Dolmadakia Yialantzi (Stuffed Vine Leaves with Rice & Herbs)

A stuffed vine leaves recipe (dolmadakia) that Vasia has made with her aunt since she was a child – rice, herbs and plenty of Honest Toil olive oil, rolled by hand and simmered slowly.

For Vasia, dolmadakia are the true beginning of summer. She makes them when the vine leaves are young, usually in May or June, filling each one with Carolina rice, plenty of onion, dill, parsley, mint and a little lemon zest before gently cooking them in generous amounts of Honest Toil.

This year, the ritual felt even more special as she picked the vine leaves with her aunt from the garden before spending the afternoon rolling them together. "I've loved dolmadakia since I was a child," she says. "For me, they're much more than a recipe, they remind me of family, summer and sharing food with the people I love."

Simple, seasonal and made to be shared, they're just as delicious served warm as they are at room temperature with plenty of lemon and an extra drizzle of olive oil.

Ingredients

• Around 60–80 vine leaves
• 350g Carolina rice
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 bunches spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 cup Honest Toil extra virgin olive oil
• ½ bunch parsley, finely chopped
• ½ bunch dill, finely chopped
• ½ bunch mint, finely chopped
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Wash the rice well and combine it with the onions, spring onions, herbs, lemon zest, salt, pepper and half of the olive oil.

Place one spoonful of the filling into each vine leaf and roll tightly.

Line the base of a pot with a few vine leaves, then arrange the dolmadakia closely together. Cover with a few more vine leaves, pour over the remaining olive oil and add enough water to just cover them.

Place a plate on top to keep the dolmadakia in place and simmer gently for around 25 minutes.

Serving notes: Leave to rest for 15 minutes before serving. They're delicious at room temperature with extra lemon juice or alongside a simple yoghurt sauce.