Traditional Dolmades
Embark on a culinary journey with these flavorful and aromatic traditional dolmades. Grape leaves filled with a tantalizing mixture of ground round, lamb, fresh parsley, onions, garlic, and rice, simmered to perfection in a savory chicken broth infused with zesty lemon and eggs.
Ingredients
For traditional dolmades | |
|---|---|
| 1 | jar (8 ounce) jar grape leaves (about 25 leaves) |
| 1 | lb ground round |
| 1 | lb ground lamb (or 2 pounds of ground round) |
| salt, to taste | |
| pepper, to taste | |
| 1 | tablespoon fresh parsley, minced |
| 1 | box (4 ounce) box tabouli mix (or 1 cup raw rice) |
| 1 | onion, finely chopped |
| 1 | garlic clove, crushed or pressed into the meat mixture |
| 3 | cans (16 ounce) cans chicken broth (or water) |
For egg-lemon broth | |
| 4 | lemons, squeezed or 4 lemon juice |
| 4 | eggs |
Instructions
For preparing the dolmades | |
|---|---|
| 1. | Drain, rinse, and thoroughly dry the grape leaves. |
| 2. | In a large bowl, combine the ground round, lamb, salt, pepper, minced parsley, chopped onion, crushed garlic, and tabouli or rice. Mix thoroughly. |
| 3. | Place a grape leaf flat with the stem up, add around 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture near the stem. |
| 4. | Fold the stem over the mixture, then fold one side of the leaf, followed by the top, and roll the rest, not too tightly. |
| 5. | Secure the stuffed leaves using toothpicks. |
| 6. | Arrange the filled leaves snugly in a large pot. |
| 7. | Continue filling the leaves and, if needed, form small meatballs with any remaining mixture. |
| 8. | Pour chicken broth over the stuffed leaves, ensuring they are completely covered. Add water if necessary. |
| 9. | Bring the broth to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until tender. |
For preparing the egg-lemon broth | |
| 1. | After cooking, remove about 1 quart of broth from the pot and allow it to cool slightly. |
| 2. | In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until frothy, slowly adding the lemon juice. |
| 3. | Gradually incorporate the warmed broth into the egg mixture, a little at a time, while continuing to beat the eggs. |
| 4. | Once all the broth is mixed with the egg-lemon mixture, slowly pour it back into the pot on the stove. |
| 5. | Cover the pot and turn off the heat. Allow it to rest for approximately 10 minutes before serving. |
| 6. | For a tangier flavor, you can adjust the amount of eggs and lemon in the broth according to your preference. |
| 7. | Any leftover broth from the pot can be used to make Avgolemono (Egg Lemon Soup). |
Nutrients
The following values are based on a single serving of this recipe.
| Calories | 161.4 kcal |
| Protein | 11.1 g |
| Fat | 11.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 3.3 g |
| Fiber | 0.4 g |
| Sugar | 0.8 g |
Published on Aug 06, 2024 by Luminița