Stuffed Vine Leaves (Dolma)

There is a lot of truth in the saying that less is more. These vine leaves are filled with a simple filling of rice and herbs, then cooked in lemon and garlic which creates a zingy deliciousness

They are a little fiddly to make, but freeze well so i usually make a large batch

If, like me, you have a vine in your garden, then cut the leaves in late summer before they start to toughen

Serve as part of a mezze, or with bread, olives and wine as a pre dinner or early evening snack

Ingredients

15-10 vine leaves – fresh or jarred

120g basmati rice

30g parsley – chopped

2-3 spring onions – finely sliced

20g pine nuts

1 teaspoon salt

Black pepper

60ml olive oil

Juice of half a lemon

2 teaspoons caster sugar

3 cloves garlic – smashed

Method

If using fresh vine leaves, steep in boiled water from the kettle for 5 minutes then drain. If using jarred, drain and rinse

Bring a pan of water to the boil, then add the rice and boil for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again and put into a large mixing bowl

Add the parsley, spring onion, pine nuts, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper to the rice and mix well

Take a saucepan with a lid and line the bottom with some of the tougher or torn leaves

To stuff a leaf, lay shiny side down with the stem end nearest to you, then put a teaspoon of the rice mix near the stem. Fold the stem end away from you, then fold in the two sides before rolling tightly. Place seam side down in the pan and repeat until you run out of leaves or filling

Mix the oil, lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt, sugar and garlic in a jug. Add 250ml water and mix well before pouring over the vine leaves. Cover the pan, put on the heat and leave to simmer for about an hour. You may need to baste from time to time to ensure the top leaves get some of the flavoured liquid. Top up with water if the pan runs dry too early