Greek · Free recipe
Stuffed Grape Leaves
Brined vine leaves are rolled snugly around lemony rice packed with dill, mint, and scallions, then braised in olive oil and lemon until tender. Served cool, they are bright and herbal, and a batch lasts for days in the fridge as an easy snack.
- Prep
- 1 hr
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 1 hr 50 min
- Serves
- 8
- Level
- Medium
Method
-
Blanch the grape leaves in boiling water for 2 minutes to soften and remove excess brine, then drain and pat dry, setting aside any torn ones.
-
Warm 3 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the onion and scallions for 6 minutes until soft, then stir in the rice for 1 minute.
-
Take the pan off the heat and mix in the dill, mint, parsley, salt, pepper, and half the lemon juice; the rice stays raw at this point.
-
Lay a leaf vein-side up, place a heaping teaspoon of filling near the stem end, fold the bottom and sides over it, and roll up snugly but not tight, since the rice needs room to swell.
-
Line a wide pot with the torn leaves and a few lemon slices, then pack the rolls seam-side down in close layers.
-
Pour in the remaining oil, lemon juice, and enough hot water to just reach the top layer, then weigh the rolls down with an inverted heatproof plate.
-
Cover and simmer gently over low heat for 45 to 50 minutes until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, then cool in the pot before serving at room temperature or chilled.
Zest note from the test kitchen
The inverted plate matters more than it looks; without that weight, the rolls float and unravel as the rice expands.
