1/2 pound ground lamb
1 small onion, minced
1/3 cup fresh dill, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1 egg, beaten
1/2 pound grape leaves
8 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper

1. Combine lamb, onion, dill, mint and egg together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Spoon a small amount of the rice mixture into the center of a grape leaf. Fold the bottom edge over the filling, fold the sides in and roll to seal. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling.
3. Place a few leaves on the bottom of a large saucepan to prevent sticking, and layer the dolmathes closely together, alternating the direction of every other layer.
4. In a separate saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil, then pour it over the dolmathes. Maintain heat at a simmer and cook until meat is cooked through and tender, about 45 minutes to an hour.
5. Serve hot or cold with Tzatziki.

Makes 6 servings

2 cups water
1 cup white rice
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons raisins
1/2 pound grape leaves

1. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat and add the rice. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until tender.
2. Remove the rice from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Fluff with a fork and blend with dill, mint, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and raisins.
3. Spoon a small amount of the rice mixture into the center of a grape leaf. Fold the bottom edge over the filling, fold the sides in and roll to seal. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling.
4. Serve hot or cold with Tzatziki.

Makes 6 servings

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cups cauliflower flowerets
2 eggs, beaten
4 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper
water

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan and brown the cauliflower lightly. Add enough water to cover and bring to a boil, cooking until just tender.
2. Combine the eggs, lemon juice, salt and pepper and stir in a bit of the cauliflower cooking water. Gradually add more water as necessary to make a thick sauce.
3. Drain the cauliflower of remaining water and combine with prepared sauce.

Makes 4 servings

Dolmathes are one of my favorite things at any Greek restaurant. They're great snacks, appetizers, entrees, side dishes, hot or cold, vegetarian or not, and so on and so forth. So, when I discovered I could buy grape leaves in the supermarket, I figured I'd give it a go and make them myself.

Since one jar of grape leaves can yield a ridiculous amount of dolmathes (much like one head of cabbage yields a ridiculous amount of cabbage rolls), I went two separate routes. In the first corner we have the Vegetarian Dolmathes, which have always been my preference, and in the other corner we have the Lamb Dolmathes, which are still pretty keen. Let the battle begin!

Both are seasoned relatively the same, so they both have similar flavors. I added garlic, lemon and raisins to the rice ones, but otherwise the flavor is basically that of dill and mint. The lamb dolmathes turned out a little dry compared to the rice ones, since rice is basically a moisture pocket where meat is definitely not. Score one for the vegetarian ones!

The larger grape leaves were kind of chewy in both instances. The chicken broth that the lamb variety was simmered in would allow for an easily prepared sauce, but since both were served with Tzatziki, that's only a mild bonus. I just think that the vegetarian ones taste better (which is somewhat unfair since I added more flavor to them) and generally have a better texture. The vegetarian dolmathes win! Horray!

While I waited for the dolmathes to finish cooking my stomach started rumbling, so I made a pretty typical Greek dish of
Cauliflower with Lemon Sauce. Basically, cauliflower in its own cooking water with lemon and eggs. Don't be fooled by the simplicity! This is an excellent way to have cauliflower and a very good side dish. It's not exactly a vegetarian entree, but it definitely has enough flavor to stand up as a worthwhile addition to a meal.