Getting Ready For YMCA Cooking Camp
Make your own Dolmas - Stuffed Grape Leaves
It's the right time of year to get started. Look for nice big undamaged leaves on any grape vine. I like to use ones that have a rounder shape - more like a dinner plate, less like a cross.
Step one: Pour boiling water over your grape leaves and let them sit for about 5 minutes. The color of the leaves will change, and the leaves will soften.
Step two: Prepare your filling
I usually use cooed rice, but raw rice works too. Sauté an onion, I like using cooked rice, but others use raw rice (we cook the dolmas again after we roll them). I usually add lots of herbs from the garden chives, garlic scape, carrots, broccoli/kale/collard flowers. I also usually add some dried fruit, chopped nuts, and whatever leftovers you think will taste good. Ground or chopped cooked meats can be added. Taste and add salt, pepper, other spices as needed. The filling should taste good on its own.
Step three: Lay one leaf with the greener side on a plate. Sprinkle with salt. Trim-off any long stem on your leaf. Put some filling on the leaf, and roll up like a burrito. Try to make sure all the filling is wrapped up.
Step four: Steam all of the dolmas for 60 - 90 minutes.
You can set up a steamer basket in a crock pot, or on the stove. Add water to steam, and pout 1/4 cup of olive oil and about 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice. Sprinkle salt over the top. The longer you steam them, the tender the leaves become.
It's the right time of year to get started. Look for nice big undamaged leaves on any grape vine. I like to use ones that have a rounder shape - more like a dinner plate, less like a cross.
Step one: Pour boiling water over your grape leaves and let them sit for about 5 minutes. The color of the leaves will change, and the leaves will soften.
Step two: Prepare your filling
I usually use cooed rice, but raw rice works too. Sauté an onion, I like using cooked rice, but others use raw rice (we cook the dolmas again after we roll them). I usually add lots of herbs from the garden chives, garlic scape, carrots, broccoli/kale/collard flowers. I also usually add some dried fruit, chopped nuts, and whatever leftovers you think will taste good. Ground or chopped cooked meats can be added. Taste and add salt, pepper, other spices as needed. The filling should taste good on its own.
Step three: Lay one leaf with the greener side on a plate. Sprinkle with salt. Trim-off any long stem on your leaf. Put some filling on the leaf, and roll up like a burrito. Try to make sure all the filling is wrapped up.
Step four: Steam all of the dolmas for 60 - 90 minutes.
You can set up a steamer basket in a crock pot, or on the stove. Add water to steam, and pout 1/4 cup of olive oil and about 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice. Sprinkle salt over the top. The longer you steam them, the tender the leaves become.
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