What a treat it is to learn to make an iconic food of a region, from people who live there, while you’re there too. Talk about authentic culinary travel! Travel writer, Debi Lander had that pleasure when she learned to make grape leaf rolls, aka, dolmades, in Greece. And lucky for us, she shares the recipe. See the video of the making of these dolmades, below.

Chef served up the finished dolmades.

Learning to Make Stuffed Greek Dolmades (Grape Leaves) in Greece

While on holiday in Greece, I stayed at the gorgeous Acrotel Athena Pallas Resort in Halkidiki, I attended a cooking class in their specially-designed area called the “Cook and Eat Corner.” The class is frequently offered to guests and I highly recommend it.
During the lunchtime session, I watched local Greek ladies knead and prepare traditional bread before baking it in a wood-fired stone oven.
I also learned to make classic Greek Salad, which I have repeated many times at home.  One of the reasons I am so fond of this recipe is the lack of lettuce or greens. The salad shines as a prime example of simple, fresh ingredients combined to create an excellent meal: vine tomatoes, cut in chunks, sliced cucumbers, sliced red onion, bell peppers pieces – use red, yellow or orange for color, Greek (black) olives, fresh Greek Feta cheese – the firmer, the better, and a homemade dressing of olive oil and vinegar and oregano. Add a glass of wine and some bread and you won’t want anything more.

My Greek Salad.

The other dish I learned to make is one of my all-time Greek favorites, Dolmades or stuffed grape vine leaves.  I order these whenever I find them on a menu, but have never tried to prepare them myself.  Once I took the class, Chef insisted I’d be able to repeat at home, and he was right!  While they are a lot of work, they are worth it. The preparation is not difficult, just time consuming.

Grapevine leaves used to make dolmades.

Making Greek Dolmades at Home

Ingredients:
60-70 tender grape vine leaves
2 ½ cups of rice
2 onions diced
2 bunches spring onions, sliced into very thin rounds
1 bunch dill, finely chopped
½ parsley, finely chopped
5-6 mint leaves
1 ½ cups olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions: 
Since I don’t have access to fresh vine leaves, I used a jar of  Orlando vine leaves from California. Remove from the jar and place leaves in a strainer.  Rinse under cold water and let them drain.
Heat ½ cup of olive oil and sauté the onions in a pot over medium heat.  Cook for 3-4 minutes, until translucent.
Rinse the rice very well and drain well. Add it to the onions and stir for 1-2 minutes to coat them in the oil.  Add 2 cups of water and stir.
Simmer over medium heat for 4-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and cover with a clean cotton towel. Place a lid over towel and let it sit for at least 10 minutes.
Put the herbs in a bowl. Add the rice mixture.  Season with salt and pepper and mix well.

This mixture of rice, onion, and herbs will be the filling of the dolmades. Don’t wrap them too tightly though because the rice expands as it cooks.

Take 1 vine leaf at a time.  Place it on your palm or a cutting board (veins facing upward and the shiny side down). Add a spoonful of the filling in the center.  Fold the edges inward and roll to close. If you need help, look at a YouTube video.
If there are any torn or cut leaves, spread them on the bottom of the pot to prevent the rolls from scorching.  Add the dolmades, placing them one next to the other.
When the first layer is complete, continue with a second and third, as necessary, until they are all done.
Add the remaining olive oil, lemon juice and enough warm water to cover them completely. Place a plate over the rolls to keep the dolmades in place, so they don’t fall apart while cooking.
Simmer over medium heat for about 45-60 minutes.
Try one to make sure the rice has cooked and the leaves are soft.
When ready, remove from heat. Let them cool for a bit in the pot.
Dolmades can be served warm or cold. Some people serve with tzatziki sauce, or yogurt, dill, mint, olive oil and freshly ground pepper. While in Greece, I was served a plate of warm dolmades with a warm lemon sauce. I also learned you can successfully freeze dolmades for future use.
— Story and photos by Debi Lander

Hungry for more? Learn how to cook the food of Istanbul with this cookbook. Or maybe Chinese dumplings, in China. Read more about the Mediterranean diet, in this book.