Dolmathes with Avgolemono
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- Dr. Michelle Jorgensen
Last week my family had an amazing family dinner with some traditional Greek/Mediterranean foods! Check out my blog “Normal is Boring” to read more about the meal and to see the other recipes!
Now you may never have heard of Dolmathes. They are basically little wraps filled with a tasty mixture of beef and rice. The wrap is made of grape leaves which is kind of fun! To top it off, you can cover them in a traditional Avgolemono (lemon and egg)Â sauce or dip them in it!Â
They have a wonderful fresh taste! My family loves eating them!Â
Grape leaves aren’t something we usually cook with, but they are a handy little wrap for yummy fillings. We used our fresh grape leaves off my vines, but you can also buy them canned and ready to fill. Get the ingredients together, have the kids fill and roll, and make it a fun activity as you experiment with these new foods!Â
In my family we love trying new foods with unique ingredients!Â
And the best part is that some of these “experiments” have become family favorites that we make all the time now!Â
Enjoy these Dolmathes and check out this post to see what else we ate that night.
Dolmathes with Avgolemono
Ingredients
Dolmathes
- 60 Grape Leaves, Fresh or Jarred
- 1 pound Ground Beef uncooked
- 1/2 Medium Yellow Onion, Finely Chopped
- 1/2 Cup White Rice such as Jasmin or Basmati uncooked
- 6 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Italian Parsley
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Mint
- 4 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 2 Cups Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
Avgolemono
- 3 Large Eggs
- 1/4 Cup Lemmon Juice 2 medium lemons
- 1 Cup Reserved Cooking Liquid from the Dolmathes
Instructions
Dolmathes
- If using fresh grape leaves, prepare an ice water bath by filling a bowl halfway with ice and water and set aside. Bring a medium pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat, add grape leaves, and cook until leaves are tender but still hold their shape, about 5 to 10 minutes (depending upon the size of the leaves). Remove grape leaves from the water and submerge them in the ice water bath. Drain.
- If using jarred grape leaves, place leaves in a strainer and discard the liquid. Carefully separate the leaves, rinse with cold water, and let drain.
- Meanwhile, combine beef, onion, rice, 4 tablespoons of the olive oil, parsley, mint, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Lay out one grape leaf and remove the tough stem. Place about 1 tablespoon (or less, depending upon the size of the leaf) of filling in the center.
- Carefully fold the top and sides of the leaf over the filling. Roll tightly into a cylinder (it should look like a miniature football) and place in a large saucepan.
- Repeat with remaining leaves and filling, arranging dolmathes side by side until the bottom of the pan is completely covered. Continue layering dolmathes until they are all in the pan.
- Place chicken broth in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour broth over dolmathes, along with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, about 6 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer until rice and beef are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove dolmathes to a serving platter.
- Strain and measure remaining cooking liquid, reserving 1 cup to make the avgolemono sauce. Cover dolmathes loosely with foil to keep warm. Wipe out the pan used to cook the dolmathes and set aside.
Avgolemono
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat eggs on high until they are light yellow and foamy, about 2 minutes. Add lemon juice in a steady stream and continue beating for 1 minute more.
- Add reserved dolmathes cooking liquid in a steady stream and whip for 1 minute to incorporate.
- Pour sauce into the saucepan used to cook the dolmathes. Heat, whisking constantly, over low heat until sauce is steaming (do not let it come to a boil), about 3 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
- Discard any liquid that has accumulated on the platter of dolmathes. Pour sauce over warm dolmathes or serve on the side.
Notes
Enjoy!
Living Well with Dr. Michelle
WELCOME!
I’m Dr. Michelle Jorgensen, I love eating food, and I live to share healthy recipes with YOU! I am not going to give you any recipes that don’t taste amazing and make your body feel great!Â
