hot but not boiling liquid from the baking dish-guessing about 5 tablespoons- and continue whisking until it thickens.
- Mix most of the avgolemeno sauce into the dish with the dolmades reserving some for garnish.
- Serve the dolmades garnished with the reserved avgolemeno sauce and some chopped dill and or mint.
