← Nouns Cooking · Greek

Ingredients

• 50 vine leaves in brine (about one 450 g jar)
• 150 ml extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 4 Spring onion, finely chopped
• 200 g medium- or short-grain rice
• 1 bunch Dill, finely chopped
• 1 bunch Parsley, finely chopped
• 1 handful Mint, finely chopped
• 2 Lemon, juiced, plus wedges to serve
• 1 tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• 500 ml hot water

Method

1. Rinse the vine leaves well to remove the brine. If they feel stiff, blanch them in boiling water for 2 min, then drain. Snip off any stems.
2. Warm half the oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the onions and spring onions for 8–10 min, until soft and sweet. Stir in the rice for 1 minute, then take off the heat and mix in the herbs, half the lemon juice, the salt and pepper.
3. Line the base of a wide pot with a few torn or broken leaves.
4. Lay a leaf shiny-side down, veins up. Put a heaped teaspoon of filling near the stem end, fold over the bottom and sides and roll up into a neat finger-sized parcel, snug but not tight, because the rice expands.
5. Pack the rolls seam-side down in the pot in tight layers. Pour over the remaining oil and lemon juice and add hot water to just cover. Weigh them down with a heatproof plate.
6. Cover and simmer on low heat for 50–60 min, until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Taste one to check.
7. Leave them to cool in the pot for at least 30 min before lifting out. Serve at room temperature with lemon wedges.

Tips

• They keep for 4–5 days in the fridge and taste even better on day two.
• A spoonful of Greek yogurt alongside is lovely, but leave it out for a vegan meze.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Diane Kochilas OliveTomato Dimitra's Dishes