In Greek: ντολμάδες στο φούρνο, say: dohl-MAH-thes stoh FOOR-no
Most recipes for stuffed grape leaves (dolmathes ordolmades) call for steaming, but this recipe from Northern Greece (also popular in Cyprus) calls for baking. Like all stuffed grape leaves, these make wonderful appetizers, but also work as a main dish or side.
The recipe makes 36 pieces.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 1/8 pound (2 ounces or 75 gr) of chicken liver, ground beef, or ground lamb
- 1 cup of cooked rice
- 36 grape leaves (fresh or jarred)
- sea salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 1/4 cups of chicken broth
Preparation:
Prepare grape leaves: Bring water to boil in a pot and remove from heat. Submerge leaves for 2-3 minutes. Remove, rinse well, and set aside to drain.
Sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil, using a nonstick pan. Cook until onion becomes translucent. Add livers or ground meat and continue to sauté for another 3 minutes, or until browned on all sides.
If using livers, remove from the pan and chop into small pieces.
In a mixing bowl, combine rice, livers or ground meat (plus all contents of the frying pan), salt, and pepper, and combine well to form the filling.
Place a grape leaf shiny side down on a clean work surface. Place a teaspoonful of the filling at the bottom of the leaf (where the stem joined), and roll leaf up once. Fold sides in to the middle and continue to roll to form a small packet. Continue, using all leaves and filling.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Place stuffed leaves close together (in layers) in a deep glass or ceramic baking dish. Add chicken broth (it should come to about the middle of the dish), cover, and bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 40 minutes.
Baked stuffed grape leaves, like other recipes for stuffed grape leaves, are served warm or at room temperature, with lemon wedges or tzatziki.
Yield: 36 pieces
