Name: Paleo Dolmathes - Stuffed Grape Leaves
Ingredients: 2 cups Paleo Greek-style “rice”; 750g (approx) ground beef; 1/2 red onion (diced); 2-3 garlic cloves (crushed/diced); 1 cup fresh mint (diced); 3 Tbsp lemon juice; 1/3 cup pine nuts (chopped); 1 jar grape leaves; 2 Tbsp ghee; salt to taste

Ingredients

Scale

2 cups Paleo Greek-style “rice”
750g (approx) ground beef
1/2 red onion (diced)
2–3 garlic cloves (crushed/diced)
1 cup fresh mint (diced)
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup pine nuts (chopped)
1 jar grape leaves
2 Tbsp ghee
salt to taste

Instructions

In a large pot or pan saute onions in ghee over medium heat until soft.
Add ground beef and garlic; cook until beef is browned.
Mix in salt, lemon juice, mint, pine nuts, and Paleo Greek-style “rice”.
Continue to cook until beef is done, then remove from heat.
Remove grape leaves from jar (this may have been the most difficult part for me, and unfortunately I don’t have any tips). ***If you find the leaves too tough, or bitter, you can blanch them in a pot of simmering water for 5 minutes – I didn’t find this was necessary with the jar I used.
Rinse and drain grape leaves.
On work surface (I recommend at a table with family or friends, or like me in front of the TV on a cutting board), place a grape leaf shiny-side down with the bottom of the leaf towards you.
If there is a stem still connected, please remove with a knife.
Spoon some of the beef mixture (1-2 Tbsp depending on the size of your leaf) onto the base of the leaf.
Fold the bottom part of the leaf up and over the filling, fold each side of the leaf inwards, and then roll up like a burrito (see slideshow above).
Repeat until leaves or filling is finished.
Serve warm.

Notes

Many recipes that I looked at would then steam or heat the rolled dolmathes (in a slow cooker, dutch oven or deep skillet, but I didn’t find this step necessary).