By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 2 hours
- Rating
- 4(73)
- Notes
- Read community notes
If greens, raisins, nuts and grains of rice all symbolize prosperity, then you’ll do well to make this recipe for your New Year’s Eve party. Collard greens are great stuffing leaves; they are large and easy to work with, and they can stand up to long simmering. The filling is a typical Greek dolmades filling.
Featured in: New Year’s Dishes for Prosperity and Longevity
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Ingredients
Yield:About two dozen stuffed leaves
- 1large bunch collard greens (about 1½ pounds), stemmed
- ¼cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1large red or yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4garlic cloves, green shoots removed, minced
- Salt to taste
- 1teaspoon sugar
- ¾cup rice, either medium-grain or basmati, rinsed well in several changes of water
- 2tablespoons to ¼ cup lightly toasted pine nuts (to taste)
- 114-ounce can chopped tomatoes, drained (retain juice)
- 2tablespoons to ¼ cup currants or dark raisins (to taste)
- ¾teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾teaspoon freshly ground allspice berries
- ½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1¼cups water
- 2tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- ¼cup chopped fresh dill
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1lemon, sliced thin (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)
65 calories; 3 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 179 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you carefully stem the collard greens, trying to keep the leaves intact. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the collard leaves in batches. Blanch two minutes and transfer to the ice water. Drain, gently squeeze out excess water and set aside.
Step
2
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat in a large lidded skillet, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, salt and sugar, and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about a minute. Add the rice and pine nuts, and stir together until the rice is coated with oil. Stir in the tomatoes, currants, cinnamon, allspice and salt and pepper to taste. Stir together, and add 1 cup water or enough to barely cover the rice. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer until all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Allow to sit for 10 minutes without disturbing. Stir in the mint and dill.
Step
3
Oil a wide, deep, lidded sauté pan or saucepan with olive oil. To fill the leaves, place one on your work surface, vein side up and with the stem end facing you. The leaf may have a big space in the middle where you stemmed it; if so, pull the two sides of the leaf in towards each other and overlap them slightly. Place about 1 level tablespoon of filling on the bottom center of each leaf. Fold the sides over, then roll up tightly, tucking in the sides as you go. Place seam side down in the pan, fitting the stuffed leaves in snug layers. Drizzle on the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and pour on the lemon juice. Barely cover with water, and top with a layer of lemon slices.
Step
4
Cover the stuffed leaves with a round of parchment paper, and place a plate over the paper to weight them during cooking. This will keep them from opening. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes to an hour until the leaves are tender. Remove from the heat, and carefully remove the dolmades from the water with a slotted spoon or tongs. Allow to drain on a rack set over a sheet pan. Serve warm or cold.
Tip
- Advance preparation: These keep well for three or four days in the refrigerator.Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com.
Ratings
4
out of 5
73
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Cooking Notes
Lee Norris
Unnecessarily complex instructions. No need for parchment paper and a plate. The leaves stay where they are with just a cover on the pan. And entirely too much liquid is called for. Just enough to come up maybe half way is plenty.
emcee
I’ve made these now twice after swearing I’d never make them again after the lengthy process I experienced the first time. But, kudos to Martha Rose for hitting all the dietary restrictions. These are vegan, gluten and soy-free so perfect for my friends. The collard greens work well but the leaves are huge so I cut mine in half length wise. I made bite sized rolls so more than two dozen. Also took more than two hours for prepare for half a day. I served them with tzatziki sauce.
Maria
I grew up in a Greek household and this is a really nice take on dolmades. Great way to use collared greens for when I don't feel like harvesting or buying grape leaves. I used a mix of basmati, brown, and wild rices to give the filling some more heft and chewiness. Be sure to pack them in tightly when cooking!
Isha Reis
I sweat the veggies, onions and peppers, tossed with quinoa and mixed with ground lamp. I stuffed and rolled the leaves, then baked dry in the oven instead. DELICIOUS.
nanzee
Just wanted to share a cheat. I used previously made mushroom risotto for the filling and added walnuts, just a few chopped raisins and lemon zest from 1 lemon. Used the lemon juice to distribute over all of them and drizzled with olive oil. added a little water for steaming and baked for about an hour covered with foil in the 9x13 pyrex casserole. These were really more flavorful the next day.Giving it 5 stars for the great idea of stuffing collard greens!
banes
Pine nuts and raisins nice but not necessary if those items are not already in your pantry. Next time will use less water for simmering.
Daphne
Wow. The dolmades were a hit, but I still had more collard greens in the garden. So I used them to make my traditional stuffed "cabbage" with a meat and buckwheat filling. What a game changer! Collards are easier to grow and easier to stuff. I just cut out the lower stem and steamed them in a layer for about 5 minutes. My Polish mother-in-law taught me to poke the ends in after rolling them. It was so much easier than using cabbage. Thank you, Martha!
Equitraveler
I made this with beet leaves instead of collards. Also I made with precooked brown rice. I cooked the stuffing in a sauce pan and then stuffed the blanched leaves. Then I gave them a quick zap in the microwave to make sure everything was warm. Really delicious. This is a great recipe! Served with steamed globe artichokes with mayo and chipotle lime chicken wings so everything was finger food.
Maria
I grew up in a Greek household and this is a really nice take on dolmades. Great way to use collared greens for when I don't feel like harvesting or buying grape leaves. I used a mix of basmati, brown, and wild rices to give the filling some more heft and chewiness. Be sure to pack them in tightly when cooking!
Annapurna
A lot of work for a meh result. The filling itself is excellent though! I'll definitely make that part again.
Isha Reis
I sweat the veggies, onions and peppers, tossed with quinoa and mixed with ground lamp. I stuffed and rolled the leaves, then baked dry in the oven instead. DELICIOUS.
emcee
I’ve made these now twice after swearing I’d never make them again after the lengthy process I experienced the first time. But, kudos to Martha Rose for hitting all the dietary restrictions. These are vegan, gluten and soy-free so perfect for my friends. The collard greens work well but the leaves are huge so I cut mine in half length wise. I made bite sized rolls so more than two dozen. Also took more than two hours for prepare for half a day. I served them with tzatziki sauce.
Sigrid
Can these be frozen?
Lee Norris
Unnecessarily complex instructions. No need for parchment paper and a plate. The leaves stay where they are with just a cover on the pan. And entirely too much liquid is called for. Just enough to come up maybe half way is plenty.
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