Artichoke Dolmades with Lemon Sauce
Don’t let your opinion of dolmades, stuffed grape leaves, rest on the ubiquitous canned versions, which are tasty but forgettable. Take the time to make these and you’ll be rewarded with a fragrant house and a satisfying savory snack for a party or simply for having on hand. Unlike most other versions I’ve had, this filling is brightly flavored and packed with aromatic ingredients—I add artichoke hearts, preserved lemon, and golden raisins. Pine nuts give these little guys a pleasing crunch, and I love the briny, herbal flavor that the grape leaves impart while they cook—this is the process that forms the sauce—in the lemony liquid.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 32 to 34 stuffed grape leaves
Ingredients
Rice
Artichoke Filling
To Assemble
Preparation
Rice
Step 1
In a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the celery and onion and sweat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned. Stir in the rice and add 2 cups water, bay leaf, and salt. Bring the rice to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove it from the heat, keep covered, and cool.
Artichoke Filling
Step 2
In a small bowl, cover the raisins with steaming hot water; soak them until plump, 5 to 10 minutes, and drain. Pat the raisins dry with paper towels and coarsely chop; set aside.
Step 3
Heat the 3 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat and add the artichokes. Stir and cook about 3 minutes, add the garlic, and cook 2 more minutes. Scrape the vegetables into a large bowl and add the diced lemon, pine nuts, lemon juice, dill, mint, salt, and red pepper, along with the raisins, extra-virgin olive oil, and the cooked rice. Stir with a spatula and taste for seasoning, adding lemon juice as needed.
To Assemble
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 13 × 9-inch baking dish with olive oil.
Step 5
Drain the grape leaves in a colander. Place them in a medium saucepan, cover with fresh water, bring the water to a boil, then drain the leaves and cool. Take an individual leaf and spread it on a work surface, with the smoother, shiny side down and dull veined side facing up. The small stem should be pointing toward you; use a paring knife to trim it from the bottom of the leaf. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling about an inch above the bottom edge of the leaf. Fold the bottom edge over the filling and roll, egg-roll style, wrapping the sides of the leaf around the mixture starting approximately halfway up the leaf. The dolmades should be firm but not wrapped too tightly, as they will expand with further cooking.
Step 6
Place the filled dolmades seam side down in the baking dish, arranged snugly together. Drizzle them with the olive oil, wine, lemon juice, and enough water to just cover. Place a weight, such as a plate or small casserole dish, on top (this will help submerge them in the liquid, which will finish cooking the rice). Cover the dish with foil or a lid and bake for 1 hour, or until the rice filling is completely cooked.
Step 7
You can serve the dolmades hot or cold, but I like them best at room temperature. If you’re not serving them immediately, let them cool completely, cover with plastic, and refrigerate for up to three days.
