These grape leaves are stuffed with a tantalizing mixture of lemony rice and fresh herbs. "Yum" is the only word to describe them! Serve them as an appetizer, or as a main dish paired with crusty bread and a Greek salad.
Ingredients
- olive oil: 1 Tbsp
- uncooked long-grain white rice: 2 cups
- onion: 1 piece (chopped)
- fresh dill: 0.5 cup (chopped)
- fresh mint leaves: 0.5 cup (chopped)
- quarts chicken broth: 2 piece (divided)
- lemon juice: 0.75 cup (divided, fresh)
- grape leaves: 60 piece (fresh)
- olive oil: 1 cup
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add rice, onion, dill, and mint; sauté until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Pour in 1/2 of the broth, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until rice is almost cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in 1/2 of the lemon juice and remove from the heat.
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Plunge grape leaves into a deep container of very hot water until soft, about 10 seconds; pat dry.
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Place a grape leaf onto a work surface with the shiny side facing down. Place 1 teaspoon rice mixture on leaf at the stem end; fold both sides in toward the center and roll up from the wide bottom to the top. Place stuffed leaf into a 4-quart pot. Repeat to stuff remaining leaves, packing them into the pot tightly so they don't open while cooking.
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Drizzle olive oil and remaining lemon juice over leaves, then pour in remaining broth to cover. Cover the pot and simmer for about 1 hour; do not let it boil as the stuffing may burst out of the leaves.
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Remove from the heat, uncover, and let cool for 30 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and serve.
