How to make Greek dolmades

You'll love this recipe from our friend, Sylvia Rombis, who showed Cincinnati locals how to make traditional Greek dolmádes & tzatziki at last month's Greek Panegyri. Have fun making these at home and take your family & friends on a trip to Greece with this delicious, authentic dish!

Ingredients to make dolmades

a 16 oz jar of brined grape leaves   

1 lb ground beef, 90% lean    

1 cup instant rice (like Uncle Ben's)    

¼ tsp sea salt    

¼ tsp pepper

1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped (makes about 1 ½ cups)    

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, you can reduce if using meat that has more fat (more than 15%)    

1 tsp dill or mint

1 tsp Sparoza's Herbs & Lemon Zest Cooking Blend

6 cups chicken broth, or enough to cover the dolmádes    

How to make Greek dolmades

Fill a large pot with water (big enough to hold all the grape leaves) and place it on high heat. When the water comes to a boil, add the grape leaves and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain and set them aside.    

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, rice, sea salt, pepper, onion, olive oil, and dill, and mix well. 

Take a knife and cut off the stem of each grape leaf.  Lay them flat, ribs up, on a cutting board or work surface. Place about 1 tablespoon of the meat & rice mixture at the bottom of each leaf and fold over the sides of the leaf to cover the mixture. Then roll upwards. Place each dolmá into a baking dish.

Once all dolmádes are done, cover the tops of them with any torn grape leaves (if you have them).  

Pour over them about a cup and a half of the chicken broth, cover with parchment paper, and then aluminum foil. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, but after about 30 minutes, check the liquid - if it's already absorbed, add a half cup more. After the hour is up, turn off your oven and leave the dish in the oven to set for 10-15 minutes.    

Serve with tzatziki sauce (recipe below), either warm, at room temp, or chilled...they make a delicious snack! You can store these in the fridge for about four days or so or freeze any you have leftover.

How to make a Tzatziki Sauce

½ cup finely grated cucumber, squeezed in a paper towel to remove some of the water     

1 cup thick whole milk Greek yogurt

1 tbsp of Sparoza's Greek Granny's Tzatziki Mix to make it easy, or use all of the below ingredients 

1 tbsp lemon juice plus the zest of one lemon 

1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil     

1 garlic clove, grated    

¼ teaspoon sea salt    

1 tbsp chopped dill    

1 tbsp chopped mint, optional

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and keep chilled in the fridge until ready to serve.