Dolmathakia Avgolemono Meat Stuffed Grape Leave Recipes

DOLMADAKIA AVGOLEMONO: GRAPELEAVES IN A LEMONY SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine the onion with ¼ cup olive oil in a pot and cook over medium heat until soft and golden. About 10 minutes.
• Combine the ground beef, herbs, rice, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Add the cooked onions and the oil that they were cooked in. Mix until combined.
• Rinse and dry the grape leaves. Cut the hard stem from each leaf. Reserve the smallest and the torn leaves to lay on bottom of pot.
• Lay a grape leaf shiny side down and place a tablespoon of rice filling on the bottom end of the leaf, near the stem.
• ​Fold the stem end of leaf over the filling. Fold the sides over and roll up snugly but not too tight. The rice will expand while cooking.
• Repeat with all of the remaining grape leaves until your filling is done.
• Layer half of the small and torn grape leaves to create a bed for the dolmades in a pot.
• Season the lamb on both sides with salt and pepper and place in the pot along with the grape leaves.
• Place the dolmades seam side down and very close together over the bed of leaves. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Pour the olive oil and lemon juice over the dolmades.
• ​Place the remaining reserved small leaves over the dolmades.
• Pour the water or chicken stock over the dolmades.
• ​Place an inverted plate over the dolmades to weigh them down and to prevent them from moving around and opening while cooking.
• Cover with lid and bring to a boil.
• Reduce to a simmer and cook about 45 minutes or until tender.
• Carefully strain the liquid out of the pot into a pitcher. There should be 3 cups of liquid. Add more water or chicken broth if there's not enough. Place the broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Combine the egg yolks, cornstarch, lemon juice, and dill in a small bowl and whisk together until smooth.
• Add some of the hot broth to the eggs and whisk well to temper.
• Add the egg mixture to the pot and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened.
• Either pour the sauce over the dolmades or pour some over them and serve the remaining sauce in a gravy boat alongside the dolmades with some lemon wedges.
• Enjoy!

"DOLMATHAKIA AVGOLEMONO" MEAT STUFFED GRAPE LEAVE

Steps:

• 1. If using fresh grape leaves, wash and blanch them by dipping in boiling water for 3-5 minutes, depending on thickness of leaves. Remove leaves and place them in a bowl and cover with cold water to cool. Cut off the stems. If using bottled or canned wash thoroughly to remove salt. If you feel they are not tender enough, they also can be blanched for about 3 minutes.
• 2. To prepare filling, soak the rice for 10 minutes in hot water and drain. In a bowl, combine ground beef, rice, onions, olive oil, parsley, dill or mint, juice of 1 lemon, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Mix well by hand.
• 3. To stuff the leaves , place a teaspoon of stuffing on the non-shiny surface of each grape leaf at the point where the stem was. Fold up the bottom of the leaf over the filling, then each side inward and roll up loosely but firm to give mixture room to expand while cooking. Repeat until all the filling has been used.
• 4. Line the bottom of a heavy-bottomed pot with broken or unused leaves. Place the dolmathakia on top, packing them closely together (not squashed), seam side down, so they don't unroll while cooking. Layer them all in the pot (I usually get 2-3 layers). Place several unused leaves on the top. Weigh down the dolmathakia by placing a heavy plate upside down on top of the dolmathakia. Add 2 cups of water to the pot and cover. Bring the water to a gentle boil. Add the remaining lemon juice, remaining salt, pepper and olive oil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for approximately 50-70 minutes. Check to see if done. If the rice has cooked, they are done. If not, continue cooking for another 10 minutes and check again. Cooking time differs on type of pot used and the stovetop element.
• 5. Avgolemono: Traditional Greek Egg-Lemon Sauce This creamy sauce works wonderfully with most vegetable dishes - casserole and steamed - and is a favorite with stuffed cabbage. Use it to give a special touch to leftovers containing ground meat, rice, or vegetables where the lemon taste will blend. Ingredients: 2-3 eggs, separated juice of 2-3 lemons broth from the dish being cooked Preparation: With a fork beat eggs both yolks and whites), slowly add the lemon juice. While beating or whisking continuously, slowly add 2-3 ladlesful of broth. Add the avgolemono sauce on the dolmathakia- in the pot and shake the pot in a circular way so the sauce covers all the dolmathakia. Don't stir with fork or spoon cause the dolmathakia will break. Cover with a towel for 10 minutes and then serve.
• 6. Serving: Individual servings of dolmathakia are 4-5 pieces on small plates as an appetizer, however they can also be used as a side or main dish. Storage: These will keep well in the refrigerator for several days. Return to room temperature before serving. Drizzle olive oil on top and cover to store. These can also be frozen. If you do freeze, reheat in the microwave or by steaming and serve warm. Don't just thaw and eat. It is always best to make the Egg Lemon Sauce fresh. Tips: With any leftover filling you can stuff vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and eggplant. To make as a main course, use larger grape leaves and increase the amount of filling to 1 Tbsp on each leaf.