Grape leaves with goat cheese, olives, raisins, and mint
Share
- ✉
-
Author Notes: I actually made this recipe way back when I tested Margy@hidethecheese's recipe for grape leaves stuffed with goat cheese, pine nuts, and thyme. I decided to play around with some other flavor combinations and this one was so delicious, my husband and I just couldn't stop popping dolmas the rest of the evening (and he had sworn he would never like stuffed grape leaves). The flavors are actually inspired by a Mediterranean tuna steak I once had. - fiveandspice
Makes about 20
- 20 or so, grape leaves, jarred or fresh
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 10 ounces chevre
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- 1/2 cup raisins (preferrably golden raisins, but any kind will be tasty)
- 2-3 tablespoons pitted and chopped Greek olives
- salt and pepper
- First prepare the grape leaves. If they’re in a jar they’ll have instructions to follow, which generally involve rinsing, blanching in boiling water, and drying. If they’re fresh, bring a pot of water to a boil, put in the leaves one at a time until they’re all in, then turn off the heat and let them stand for about 8 minutes. Pour them into a colander and douse them with cold water to stop the cooking. Lay them out on towels and press them with another towel to dry (yes, this may briefly take over all the surface space of your kitchen), then allow them to sit and dry until you’re ready to use them.
- To make the filling, stir the ingredients from the rice through the raisins together in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- To assemble, lay one gape leaf at a time flat on a work surface. Place a good spoonful (a Tbs. or so) of the filling on the leaf towards the bottom. Fold the bottom up, fold one side over, fold the top down, and then roll it up in the remaining side, into a little bundle. I think of it as kind of like wrapping a miniature burrito.
- lace the rolled leaf tucked sides down on a serving dish, and repeat with the rest of the leaves until the filling is used up. Chill until you’re ready to serve them. Serve as is, or if you have the grill going, grill them for 1-2 minutes per side to add a little delicious smoky flavor.
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best One-Bite Party Snack
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Open House Dish
Tags: dinner party, mediterranean, Vegetarian
More Great Recipes
Share a Recipe
Enter one of our contests, or share that great thing you made for dinner last night.
Add a Recipe
over 1 year ago creamtea
mmmmmmm
over 1 year ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Haha, thanks creamtea!
over 1 year ago BlueKaleRoad
Oh wow, love these! What a terrific filling.
over 1 year ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Thanks so much BKR!
over 1 year ago boulangere
Cynthia is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
Ohhhhhhhh!
over 1 year ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
:)
over 1 year ago sdebrango
Suzanne is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Love these, what a wonderful idea rather than the usual filling used for grape leaves.
over 1 year ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Thanks sdebrango! My husband doesn't like the regular filling of grape leaves, so I made these instead partially as an attempt to entice him into trying them!
over 2 years ago iuzzini
mmm I think I will make these for the next potluck I go to! Thanks!
over 1 year ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Thanks!