Gardening in a Kilt (Buzz Kidder Canvas)

[Bugbear]

Ok, I don't make mine like the recipies specify, but mine are probably a bit easier. In fact, these aren't dolmathes... they're just stuffed grape leaves.

First, I use fressh grape leaves right off the vine, so they aren't pickled. They have a slight lemon taste when they aren't pickled. This is real easy. I go ahead and put a cup of rice, two cups of water, a dab of butter and some salt in the pot and get that started. I then put the grape leaves on top of all the rice and spoon some on to the grape leaves. It helps to have some rice under the leaves to keep them off the bottum of the pot a tiny bit.

I then put in the chopped meat and what ever else you want making sure some of it gets on the grape leaves. You might then roll them, and flip them over so the seam is on the botum..., but I just leave them open. Keep in mind that this is how I use the grape leaves in my rice dish, and is not the Greek dolmathes dish.

I then just cook it the same as usual. When it is done, I lift the grape leaves with the rice and stuff out of the rest of the rice, put sauce, then roll them. You can get three or four as a little side dish... The real ones require lots of aranging and fooling around with them. I don't cook that way.

I just push the quarters of orange peal down in the rice and stuff and they fill on their own. I don't suggest that unless you can eat a raw orange peal, though. I also use grape leaves in place of leafy stuff like lettus...