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These traditional Greek dolmas offer a harmonious blend of savory lamb, tart lemon, and aromatic spices wrapped in tender grape leaves. The filling combines ground lamb with short-grain rice, toasted pine nuts, fresh mint, and parsley, creating a rich and textured bite. Slow-simmered in a broth of chicken stock and lemon juice, the flavors meld beautifully, resulting in a dish that is both comforting and elegant. Perfect for family dinners, festive gatherings, or as a sophisticated main course, these stuffed leaves are a timeless classic that brings the warmth of Mediterranean cooking to your table.
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Dolmas With Lamb
Description
These traditional Greek dolmas offer a harmonious blend of savory lamb, tart lemon, and aromatic spices wrapped in tender grape leaves. The filling combines ground lamb with short-grain rice, toasted pine nuts, fresh mint, and parsley, creating a rich and textured bite. Slow-simmered in a broth of chicken stock and lemon juice, the flavors meld beautifully, resulting in a dish that is both comforting and elegant. Perfect for family dinners, festive gatherings, or as a sophisticated main course, these stuffed leaves are a timeless classic that brings the warmth of Mediterranean cooking to your table.Ingredients
Directions
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Wash and drain the rice thoroughly under cold water.
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Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
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Add the yellow onion and sauté until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes.
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Add the ground lamb to the skillet and fry with the onion until cooked through.
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Transfer the lamb and onion mixture to a large mixing bowl.
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Add the drained rice, 1/2 cup of olive oil, chopped green onions, parsley, mint, pine nuts, cinnamon, allspice, salt, and pepper to the bowl.
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Mix all ingredients together until well combined and set aside.
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Rinse the grape leaves under cold running water to remove excess brine, then pat them dry and stack them on a plate.
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Place one grape leaf shiny side down on a flat surface and cut off the tough stem end.
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Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the rice mixture onto the center near the base of the leaf.
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Fold the stem end over the filling, then fold both sides inward lengthwise.
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Tightly roll the leaf toward the pointed tip to form a compact packet.
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Repeat the stuffing process with the remaining leaves and filling.
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Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the bottom of a large pot and line with fresh parsley stems to prevent sticking.
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Arrange the stuffed dolmas seam-side down, tightly packed, on top of the parsley stems in layers.
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Drizzle the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of chicken broth over the dolmas.
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Place a heat-resistant plate directly on top of the dolmas and weight it down with a heavy can to keep them from unwinding.
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Cover the pot, bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low.
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Simmer for about 1 hour, or until the rice is tender, adding more heated liquid as needed to keep the dolmas moist.
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Remove from heat and let cool in the pot.
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Sprinkle with additional lemon juice to taste and garnish with lemon zest before serving at room temperature.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 6
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 1017.5kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 95.2g147%
- Saturated Fat 20.2g101%
- Cholesterol 110.1mg37%
- Sodium 87.1mg4%
- Total Carbohydrate 12.6g5%
- Dietary Fiber 2.3g10%
- Sugars 5.7g
- Protein 29.9g60%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
dolmas, lamb, grape leaves, greek, stuffed, rice, pine nuts, mint, parsley, lemon, mediterranean, cinnamon, allspice, simmered, appetizer, main course, traditional, herbs, olive oil, comfort food
