Dolmas

Dolmas / Stuffed Grape Leaves

1 jar Grape Leaves (found in the pickle section on the top shelf of a large grocery store)
1 Onion, finely chopped
4 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup Olive Oil
3 cups Rice, cooked (I use Botan brand Calrose Rice, a shorter, fatter grain of rice used for making Asian desserts)
4 TBL Lemon Juice
1 tea salt
1/2 cup Pinon Nuts
4 TBL Fresh Mint, finely chopped

1. Saute the onion and garlic with the oil until they soft and translucent. Once this is done, add in the rice and stir until it is all coated with oil. Remove from the heat, adding in the lemon juice, salt, pinon nuts and mint. Stir to combine well.

2. Gently unpack the grape leaves from the jar and rinse them. Use a pair of scissors to cut off the small bit of stem left at the base of the leaf. Place these on a plate next to a cutting board. Have the bowl of the rice mixture next to these.

3. Take a large saute pan and place torn grape leaves or very thinly sliced carrots to cover the surface of the pan. This will prevent any of the dolmas from sticking.

4. To make the Dolmas: Place 1-3 Tbsp (depending on the size of the leaf) of rice mix at the bottom near where the stem would attach. Roll the grape leaves by first folding the bottom up, then the right and left sides in then rolling all the way toward the top. (This is very similar to the way we roll a burrito. see the dedemed.com website for video instructions, if needed). Continue to fill and roll each grape leaf this way. Once the Dolmas is done, place it seam side down in the pan, making sure to place them right next to each other. This will help them keep their shape. If you fill the bottom of the pot in a single layer and still have more, you can start a second layer. Be sure to separate the layers with a few leaves.

5. Fill the pan with water just until the Dolmas are covered. (Original instructions: Place a large plate or dish on top of the Dolmas to hold them down and keep them from unraveling as they boil. Place the pot over high heat, bring to a boil then reduce the temperature and simmer.I did this and found that the Dolmas were more mushy than I would have liked. Next time I will simply microwave them to warm them up.) Gently remove the Dolmas from the pot after cooking. Reserve any left over liquid to be poured over any left over Dolmas while they are stored in the refrigerator.