These Sunflower Dolmates are a tasty vegetarian treat, and a great way to use all those grape leaves!
The recipe is something like this:
Makes 50-60 dolmates
50-60 large young grape leaves
1 cup Basmati rice
2 green onions
2 green garlic w/heads or 1 head garlic
1/2 cup chopped peppermint
1/4 cup roasted salted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup olive oil
Crushed red pepper
Kosher salt
Black Pepper
Leaves:
Rinse and drain
Remove stem at the base
Boil in salted water for about 10 mins. – until they turn darker green
Rinse and hold in cold water
Rice Filling:
Cook the rice until almost done – 12-14 mins.
Finely chop the onions, garlic, and mint
Mix the cooked rice with about 2 tablespoons olive oil, as well as the chopped onions, garlic, mint, crushed red pepper, and sunflower seeds. Season to taste with salt and pepper
Dolmates:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Lay a prepared grape leaf vein side up (this will become the inside), and fill with 1 tablespoon of the rice filling about an inch above where the stem was attached to the leaf. Fold the sides of the leaf over the filling, then begin rolling the filling in the leaf toward the top point of the leaf. Roll the dolmates fairly tight.
Place the rolled dolmates in a 9 inch square glass baking dish that has been brushed with olive oil. Align them in neat rows, packing them together as you go. Once you have a complete layer, drizzle the dolmates with olive oil, sprinkle them with salt, and begin a second layer like the first.
When the second layer is complete, drizzle it with olive oil, sprinkle it with salt and fill the baking dish with water to just the top of the first layer of dolmates, then cover the dish with aluminum foil, seal tightly, and place in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
After an hour, or when almost all the water in the dish is gone, remove the dolmates from the oven and let them remain covered until they are at least cool enough to handle.