Vegan Dolmades - grape

Method

• First, soak your grape leaves (soak in water for 30 minutes, drain them, pat them dry and trim the stems).
• Line a large saucepan with about 5 of your grape leaves (use the torn or damaged ones if you have any).
• Set aside.
• In a skillet, heat a Tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.
• Add the green onions, and cook, stirring once in awhile until soft.
• Add pine nuts and currants and stir, let cook for about 2 minutes.
• Add dill, mint, salt, and rice and cook for about a minute.
• Add 3/4 cup of vegetable stock, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
• Stir and bring to a boil.
• Cover, reduce heat and let simmer about ten minutes.
• Stir in peas and turn off heat (keep covered).
• Lay out a grape leaf (vein side up) and place one Tablespoon of the filling into the middle of the leaf.
• Fold the bottom stem end up over the filling, fold in the sides and roll toward the top of the leaf.
• Repeat with all the remaining leaves.
• This is the point where you can stick them in the fridge for a couple days before cooking, if you so choose.
• If you want to cook them now, put them in your large saucepan that you had previously lined with grape leaves in a single layer.
• ( I had some double layers because Im a rebel)
• Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and add the remaining vegetable stock, and the tomato paste into the pot.
• Add more vegetable stock if necessary so that the dolmades are pretty much covered.
• Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer for about 1 hour, until the rice is tender.
• Lift them out of the pot and you can eat them warm, or cooled.
• I had them with tzatziki!
• Enjoy!