How to prepare stuffed vine leaves

“Dolmadakia” in Greece, “yaprak sarma” in Turkey, “wanak enab” in Arabic, “dolma” in other countries, “niños envueltos” for Latinos, or simply stuffed vine leaves. Vegetarian or stuffed with meat. Whatever you want to call them, and in any of its variants, this recipe is always a guaranteed success.

The preparation of the stuffing:

Chop the onion, the tomato (preferably already peeled) and the herbs as small as possible, and put them in a large bowl. Add the meat and rice (both raw!). Season with salt, pepper and some extra virgin olive oil. Mix until the ingredients are integrated and reserve.

How to roll the vine leaves:

Cut off the stem of each leaf, and place it with the tip pointing down and with the smooth and shiny part facing down (or what is the same, with the fibrous and opaque part facing up). With a spoon or with your hands, lay out horizontally a line of stuffing on the top of the leaf, and wrap it rolling alternately from the top and from the sides.

How to arrange them in the pot for cooking:

Don’t discard those broken leaves which can’t be stuffed; use them to create a thin layer in the bottom of a deep and wide pot, to prevent the stuffed ones from sticking to the bottom and so get burnt while cooking.

After that, put the stuffed leaves in successive compact layers without space in between, we cover them with a small plate. This weight will prevent them from shifting and opening.

At this point there are two “schools”: it’s possible add water up to the height of the plate, bring it to a boil and then lower the heat, cover and cook over medium heat for 40 minutes. Or otherwise, add just “two fingers” of water, and once it comes to a boil, cook over low heat until completely evaporated, which is about three-quarters of an hour.

Vegetarian dolmadakia can be served cold, but if it’s with meat it always tastes better when hot. Serve it accompanied by natural Greek yogurt, lemon and extra virgin olive oil.

Tips and tricks:

1. It’s possible to make a vegetarian version without using meat at all. In that case, we can add currants, or common raisins, if desired.
2. If we are lucky enough to have access to a vine plant, we should choose those leaves that are neither the smallest (it is difficult to fill them) nor the largest (they are harder and less pleasant). Before filling them, submerge them for a few seconds in boiling water holding from the stem, and they will be ready to be used.
3. The very small leaves are actually considered a real „delicacy“ in Turkey, but great skill and patience are required to stuff them successfully.
4. Discard the stems of parsley, mint or dill for the filling, but it’s possible to add them inside the pot, so that they give more flavor to the cooking.
5. In order to peel the tomato, cover it with boiling water in a cup for no more than 30 seconds, after which the skin will come off very easily.
6. It is not essential, but many times the rice is usually rinsed beforehand until the water comes out transparent and not white. In this way we get rid of part of the starch.
7. To add more flavor, in some regions it’s usual to add lemon or even orange juice to the cooking water.