Dolmas Tonight!

Day 363: I think the best part of having a grapevine...especially a hit-or-miss one...is that a couple of times each Autumn, I can make dolmas with my very own homegrown grape leaves. I won't go so far as to try to convince you that this recipe is authentic; no, it's the Crow version, but it sure is good. You will need

24 large fresh grape leaves
3/4 pound of ground lamb (hamburger will do in a pinch)
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1 can of tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. minced garlic (fresh or bottled)
1 Tbsp. (or more) dried dill weed
1/2 tsp. paprika
lemon juice
salt and pepper

Begin by removing the stems and an inch or so of the central vein of each grape leaf with a pair of scissors. Rinse the leaves well in cool water, and then blanch in boiling water in batches of six for four minutes per batch. Drain the leaves and while they are still warm, carefully separate them and lay them out in a flat stack on a plate. Fry up the lamb (or burger) until it is nearly cooked, then add salt, pepper, paprika, dill and garlic and continue frying until the lamb is nicely browned. Remove from the stove and add the cooked rice and olive oil. Stir together until evenly mixed.

Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of a casserole (I use a 13 x 9" glass one). Lay one of the grape leaves out on a plate, overlapping the base sections where the central vein was removed. Place approximately 1 Tbsp. of meat mixture near the base, fold the base up once, turn the sides of the grape leaf in, and then continue rolling to the tip. Place the roll in the casserole. Continue until all grape leaves have been rolled up. Now sprinkle the rolls with a lavish helping of lemon juice. Top with the remaining tomato sauce. Cover the casserole with foil and bake at 375° for an hour and a half.

Dolmas may be served cold for a summer treat or hot for an autumn dinner dish. A nice Chardonnay goes well with these delicious morsels.