Meat Stuffed Grape Leaves are one of my favorite foods. They require some time in the kitchen, but they freeze well, so you can make a double batch and save them for later.

Here are some pics of the process, followed by my recipe for them, fine tuned over the years, plus recipes for zatziki and a fresh dill sauce that are good to go with them.

We made them tonight with tzatziki, and they were damned good. My wife did the rolling. She has more patience than I do for detail work.

The one little teaspoon of cracked red pepper adds a nice kick to them. It's amazing how far it goes.

Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmades)

Ingredients:

1 cup onion, diced very fine
1/2 cup green onions (scallions), diced very fine
1 pound ground round or other good ground beef
8 or so tablespoons uncooked rice (I use Zatarain’s)
8 or so tablespoons uncooked bulgur (I like Arrowhead Mills organic bulgur wheat)
1 Tbsp or so of olive oil
1 can tomatoes, drained and seeded, diced very fine
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon of fresh cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon Kosher salt

30 or so bottled large grape leaves (may need part of another jar depending on brand)
Cooking spray
About 4 cups of chicken broth (I make it with Better than Bullion)
1 large lemon, juiced

Instructions:

1. Dice/chop onion and green onion very fine, or use food processor to mince. Combine with beef, rice, bulgur, tomato, black pepper, red pepper, salt, and oil.

2. Rinse grape leaves under cold water; drain and pat dry with paper towels. Remove hard stems, and discard.

3. Rolling Technique:

A. Place leaf flat in front of you with stem-stub at bottom and pointed up. Place about a tablespoon of meat mixture near lower center of leaf and form mixture into a cylinder shape that fills about ½ to 2/3 of width of the leaf.

B. Fold 2 opposite side points of leaf inward toward center, over the filling. Fold bottom of leaf up and over filling. Roll leaf upward, keeping the wrap snug and tucking edges in as needed to keep a snug wrap, jelly-roll fashion. Repeat procedure with remaining grape leaves.

4. Place stuffed grape leaves close together, seam sides down, in a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray.

5. Add chicken broth and lemon juice. If you have leftover grape leaves, place them over the stuffed leaves like a cover. They are good to eat too. Slowly bring to a simmer.

6. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 45 minutes. Carefully remove stuffed grape leaves with tongs and place on serving platter.

Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients:

32 oz. container of plain yogurt
Cucumber: peeled, seeded, and diced fine (salt and drain in sieve to reduce water)
Mint leaves, chopped fine
Garlic powder (to taste)
Black pepper, fresh cracked (to taste)
Kosher salt (to taste)
Olive oil (about 2 Tbsp.)
Lemon juice (about one squeezed lemon)

Directions:

Drain the yogurt in refrigerator for about an hour, using a sieve and paper coffee filter or paper towels over a bowl. Discard drained water.

Add other ingredients and whisk together.

Taste to get oil and lemon juice balance to liking.

Let sit in refrigerator for ½ hour or so; adjust seasonings

Dill Sauce (if you ever get tired of tzatziki)

Keep broth in Dutch oven after you remove dolmades

Combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water

Whisk cornstarch mixture into broth; bring to a low boil; cook for 1 minute.

Stir in about 6 tablespoons chopped fresh dill