Stuffed vine leaves and homemade tzatziki, a staple appetizer of Greek summer. And this summer should not be missing from any table.
I really love vineyards. Maybe it’s because the vineyards were a big part of my childhood. I have spent endless hours between their rich branches. Either because we were picking grapes in order my dad to make wine, or because we were playing hide and seek.
Hiding in the vineyard was one of my favorite things to do. The long vineyards corridors were ideal for hiding. My bare foots were running up and down and looking for some coolness. I still remember the feeling of the warm soil, as well as the movement of my foot to dig so that cool soil would come to the surface.
But nothing can overcome the feeling of crushing grapes with my feet, a perfect natural machine. For me it was a moment of joy, but for my dad it was a very stressful process. He was always worried about whether that year would finally be his lucky one and the wine came out gorgeous. Anxiety with great anticipation as he had to wait for the wine to mature in the large wooden barrels he had in the warehouse.
Recipe notes for stuffed vine leaves
Wrapping these little dolmadakia was pretty fun – at least for me. You should give attention while choosing the vine leaves, you should choose tender vine leaves.
Be sure to get as tender vine leaves as possible, they will melt in your mouth. While, when cooking these little dolmadakia, keep the temperature low to medium.
Their wrapping may scare you at first, but after the first 2-3 dolmadakia you will love it. More or less follows the logic of a big dolma, like the one in my winter recipe for cabbage rolls.
While, tzatziki sauce requires some attention too. Make sure the cucumber drains very well so that it does not release more moisture. The humidity will make the tzatziki more watery. Therefore, before adding the grated cucumber to the yogurt, let it drain with some salt.
Stuffed vine leaves and homemade tzatziki
Ingredients
For stuffed vine leaves
- 200-250 gr vine leaves
- 125+125 ml olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4-5 spring onions, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- 400 gr rice
- 400 ml water, lukewarm to hot
- 3 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
- juice of half a lemon
- 5-6 slices of lemon
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
For homemade tzatziki
- 400 gr strained Greek yogurt
- 2 clove of garlic, minced
- 1 cucumber
- 2-3 fresh dill, finely chopped
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
For stuffed vine leaves
- In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil and then add salt. Boil the vine leaves for 2-3 minutes and then take them out with a slotted spoon in a bowl of cold water.
- Drain in a strainer and then remove with a knife the stalks and any thick nerves they may have. Set aside.
- In a deep frying pan add the 125 ml of olive oil and then over medium heat sauté the garlic, the dried and the spring onion. Cook for 10 minutes until soften.
- Add the rice to the pan and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Then add the water to the pot, lower the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Just before removing from the heat, add the herbs, chopped dill and mint. Mix well and set aside for 15 minutes.
- In a large saucepan, spread 5-6 vine leaves and lemon slices. Set aside and start wrapping the vine leaves.
- On a cutting board we spread a vine leaf with the nerves upwards and the shiny side downwards. Add to the center 1 tbsp. filling, fold the sides inwards and close by rolling the dolmadaki. Continue with the rest.
- Place the dolmadakia next to each other in the pot. When we lay the first row, we continue from the top. Add another 125 ml of olive oil and hot water until they are covered. Cover the dolmadakia with a plate, put the plate upside down.
- Simmer for about 40-50 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
For homemade tzatziki
- By using a grater, grate the cucumber. Add the grated cucumber to a strainer and add a some salt. Allow to drain for 15 minutes. Salt will help the cucumber to remove excess moisture. Squeeze with your hands and set aside.
- Add the yogurt, dill, grated garlic and grated cucumber to a bowl. Mix well.
- Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Mix well.
These stuffed vine leaves with homemade tzatziki should not be missing from your table. A staple Greek appetizer, that you will love. Just don’t forget to choose some tender vine leaves.
I would be thrilled to hear from you. Even more, if you make my recipe and post a photo of it. Just don’t forget to share your photo under the hashtag #tetisflakes. Please do not hesitate to comment below or contact me on Instagram, or Facebook or Twitter!
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