Dolmades are a staple of the Greek cuisine and popular all over the Balkans. In fact, any place that has been touched by the Ottoman Empire has now at least one way to prepare dolmades.

What are dolmades?

In their simplest form, dolmades are stuffed grapevine leaves. The stuffing can be made with different minced meats and rice, along with chopped onion. Everything is then boiled. Greeks make them with eggplant instead of meat and they also stuff zucchini flowers with the same composition. The meat dolmades are always served warm with sauces, while the vegetarian ones can be served either way. Tzatziki is the most common sauce which accompanies the dish.

In many cuisines, cabbage leaves are also used to wrap the same stuffing. This combination is acceptable in the Greek cuisine as well but it’s not common or traditional. It is, however, one of the staples of the Romanian cuisine.

Making your own dolmades

It is very easy to make your own dolmades. You will need:

• 1 grated eggplant
• 1 grated zucchini
• 1 grated* tomato
• 1 chopped onion
• chopped mint
• 1 cup long grain rice
• 1 cup olive oil
• grape leaves
• zucchini flowers
• chicken/vegetables broth to cover the dolmades

If you are using fresh grapevine leaves make sure the vine hasn’t been treated in anyway. Rinse the leaves, bring them to a boil and then drain them. If you use canned grapevine leaves you also need to rinse them, boil them and then drain them.

To make the stuffing, in a bowl mix the grated eggplant (without the skin), grated zucchini, grated tomato, chopped onion, rice, mint and olive oil. Then, take a grapevine leaf, put it vein side up in your left hand, add a teaspoon of mixture in the middle of it, told sides in and then roll tightly. As for the zucchini flower, stuff the flower with a teaspoon of mixture and then close the flower by folding it.

Arrange the dolmades in a saucepan, close together in rows. Add the chicken or vegetable broth and boil for about an hour. Serve with tzatziki.

If you want to make the meat version you can use practically any meat, but the lamb and beef is preferred. In a pan, brown the minced meat, add the rice, onions and about ½ cup of broth and boil for 5 minutes. Leave it to cool down and then stuff the dolmades. The meat replace the zucchini and eggplants.

* It is hard to grate tomatoes, but for the best results that is what you have to do. You can also poach it in a bit of hot water, remove the skin and then put the tomato into a blender and turn it into a paste.