I brined 3 jars of grape leaves from our grapevines this year and although I love rice dolmas and rice and beef dolmas, I wanted to change it up and use different ingredients than I would normally use or have found in dolmas recipes.

The first recipe I came up with was lamb based with dates, cinnamon and all spice. The richness of lamb with the sweetness of dates and warm spices pair so well with the tang of the grape leaves.

Ingredients

For the Filling:

1 lb ground lamb
1/3 cup finely chopped dates (about 6 depending on size)
3 tbsp finely diced red onion or shallot
2 small cloves garlic, minced or grated
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8-1/4 tsp salt (go light—brined leaves add salt)
1 tsp olive oil
~20-24 Brined grape leaves (rinsed lightly if very salty)

Cooking Liquid:

1 cup lamb or beef broth
1 tbsp honey
2-3 tsp lemon juice (optional, taste first)
Olive oil, for drizzling

Assembly & Cooking:

Mix filling gently until just combined. Don’t compact or the filling can become tough.
Place about 1 tbsp of filling on each grape leaf; roll snug but not tight. (See my blog post here for steps on rolling grape leaves.)
Line pot with torn grape leaves and arrange dolmas seam-side down.
Pour cooking liquid over and drizzle lightly with olive oil.
Cover and gently simmer for about 45 minutes.

Finish & Serve

Let dolmas rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Finish with a drizzle of olive oil
Serve with plain yogurt or yogurt and cinnamon.

These dolmas were amazing! We don’t eat lamb often but the combination of flavors came out so well that I may make another batch of filling for stuffed peppers or hand pies.