Dolmades — Stuffed Vine Leaves in Avgolemono

Rinse the vine leaves thoroughly under cold water to remove excess brine. Set aside to drain.

Finely chop the onion, dill, and mint. In a large bowl, combine the ground meat, rice, chopped onion, dill, mint, 50ml of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well with your hands until everything is evenly distributed.

Lay a vine leaf flat, shiny side down, on a clean surface. Place a small spoonful of the filling near the stem end. Fold the bottom edge of the leaf over the filling, then fold in the sides, and roll tightly upwards to form a small cylinder. Repeat with all remaining leaves and filling.

Line the bottom of a large pot with any torn or extra vine leaves. Arrange the rolled dolmades tightly in layers in the pot, seam-side down, to prevent them from unraveling during cooking.

Pour the broth over the dolmades. Place a heatproof plate on top of the dolmades to keep them submerged. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 50-60 minutes, or until the rice is cooked and the leaves are tender.

While the dolmades are simmering, prepare the avgolemono. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy. Gradually whisk in the juice of 2 lemons.

Carefully ladle about 250ml of the hot broth from the dolmades into the egg-lemon mixture, whisking constantly to temper the eggs and prevent curdling. Slowly pour the tempered avgolemono mixture back into the pot with the dolmades, gently shaking the pot to distribute the sauce.

Remove from heat. Let the dolmades rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. Drizzle with the remaining 50ml of Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil before serving.