Stuffed Grape Leaves, Vegetarian - Appetizer Style (Dolmadakia, Gialantzi)
I attended a dolmadakia (stuffed grape leaves - appetizer style) class led by Gayle Hurmuses in Cowichan Bay. My husband Paul and I enjoyed the village of Cowichan Bay so much that I wrote this article about it for my own blog:
I was reading a Facebook post by Gayle Hurmuses seconds
after she posted her inaugural Greek cooking class on the Greek Recipe Exchange
site. It was my lucky day because I belong to a number of Greek recipe sites
and don’t read them in any logical or consistent order.
Something about her post
drew me to the idea that I needed to take her class on dolmadakia even though I
make them all the time. My husband, Paul too, even knows how to roll them.
There is always something new I can learn as I am in the process of updating
the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church of Long Beach,
Grecian Festival by the Sea, edited by my late mother, Coula Kootsikas.
"Why not", I
thought? Vancouver, B.C. is only a 3-hour flight from Los Angeles and in
the same time zone with only a 2-hour ferry boat ride to Vancouver Island.
Taking the ferry reminded me of traveling in Greece, with equally beautiful
scenery, albeit with snowy mountain tops.
Taking the dolmadakia
class was the highlight of our trip, well almost the highlight, as we did see
humpback whales while traveling on the ferry. We stayed in Cowichan Bay, at the
DreamWeaver B&B where they served the best breakfasts I’ve ever eaten.
We walked the waterfront of Cowichan Bay as if we were in a scene of Murder She
Wrote in Cabot Cove, Maine. Everyone was very friendly and the restaurants we
ate at were excellent.
Just 3-4 miles down
the road are the beautiful grounds of Providence Farm where the four-hour class
was held. The class was held on the grounds of the Providence Farm which now
operates as a therapeutic community. In the mid-1880’s it was acquired by
the Sisters of St. Ann and it became a boarding school for orphaned girls of
any ethnicity. The Sisters of St. Ann gifted the property to the Vancouver
Island Providence Community Association (VIPCA) – named in memory of Sister
Mary Providence, founder. Currently the Providence Farm serves the community at
large, especially children with special needs. https://www.providence.bc.ca/.
Chef Gayle works
along-side her co-chef, Tilman Hainle, noted Vintner of the Hainle Vineyards where
the first Canadian ice wine was created, https://hainle.com/, with the assistance of her
niece Jasmine. Chefs Gayle and Tilman are extremely knowledgeable,
creative and quite organized. Everything is measured out in advance for you to
prepare the dish including typed-written detailed recipes for you to take home.
As part of the class, we enjoyed a taste of what everyone made.
If you wondering why
I would take a dolmadakia class when I already know how to make
them? Something in her post lead me to think it would be fun, and that I would
learn new techniques. And, I did not have a good recipe for vegetarian dolmadakia and
now I have an excellent one, along with learning how to use
a dolmadakia roller.
I learned how Chef
Gayle makes her avgolemono (egg-lemon) sauce to drizzle over the dolmathes.
Usually, I just squeeze lemon juice over my dolmathes. Adding avgolemono sauce
takes the dolmathes to the next level. Gayle has the right technique by using
egg yolks only with broth and lemon juice, making it quite creamy and very
tasteful. I would use chicken broth, but vegetarian broth, which we used in the
class, is also an excellent choice.
In The Art
of Eating, the distinguished culinary author M.F.K. Fisher
writes, … “the foundation of all French cookery is butter, as that
of Italian is olive oil, for Germans it is lard, and for Russians, sour cream.”
If I could boldly add to the list, I would include fresh lemons for Greek
cooking and of course olive oil belongs to the Greeks, as well. Chef Gayle’s
addition of fresh lemon juice to her avgolemono sauce created a harmony of
flavors.
The class was more than
"follow this ‘recipe step by step and it will be perfect".
Explanations were included to learn the reasons for each technique. For
example, Chef Gayle explained that continuously whipping avgolemono sauce with
egg yolks over a double boiler prevents making scrambled eggs. She simplifies
the recipe by putting all ingredients cold into a bowl, which is then set
over hot boiling water. The indirect heat allows the egg yolks to cook and
thicken without scorching, preventing clumping of the proteins as long as you
keep whisking. As Chef Gayle further explained, egg whites may be included, but
you will have a thinner sauce. Using only egg yolks makes for a creamer, thicker dip, or
drizzle on top of the dolmadakia. Not to worry if you don’t have a
double-broiler, she shows you how to put one together with what you have in
your kitchen.
Besides being extremely
knowledgeable, creative and organized, Chefs Gayle and Tilman are a lot of fun.
I highly recommend taking one of her classes. I hope to take another class on
our next vacation to Vancouver. I heard there may be a baklava class …and who
doesn’t love bakalava?
Voila
Tips:
1.
You most likely have heard
the Greek words for stuffed grape leave(s), dolma (one stuffed grape
leave) or dolmas or dolmades and dolmathes (plural). And then there is
dolmadakia or dolmathakia which is the same, but made into a smaller, appetizer
size. The different words all refer to the same food- stuffed
grape leaves.
