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Oven Baked Greek Stuffed Vine Leaves
Vine leaves filled with rice, vegetables and herbs, baked in a covered dish with lemon.
Cook 95 min. Total 95 min. ⭐ Medium
Seasons: All Seasons
Cooking methods: Baking / Roasting
Dietary categories: VegetarianVegan

The Story Behind the Recipe

For two or three years, I had noticed tender vine leaves growing near a beach I visit often. I kept meaning to pick some, but always forgot. This time I remembered, gathered them and decided to make dolmadakia. My father passed on the recipe as my grandmother used to make it. I had always thought of stuffed vine leaves as a stovetop dish, but he told me Grandma baked them in the oven. I used a covered roasting dish here. When I ran out of leaves, there was filling left, so I stuffed a few Florina peppers I had at home. It was a lovely way to use the remaining mixture.

The Technique

  • Briefly blanch and drain the leaves.
  • Add the uncooked filling, fold and arrange close together, without compressing the rice too tightly because it will expand.
  • Start baking covered.
Ingredients

  • Tender vine leaves: as needed for the filling, plus extra to line the dish

  • Carolina rice: approximately 500 g

  • Onion: 1, grated

  • Carrots: 3 medium, grated

  • Tomatoes: 2, grated

  • Spring onions: 4-5 whole, finely chopped

  • Fresh parsley: 1 handful, chopped

  • Dill: 1/4 bunch, chopped

  • Mint, salt and black pepper: to taste

  • Lemon juice for the filling: from 1 lemon

  • Lemon juice for pouring over: from 1 additional lemon

  • Olive oil: for the filling and a generous amount for pouring over, to taste

  • Water: to almost cover

  • Florina peppers: optional, for leftover filling

Steps

Method

  1. Stack fresh leaves facing the same way, in small piles of approximately 20. Briefly blanch each side until the colour changes, then drain.

  2. Rinse and drain the rice. Mix in a bowl with onion, carrots, tomatoes, whole spring onions, parsley, dill, mint, salt, pepper, olive oil and the juice of the first lemon.

  3. Place approximately 1 tbsp filling on each sufficiently large leaf, adjusting to its size. Fold in the sides and roll, enclosing the mixture without compressing it excessively.

  4. Line the roasting dish with extra leaves and arrange the rolls close together, seam-side down. More than one layer is fine.

  5. If the leaves run out, optionally stuff the remaining mixture into Florina peppers and add them to the dish, as in the video.

  6. Pour over olive oil, juice from the second lemon, any liquid left in the filling bowl and enough water to almost cover the rolls.

  7. Lay baking parchment over them, close the dish and bake at 200°C.

  8. After approximately 1 hour 15 minutes, check the leaves and rice. Add a little water if needed.

  9. Continue uncovered for approximately 20 minutes, until tender, cooked through and with the liquid reduced.

Tips and Secrets

  1. Adjust the filling to each leaf’s size and avoid rolling too tightly so the rice has room to expand.

  2. Check both the rice and the vine leaves before finishing. If they need longer and the dish is drying out, add a little water.

  3. Portion and freeze any unused blanched leaves so they are ready for another batch.

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