Dolma
Dolma can refer to a family of stuffed vegetable dishes originating in the Middle East, but this week we’re trying the Iraqi variant which uses grape leaves. Featuring cilantro, parsley, and mint, it’s a healthy and flavorful snack that’s also really fun to make!
The Dish
We halved this recipe from Saveur. We didn’t have apricots or red currant jelly so we substituted with more raisins and strawberry jam. Also, if you’ve never purchased grape leaves before they can be tough to find – we found ours near near the olives.
The Verdict
The stuffing in this recipe is the real deal – the rice soaks up all the chicken stock and provides a great savory contrast to the sweetness of the raisins and jam.
The recipe simply said to drain and rinse the grape leaves, but next time we’ll probably soak them for 10-20 minutes and then rinse, as some other recipes call for. We found that these grape leaves were still a bit too brine-y.
Also, the wrapping process can be a bit tricky since the grape leaves are shaped like, well, leaves, and don’t always wrap around the stuffing completely. We tried double wrapping some of the dolmas to get a better seal, but they were tougher to eat so we don’t recommend it.
Some learning pains with this recipe, but we know exactly what to do to improve next time!
Pineapple Sushi 