Dolmades

This doesn't actually use anything from our garden (except for mint, which we do have in abundance!) but we'd bought a jar of vine leaves in brine from the Mediterranian Wholesalers ages ago and wanted to find a use for them.

 

40 vines leaves (preserved in brine)

1 cup rice

½ cup olive oil

Dill & mint finely chopped

3 spring onions finely chopped

Juice of one lemon

Fry the onions in half the oil, then add the rice and cook slowly for a further 2 minutes. Add dill, mint, salt, pepper and a couple of tablespoons of water. Leave aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Wash the brine off the vine leaves. Place a teaspoon of rice mixture onto the vine leaves and wrap into parcels. 

Pack the dolmades in rows in a thick bottomed saucepan and cover with water and add the remaining olive oil and lemon juice.

Simmer gently for about 1.5hrs, until the rice is tender.

I made these a few weeks ago, and probably didn't let them cook for long enough, so when they cooled down some of them became crunchy. Next time I'll cook them a bit longer and also add in some sultanas and pine nuts.