black rice stuffed dolmas

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House made dolmas, with an easy quick pickled grape leaf.  I generally don’t like store bought dolmas— they are too soft, oily and have an unbalanced, acidic flavor.  Tasting store bought delicacies that are not that good often inspires me to create my own version.

I taught myself how to pickle grape leaves, which is quite an easy and artistic process, back in 2016 while living in the guest house of the Montecito estate with neglected, sprawling grape vines.  Now every summer until early fall you can find me preparing dolmas for friends and loved ones.

Dolmas, originating from ancient Mesopotamia and enjoyed across the Middle East and Mediterranean, are stuffed grape leaves typically filled with rice, herbs, and spices. But my twist?  Just my favorite grain salad of castelvetrano olive raisin relish mixed into forbidden black rice, which was once reserved for Chinese emperors and now prized for its nutty flavor and nutritional benefits. My grape leaves are quick pickled to perfection, wrapping around a savory and sweet black rice mixture. 

Recipe

MAKES: 20 DOLMAS

INGREDIENTS:

Pickled Grape Leaf :

•  Brine : 

• 1 cup (230g) water

• 2 cups (460g) white vinegar

• 2 teaspoons (9g) kosher salt

• 1 tablespoon (21g) honey

• Pickled Grape Leaves :

• 1 large stack of fresh grape leaves (about 15-20 leaves)

• 2 bay leaves

• 1/2 teaspoon peppercorns

INSTRUCTIONS:

Prepare brine by combining all brine ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Heat to a simmer until honey and salt are dissolved. 

Wash grape leaves and pat dry.  Stack the leaves on top of each other, reserving one for the top, and then gently roll the stack and place inside the jar.  Pour liquid brine over and before putting the lid on, place the reserved leaf on top of the other leaves so as to keep all the leaves submerged in the liquid.  Wait until cooled to use or prepare and keep inside the fridge.  Will stay good for 6 weeks in fridge or if jar is sterilized properly, 1 year in pantry.

Black Rice & Castelvetrano Olive Relish (makes 1.5 cups) :

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup black rice (150g)

• 1 tablespoons (14g) olive oil

• pinch of kosher salt

• 1 cup (240g) filtered water

for the relish:

• 2 tablespoon olive oil (28g)

• 2 stalks (110g) celery (I like using the inner stalks, which hold most flavor), diced

• 2 shallots (60g) shallots, peeled and diced

• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 cup (40g) pitted castelvetrano olives, roughly chopped

• 1/2 cup (120g) water

• 1/4 cup (40g) white raisins (I prefer the hunza variety, although you can use golden raisins or any dried fruit, like thompson raisins, dried currants, cherries or cranberries)

• 1 tablespoons (4g) italian parsley, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS:

For the rice: In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the black rice and kosher salt and stir until each rice granule is coated in oil. Add water and bring to a boil. Put lid on, turn heat down to lowest simmer, and cook for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for another 10 minutes with the lid on.

To poach the raisins: put your hunza raisins in a glass bowl.  Bring 1/2 cup water to a boil and pour over the dry fruit so they poach.  Set aside for 10-30 minutes and then drain.

In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the celery, shallots and sea salt.  Sauté until golden. Let it cool down a bit.

Add the chopped olives, parsley, and poached dried fruit, and stir into the rice until combined.

TO MAKE THE DOLMAS:

Lay a pickled grape leaf (recipe below) flat on a work surface, with the stem end facing you. Place about 1 tablespoon of the black rice relish (recipe below) in the center of the leaf.

Fold the stem end over the filling, then fold in the sides and roll the leaf into a neat roll. Repeat with the remaining leaves and filling.

Serve room temperature with a bit of drizzled olive oil and squeeze of lemon juice.