Vegetarian Dolma Recipe
Delicate vegetarian dolma recipe with a melt-in-your-mouth cheese and rice filling with lots of dill and parsley.
Ingredients
- vine leaves See note, about 40, from a jar
- 125 short-grain rice 4.4 oz, ½ cup
- 1 dill 20 g/ 0.7 oz leaves weighed after removing the stems, bunch
- 1 parsley 20 g/ 0.7 oz leaves weighed after removing the stems, bunch
- 300 ricotta 10.6 oz, 2 cups
- 150 feta cheese 5.3 oz, 1 ¼ cup
- 1 onion
- vegetable broth Note
- chili flakes or cayenne pepper, to taste
- sea salt generously and to taste, fine
- black pepper generously and to taste, fine
Instructions
Vine leaves:
- Carefully, unroll the vine leaves if they are rolled in a small bundle together.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the vine leaves and simmer gently for about 3 or 4 minutes. Drain well and leave until cool enough to handle.
Filling:
- In the meantime boil some water in a kettle. Place the rice in a heatproof bowl large enough to hold all the filling ingredients. Pour the boiling water over the rice and let stand for about 5 minutes. Drain well. Return the rice to the bowl.
- Remove the stems from the herbs, make sure you have sufficient leaves for the filling (about 20g/ 0.7 oz fresh leaves from each bundle), and chop the herbs very finely. Chop the onion very finely as well.
- Add the herbs and the onion to the rice. Add the ricotta and well-crumbled feta. Stir well until the mixture is creamy.
- Spice the filling generously with chili flakes or cayenne pepper to taste and salt and pepper. Taste the filling and make sure it is well seasoned.
Rolls:
- Place a vine leaf on the working surface. Add about 2 teaspoons of the ricotta filling (depending on the size of your leaf) in the middle-lower part of the leaf.
- Fold the left and right sides of the leaf over the filling, then form a roll, starting to roll at the base of the parcel.
- Place the roll with the seam facing down in a small cooking pot. Repeat until you have used all the filling, arranging the rolls nicely and tightly in the pot.
- Heat the stock and pour it over the rolls, they should be barely covered with liquid.
- Cover well, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Check to see if the rice is soft, if not, continue cooking for 5 -10 minutes longer or until the rice is soft.
Notes
- You will have enough filling for 32-35 rolls. However, prepare more vine leaves than actually needed, some will break and some will be too small for filling. In such a case, use two leaves to obtain a larger filling surface or to cover any holes.
- Or chicken broth, if not cooking vegetarian. I prefer chicken stock, it has a stronger flavor.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 3 servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 339
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1/3 of the dish | |
| Calories | 339kcal | 17% |
| Carbohydrates | 22g | 7% |
| Protein | 20g | 40% |
| Fat | 19g | 29% |
| Saturated Fat | 12g | 60% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 5g | 29% |
| Cholesterol | 76mg | 25% |
| Sodium | 953mg | 40% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.