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| Stuffed vine leaves with dill yoghurt sauce |
Makes 24-30
Stuffed vine leaves with dill yoghurt sauce ingredients
24-30 vine leaves
Filling: 3 tablespoons olive oil. 1 onion, finely chopped. 1 garlic clove, chopped. 3 tablespoons pine nuts. 2 tablespoons tomato paste. 1 teaspoon ground allspice. 200 grams short grain rice, such as Arborio or paella rice, soaked in cold water for at least 1 hour then drained well. Sea salt and freshly ground pepper. 150 grams feta, crumbled. large handful each fresh dill and mint, chopped. 1 cup water. 1 teaspoon caster sugar. juice of 1 lemon. 2 tablespoon olive oil
Yoghurt sauce: 1/2 cup thick Green yoghurt. 1 garlic clove, crushed. juice of 1 lemon. 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Handful chopped dill
Stuffed vine leaves recipe: If you using shop bough vine leaves preserved in brine, soak them in 2 charges of cold water to remove most of the salt. If using fresh vine leaves, blanch then for 2 minutes in salted boiling water, then refresh under cold water. Pinch out the stalks from the vine leaves
Filling: Heat the olive oil in a saute pan and cook the onion until soft. Stir in the garlic and pine nuts and toss until golden. Stir in the tomato paste, allspice and drained rice and cook for a further minute. Season. Remove from the heat, stir in the feta and fresh herbs and mix well. Leave to cool slightly
To stuff: Lay one vine leaf flat on a board, silvery under-side facing up, with the top of the leaf away from you. Lay a heaped tablespoon of mixture on the leaf near the stem end. Fold that end up over the filling, Then fold both sides towards the middle and roll up like a small cigar. Squeeze the filled roll tightly in your hand. Repeat with each leaf until all are stuffed and rolled
To cook: Place any leftover or torn vine leaves in the base of heavy-based 30 cm saucepan and pack the stuffed vine leaves in tightly on top, in a single layer. Combine the water,sugar,lemon juice and oil and pour over the vine leaves. Cover with a circle of baking paper and lay a plate on top to press them down and top them rolling over. Cover the pan with a lid, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes. If necessary, add a little water as they cook to stop them boiling dry
Yoghurt sauce: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix to combine
To serve: Transfer the stuffed vine leaves to a serving platter and drizzle with a little lemon juice. Serve the yoghurt sauce on the side for dipping. By then, the stuffed vine leaves is ready
