Fruity Dolmades
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Vine leaves stuffed with marinated fruit and herbs.
This is a Greek recipe for 40 dolmades using Fair Trade ingredients.
Ingredients
Method
Notes
Vine leaves are available from specialist stores or the hypermarkets.
Use as sweet a Fair Trade wine as you can find. Malbec Rosé is OK. The authentic Greek recipe would use retsina.
"Lots" of herbs means the amount of herbs that chops down to about a tablespoon in volume.
Fresh vine leaves need to be blanched in boiling water before use.
Pre-packed leaves need to be separated carefully onto a work surface stem downwards.
A medium sized Le Creuset pan will take two layers of 20 dolmades.
Preparation
Put the dried fruit in a bowl and cover with wine. Allow to stand for minimum 1 hour. Overnight will not do any harm.
Cook the rice in boiling water in the usual way, once cooked drain and use as below.
Zest and (separately) juice the lemons.
Skin and chop the onion very fine.
Skin and crush the garlic.
Pre cooking
Warm the oil in a saucepan and add the chopped onion, garlic, lemon zest and pine kernels. Stir fry very gently until the onion is softening (5 minutes). Add the marinated fruit and saute until most of the liquid has evaporated (5 minutes). Stir in the rice and allow the mixture to cool before adding in the chopped herbs and 3 or 4 pinches of salt.
Assembly and cooking
Oil a medium sized saucepan and then line the bottom of the pan with any broken or surplus vine leaves.
Put a tablespoon of stuffing on each vine leaf in turn.
Fold up the bottom, left side over, right side over, and roll up to make a little cylindrical packet of stuffing.
Place neatly on the pan using the weight of the dolma to keep the leaf from unravelling.
Repeat the process packing each leaf down to make a neat layer, until all the materials are used.
Cover the top layer with any herb trimmings, spare leaves etc.
Pour in enough water to just cover the top layer and add the lemon juice.
Place a weighted flat surface (eg a plate or a pan) on top of the dolmades to hold them down, and then bring the pan to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.
To serve
Pour off any excess liquid and chill until quite cool.
Serve in the pan if suitable, or place on a serving dish.
Variations
Make the stuffing with uncooked rice, fill each leaf with half a tablespoon, and simmer for 1 hour.
It is possible to stuff vine leaves with many ingredients. The use of minced lamb, or beef would make a main course dish.