Ntolmadakia or 'stuffed wine leaves' is without doubt one of the most well known appetizer/side dish of the Greek cuisine. The base ingredients for this dish are wine leaves, rice, spring onions, dill and parsley. It is a not so easy to create dish as it takes a certain amount of time in preparing the rolls. But it is for sure worth to try it.
The version that I present here is a 'simple' version but nevertheless it is the most 'traditional' one and more over it also consumable by vegetarians. The word 'ntolmadakia' has its roots from the Turkish language as 'dolmak' (in Turkish) means 'to stuff'. For this reason it is obvious that there exist many different versions of 'stuffed' wine leaves.
Ntolmadakia can be served, as an appetizer/side dish, warm or cold. I prefer them to be served cold with yogurt and some lemon slices. In this way it is another dish that brings a long-tasting freshness in your mouth during the hot summer days.
I LOVE IT!
Ingredients:
- 750 gr. of fresh wine leaves.
- 500 gr. of rice.
- 1 bunch of spring onions.
- 2 bunches of dill.
- 1/2 bunch of parsley.
- 750 ml of water.
- juice of 2 lemons.
- olive oil.
- salt.
- (black) pepper.
Preparation:
- (1) Shred the spring onions.
- (2) Chop the bunches of dill and parsley. (ONLY THE LEAVES).
- (3) Put the rice in a pan.
- (4) Add the spring onions, dill, parsley.
- (5) Add the lemon juice and some olive oil.
- (6) Bring all this on taste with salt and pepper.
- (7) Stir this mixture very well and put it aside, for about 2 hours (the longer the better), so that the rice can absorb the taste of the herbs.
- (8) Parboil the wine leaves for about 3 minutes.
- (9) Take the wine leaves out of the water.
- (10) Take a wine leave and put it, with the shiny side down and the stem facing towards you, on the kitchen counter.
- (11) Put, near the stem of the leave, about a tablespoon of the rice mixture.
- (12) Fold the stem side (upwards) over the rice (so it is partly covered).
- (13) Repeat (12) so that the rice is firmly packed within the leave.
- (14) Fold the sides of the leave inwards (like holding your left shoulder with your right hand and your right shoulder with your left hand).
- (15) Repeat (10) to (14) for the other wine leaves.
- (16) Put all the packages, with the sealing side facing down, very close (pressing on to each other) next to each other, in a (high) pan. This will prevent them from opening. (the optimal is that the entire bottom of the pan is covered).
- (17) Sprinkle some salt and pepper to bring on taste.
- (18) Add the 750 ml. of water.
- (19) Add some olive oil.
- (20) PUT, CAREFULLY, A PLATE (or 2) TO PUT WEIGHT ON THE ROLLS. (so they don't swim around once the water boils).
- (21) Boil this on a medium heat until all the water is absorbed.
Finally:
- Serve with yogurt and lemon slices.
- For decoration, add some dill leaves.
Enjoy!