2.
To make double-strength
vegetarian stock, dissolve 2 teaspoons of a concentrated
bouillon vegetable base like Better than Bouillon® Vegetable Base into 8
ounces (1 cup) of boiling water.
3.
You may
want to use a machine to roll. If so, take a look at this video. To be honest,
it is a bit labor intensive to roll, but I turn on HDTV or music and start
rolling. It’s kind of relaxing or invite a friend over to talk and roll.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M635aM2y-4Y
4. Personally, I
like the Orlando brand leaves from Fresno, CA because they are nice and soft
with a consistently nice size. Other brands are o.k., too. If the sizes are
inconsistent, you can overlap 2 small leaves on their edges to try and make a
larger sized leaf. I try to buy 6 jars at a time.
a.
Hold the leaves by the stem to easily
pull apart.
b.
Don't forget to cut stems
off grape leaves and to place glossy side down with vein side showing before
rolling leaf with stuffing.
5.
May line the bottom of an
8-quart pot with grape leaves to prevent the stuffed grape leaves from burning
on the bottom of the pan. I don’t and haven’t had a problem.
7. If grape leaves are tough once cooked, place them in the microwave for about a minute or so to soften. Once I had very tough leaves and I continued to boil them for another hour or more to no avail. Only by accident I learned the microwave tip.
8. May wash brine off of the grape leaf before using. (I don't)
9. If you have leaves left over, you may freeze them in foil to use later. They make for an elegant last-minute appetizer. Just microwave them.
10. I use Ben's rice original long grain rice which use to be marketed
as Uncle Ben's. I have used
other brands of rice, but find Ben's to be the best. It is already
parboiled and holds its texture without becoming mushy.
11 11.
Drizzling lemon juice on
the stuffed grape leaves is very good, but you
may, also, make an avgolem0no sauce to
drizzle on top which is often
done when making larger,
stuffed grape-leaves for dinner. Drizzling
avgolemono sauce makes you dish
look quite elegant. See recipe below.
for the First Time
Stuffed
Grape Leaves, Vegetarian
|
Simmer: 45-60 minutes |
Prep: 1 hour |
Serves: 75-85 pieces |
Dolmadakia with the “akia” on the end of the word means “small one”. These stuffed grape leaves are made on the smaller side to be served as an appetizer, hot or cold, with drizzle of lemon juice or egg-lemon avgolemono) sauce. We have the Anatolian Greeks to thank for this lovely appetizer. The number of stuffed grape leaves may vary depending on grape leaves brand used or amount of filling used. May be eaten hot or cold.
Ingredients
|
1 16-ounce jar grape
leaves 2 tablespoons olive
oil plus 1/2 cup, divided 3 - 4 medium onions,
minced 2 cups converted rice |
2 tablespoons salt 2 cups pine nuts 2 cups currants or raisins 2 cups double-strength broth, divided |
|
|
|
Cut
stems off grape leaves and set aside. Sauté onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil
until fragrant and transparent. Add rice, dill, salt, pine nuts, and currants
or raisins to the sautéed onions; stir until fully coated. Add 1 cup of broth
to rice mixture; place bowl of rice mixture over a pan of hot water and allow
rice to cook, without stirring, until broth is absorbed. Lay glossy side down
with vein side showing. Place a heaping teaspoonful of rice mixture on the wide
end of leaf and roll it up like a cigar, folding outer edges in as you roll.
Layer the stuffed grape leaves in an 8-quart pot and add remaining broth to almost
cover them (add more broth or water, if needed). Cover with plate to prevent
leaves from unrolling. With lid on, bring the pot to a boil, reduce heat and
simmer for 45 minutes to one hour. Drain the liquid. Place cooked stuffed grape
leaves on a serving platter and drizzle with lemon juice or egg-lemon sauce to
taste (see next recipe).
Thank you eatinscanada.com
Egg-lemon
Sauce (Avgolemono Saltsa)
|
Cook: 10-15 minutes |
Prep: 5 -10 minutes |
Serves: 75-85 pieces |
Egg-lemon sauce is very versatile. It can be used to drizzled on
stuffed-grape leaves (appetizer and dinner style). It is the basis of egg-lemon
soup (avgolemono soup) with or without chicken. Some recipes use whole eggs others separate the egg whites from the egg
yolks and add separately; however, by using only the egg yolks, you will make a
rich, creamy sauce.
Ingredients
|
3 egg yolks 1/2 cup
double-strength stock 2 tablespoons lemon
juice |
2 tablespoons olive
oil 1 teaspoon salt
|
|
|
|
Mix together the lemon juice,
olive oil and broth and whisk into eggs. Put the bowl with lemon juice/egg
mixture into a bowl over a pot with boiling water. Stir frequently until
mixture becomes frothy. Continue stirring until sauce thickens. The broth will
change from a bright gold to a paler, creamier, frothier yellow. Continue to
beat vigorously while still on heat for a couple of minutes. May be poured over
stuffed grape leaves.
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