Swiss Chard Dolmades
"Since we grow a lot of Swiss chard in our garden, I experimented with the smaller more tender leaves and found that they are even more delicious than grape leaves in preparing dolmades. We have one vegetarian and two carnivores in our household, so I came up with two fillings to accommodate everyone. "
- Ingredients:
- 14
- Serves:
-
4
ingredients
- 16 small swiss chard leaves, each approx. 6
-
Vegetarian Filling:
- 2⁄3 cup white rice or to taste orzo, mixed with rice
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1⁄4 cup slivered almonds
- 3 tablespoons white raisins or 3 dried apricots, chopped
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
-
Lamb Filling:
- 8 ounces lamb shoulder, fat trimmed, chopped in 1/2
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1⁄4 cup white rice
- 1 teaspoon dried dill or 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt
directions
- Saute rice/orzo and garlic in butter for 1 minute, add almonds.
- Stir just until almonds become a bit brown.
- Turn off heat, stir in remaining ingredients.
- Brown lamb and garlic in olive oil, add rice and stir just until rice begins to brown.
- Turn off heat, stir in remaining ingredients.
- 3 cups canned tomato juice Lemon wedges Have both the fillings prepared and ready to go.
- In a 9X11" baking dish or large wide-bottomed stewing pot, pour 3/4 cup tomato juice, or enough to cover the bottom of the dish about 1/2" deep.
- Rinse chard leaves and cut off any stem.
- Stack chard leaves in a steamer basket or metal colander over a large kettle of boiling water: cover.
- Allow leaves to steam 3-4 minutes or until soft and pliable but still quite green.
- After 2 minutes of steaming you can use two spatulas to turn the whole stack of leaves over to allow the "less cooked" ones on the top to steam more thoroughly.
- Remove chard leaves to a plate. Separate them and allow them to cool so they will be easier to handle. Flatten a chard leaf on the working surface and place about 2 tablespoons of chosen filling 1/2 inch above the bottom stem end.
- Fold each side over the filling, then roll up from the stem end "burrito style", ending with the top of the leaf folded over the roll.
- Place the dolmade "leaf-tip-side-down" in the tomato juice in the prepared pan.
- You should be able to see the roll, but not any of the seam, which should be underneath.
- I differentiate the vegetarian and meat dolmades by placing a sliver of carrot or red pepper on top of the vegetarian ones.
- Repeat with all of the remaining leaves.
- If you tear a leaf and can't use it or have extra filling left over, you can sprinkle it into the tomato juice when you bake the dish and your sauce will be all the more delicious.
- Pour remaining tomato juice over the dolmades.
- Two cooking methods: Bake in a moderate 350 degree oven for 35 minutes on the top shelf, uncovered.
- or Simmer in a large stew pot on top of the stove. If you choose this method, weight the dolmades down by placing a plate on top of them and then putting something heavy (i.e. a heavy coffee mug or two) on top of the plate. Simmer at low-medium heat on stove top for 20-25 minutes.
- This method produces a more compact dolmade that holds together better when you serve it. Important: When you take them from the oven or turn off the stove, let them sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.
- They are much less likely to fall apart this way.
- Serve 4 dolmades per guest with lemon wedges to squeeze over.
- They are delicious cold or room temperature as well.
- Suggested accompaniments: Avegolemo soup, tossed salad with black olives and feta cheese, fresh steamed artichokes, garlic bread.
Questions & Replies
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Reviews
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I grew up eating dolmades but can't have them now - only leaf vegetable I can eat is chard. So when I found this recipe looking for chard recipes, I was absolutely thrilled! Instead of garlic I used ramsons, and for the raisins or apricots I used dried unsweetened cranberries and blueberries. This will be a keeper, thanks so much for posting it!! -
A great way to use Swiss Chard, after all who can obtain fresh grape leaves unless you live near a vineyard. The only problem I had with this recipe is the amount of salt in the lamb and rice mixture. 2 tsp. is quite a lot for 8 oz of lamb and 1/4 cup of rice. I used 1 tsp. and thought it was to much when I sampled before rolling them up. I would start out with 1/2 or 3/4 tsp. of salt to begin with. Also dont use leave that are to small as they will be difficult to roll. I found the medium sized ones worked best. Overall a great recipe -
Really liked the idea on these, and they weren't bad, but for all the good stuff that went in them they were lackluster in flavor. Next time I'll throw in a lot more spice. -
Wow! I made the veggie version and simplified a lot - made 2 cups of brown rice in the rice cooker, stireed in curry powder, a small box of raisins, a handful of pine nuts, butter, and some minced garlic from a jar - and it was STILL delicious and super easy. Wish I'd found this earlier in the summer when I had more chard than I knew what to do with.
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I made the vegetarian version as a warm dish. I used about 2+ c. cooked brown rice, 1 onion, and 2 med. carrots then, doubled everything else. I chopped a huge bunch of swiss chard and about 1/2 c. white wine. We added some lime juice at the table, and ate it on top of cold cucumber slices. It was very yummy. I will definitely make it again. Thanks!
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Tweaks
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I grew up eating dolmades but can't have them now - only leaf vegetable I can eat is chard. So when I found this recipe looking for chard recipes, I was absolutely thrilled! Instead of garlic I used ramsons, and for the raisins or apricots I used dried unsweetened cranberries and blueberries. This will be a keeper, thanks so much for posting it!!
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This is a unique recipe using swiss chard. I used ground venison in place of the lamb, added some onion and precooked the rice. I also sprinkled some cheddar cheese over the top before baking. Thanks for the recipe!
