Reviewed: Apr. 3, 2011

This was my first experience working with grape leaves and so it was a bit of an adventure. It took a while for me to roll all the rice mixture up making the whole process last longer than I had planned on. I enjoyed the flavor and did as previous reviews suggested and added extra lemon but, I don't think all that olive oil was necessary. There was a lot in the bottom of the pan when we took them out and it kinda made the outside of the grape leaves slippery. My boyfriend wasn't a fan but, I think Ill try it one more time (with some adjustments) when we have guests over to get more reviews.

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Reviewer:

Tuesday

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Lake Leelanau, Michigan, USA

Living In: San Francisco, California, USA

Reviewed: Mar. 31, 2010

I make this recipe with several variations. Instead of grape leaves, I use cabbage leaves. (sweeter than grape leaves) I make meatballs (ground beef/onion/instant rice/parsley) and wrap them in the cabbage leaves. Place the stuffed cabbage in a big pot and pour chicken broth over everything and cook for about 45 minutes on "simmer" (stove top instead of oven). I also pour an egg/lemon sauce over stuffed cabbage after everything is cooked. Delicioso!!

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Reviewer:

meconomou

Reviewed: Sep. 25, 2009

An ethnic treat! Very tasty!

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Reviewer:

GODSARTIST

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Apr. 19, 2009

This was delicious! I used brown rice instead and bottled lemon juice. It was a lot of work and made alot of servings but was worth it because I snacked on them all week. I had some serious trouble rolling the grape leaves but by the last few I rolled they were shaped a little better just need some practice I guess. Great recipe I've always loved these rare treats at greek restuarants and now I can make them myself. Thanks!

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Reviewer:

Kirsten_face

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Jun. 4, 2008

Using Lizzy9volt's changes I made this recipe and all I have to say is MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!! I love these!!!!!

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Reviewer:

Star_Eyes

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: San Jose, California, USA

Living In: Meridian, Idaho, USA

Reviewed: May 23, 2008

I pretty much followed the instructions, but had to half everything. I also used some brown rice since I didn't have enough white rice. I used two lemons and included the juiced lemons in the pan while baking. I prefer dolmathes cold, so I let them sit a few hours and they were so good! I will definitely be making them again this weekend. Thanks for the recipe!

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Reviewer:

Renee

Cooking Level: Beginning

Reviewed: Mar. 4, 2008

Following the recipe as-is would probably yield about 3 stars, it's not lemony enough. But I made the following additions and had rave reviews from my dinner guests: While rice was simmering, I added about 2 tablespoons of dried dill but also added the fresh dill as directed later. The recipe calls for the juice of 1 lemon while the rice is simmering? Forget that! I added like 3/4 cup! It wasnt fresh either, I used the bottled stuff to save time. After rice was done simmering, I followed directions but I also added about 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped mint. After stuffing leaves and placing in the pan, again I put approx 3/4 cup of lemon juice and about 1/4 cup of olive oil on the tops of them all. I baked them as directed, and then right after they came out of the oven, I squeezed a fresh lemon on the top and let it cool. I prefer these cold, so I served them as such. ENJOY!

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Reviewer:

LIZZY9VOLT

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Ogden, Utah, USA

Living In: Austin, Texas, USA

Reviewed: Oct. 24, 2007

SO DELICIOUS ,IF YOU WANNA TRY SOMETHING ZAZZY AND DIFFERENT I DO RECOMMEND THIS ONE.

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Reviewer:

SANDRA COLE LOVES YOU!

Reviewed: Jun. 12, 2007

The rice was bit mushy (next time I'll try the rice cooker and steam them as is recommended in other recipes). Also, you can use just a little bit of oil and this recipe will be fine. I added chickpeas to the rice for some contrast.

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Reviewer:

frogsocks

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Jun. 3, 2007

Fabulous recipe! I grew up eating Middle-Eastern food including stuffed grape leaves. I have been looking for an easy recipe to duplicate the grape leaves I grew up with (and now love -- at a steep price -- at places like Whole Foods). This was exactly what I was looking for. I love the use of dill instead of traditional mint (as in Lebanese recipes) and I added a little extra. The only problem I could see with the recipe is that there is no salt listed. That could be the problem the one reviewer had with it being bland. I added about 1 tablespoon of kosher salt to the rice while it boiled. I also added currants to the recipe instead of pine nuts (husband is allergic), though it would probably be even better with them, to duplicate the flavor of grape leaves I had at a Turkish restaurant a few months back. It turned out wonderfully. The little bit of oil on the grape leaves is what I would have added anyway as it is traditional to drizzle olive oil over the grape leaves and serve it with lemon wedges. It was a little labor intensive and I definitely need more practice at rolling the leaves, but it was worth the work. Thanks for the great recipe!

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