Greek Dolmas Rice Recipe ($0.70 per serving)

Recipe inspired by The Mediterranean Dish.

I was pruning a grape bush and had a lot of grape leaves. Figured I would try to make the Greek dish, dolmas, which are grape leaves stuffed with rice, onions, ground beef, herbs and spices. After following the recipe above, I realized it is really cumbersome and time consuming, but the flavor was amazing.

So then I tried simplifying it and it turned out amazing. My twist was to cook it as a rice dish and then scoop the hot rice into the pickled grape leaves as a sort of handheld sushi wrapper. The rice was so delicious even on its own. I would definitely make again with or without grape leaves.

As for cost, the lentil version costs only $2.79 for the entire dish (excluding grape leave wraps). And it makes 4 large entree size servings which works out to only $0.70 per serving! Tough to beat that cost for such a delicious meal.

Dolmas Rice
Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 6 oz ground beef (or substitute 1/2 cup lentils with 1 cup water and add with rice)
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 3/4 cup rice (I use long grain like Basmati or Jasmine)
• 1/2 teaspoon all spice or pumpkin spice
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley or 1 tablespoon fresh
• 1 teaspoon dried dill or 1 tablespoon fresh
• 1 teaspoon dried mint or 1 tablespoon fresh (I use the contents of a peppermint tea bag)
• 1.5 cups water assuming 2:1 water to rice ratio (amount may need adjusting based on the rice type)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

• Season the beef with some of the salt and pepper and cook in the oil on medium heat. If using lentils instead, add with the rice and remaining ingredients later on.
• Add the onions and cook until the onions are translucent (about 3-4 minutes).
• Add the rice and remaining ingredients.
• Cook as you would regular rice by bringing the liquid to a boil, turning down the heat, covering, and following the simmer and cooling times for the rice you selected.

Pickled Grape Leaves - best if made at least a day in advance
Ingredients

• 20-30 large grape leaves
• About 6 cups water for boiling
• 1/8 cup kosher salt
• 1/8 cup lemon juice

Directions

• Bring the water to a boil in a pot.
• Add the grape leaves 4-5 at a time.
• Boil for 30 second to 1 minute until they turn from bright green to dull green.
• Use a strainer spoon to remove them and put in a colander to drain. My salad spinner works perfectly for this because I can keep it near the stove and the liner bowl will catch any draining water.
• Continue this process until all the grape leaves are cooked.
• Grab a 1 quart storage container with a lid.
• Gently separate and unfold the cooked grape leaves and lay neatly in the storage container.
• Mix 4 cups of the pot water with the salt and lemon juice and stir until the salt is dissolved. If you give it a taste, the salt content should be similar to sea water.
• Pour over the grape leaves and ensure all are submerged. if not, make more liquid using the ratio of 2 cups water, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
• Let soak overnight or up to a week.
• Drain the leaves and place on a plate for guests to grab and scoop rice into. Or alternatively chop them up into bit size pieces and stir into the rice.
• Enjoy!