My work in the vineyard continues with training the green shoots through the trellis wires as they extend upward. Many of the tender green leaves are about the size of my hand when I extend my fingers. They are the perfect size for making dolmas or stuffed grape leaves.

Dolmas, or the Greek dolmades, are similar to cabbage rolls in that they are stuffed with rice, vegetables and occasionally meat. There are several recipes, depending on region, but most use uncooked or only partially cooked rice. That requires the rolls to be tightly packed in a pot with a grate or steamer-type device lifting them away from the pot bottom and a heavy plate on top of the packed rolls. The rolls cook at very low heat above seasoned water for over an hour. As the rice expands, the tight packing and heavy plate keep the rice from bursting out of the tender grape leaves.

Sounds like a lot of work to me. I have my own method for dolmas. I’m sure those who are purists will frown at my method, but it’s fairly quick, leaves less room for error and is ready in about 40 minutes. This recipe makes enough for an appetizer or even a nice side dish at any meal.

Stuffed Grape Leaves
18-20 large grape leaves
water
1 lemon
1-1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. Kosher salt
4 c. cooked rice
1/2 onion, small diced
1 rib celery, small diced
1/3 or 1/4 lb. ground meat (any type)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried dill
1 tsp. dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add olive oil, salt, the juiced lemon and its rind to the water for flavoring. Wash grape leaves and add the boiling water. Blanch the leaves for 3 minutes and remove. Let the leaves cool and reserve the pot water.

Sauté onion, celery, meat and herbs until the meat is cooked and the vegetables are tender. Stir in cooked rice.

Place a rack or steamer insert into a medium sauce pan. Pour about an inch or two of the reserved flavored water into the pot. Build dolmas by laying a leaf bottom-side-up on a cutting board. Scoop about 1 Tbsp. of rice mixture onto the leaf. Fold the bottom of the leaf over the rice, fold the two sides in and roll upward making a small packet. It will look like an egg roll or a small burrito.

Place each packet on the steamer rack with the tip of the leaf on the bottom. Continue to build the packets until all the leaves are used and the rack is full. Cover the pot and bring to a low simmer on the stove. Cook for 30 minutes or until the leaves are tender.

I served the dolmas with a lemon and egg curd sauce. Yogurt seasoned with dill, mint, lemon, salt and pepper would make a nice sauce too.

Lemon and Egg Curd Sauce
1 Tbsp. butter
1-1/2 Tbsp. flour
1 c. chicken stock
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 pinch salt
2 egg yolks

Melt the butter in a small skillet. Add flour and cook to form a paste. Whisk in chicken stock and lemon juice. Continue to cook until the sauce thickens. In a separate small container, add a few spoonfuls of the warm sauce to the egg yolks and stir. That will temper the yolks and keep them from over cooking. Add the tempered egg yolks to the pan sauce and stir until smooth. Season with salt if necessary.

Finally, the vineyard has been pruned, mowed and sprayed – just in time for more rain. I worked on it continuously for 10 days, doing little else including making dinner most nights. Feeling guilty about that, last Friday night I whipped up some simple shrimp rolls.

Shrimp is great for a quick dinner because it doesn’t take long to cook. I also usually have a bag of raw shrimp. Thawing and peeling it doesn’t take long and having the shrimp shells in the freezer is great for making fish stock later.

Shrimp Rolls
2 lbs. shrimp
2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic power
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 rib celery, small diced
1/2 onion, small diced
1 carrot, grated
1 c. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Italian breadcrumbs

Peel, rinse and dry the shrimp. Toss with Old Bay Seasoning, pepper and garlic powder. Heat the olive oil in a skillet. When hot, add enough shrimp to cover the bottom of the pan. Working in batches, cook on medium heat until they begin to turn a light pink. Flip the shrimp and cook the other side. Don’t walk away, this process is quick and overcooked shrimp are rubbery. Remove the shrimp from the pan to another dish when done.

Let the shrimp cool while chopping and preparing the vegetables. Mix the mayonnaise with the vegetables and then add the shrimp. Ideally, the shrimp should be whole and not broken up with too much stirring.

The pan had tasty juice left in it from cooking the shrimp. I decided to add it to the mixture and included breadcrumbs to tighten it up as well as add Italian flavors.

Serve the shrimp mixture on Hawaiian Rolls, plain hot dog buns or other types of rolls. I served mine open-faced on a toasted honey wheat bread slice. A side of cooked spinach helped to round out the meal.

Sunday was a beautiful day, but storm clouds started gathering in the evening. I had the ingredients for a vegetable chowder and decided chowder would be comforting to enjoy while it rained.

Vegetable Chowder
1-1/2 quarts potatoes, small diced
1 quart chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1 large onion, diced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cans green chilies, chopped
3 tsp. garlic, minced
1-1/2 c. frozen corn
1 c. fat-free Half-and-Half
1 c. low-fat sour cream
Salt and pepper, to taste

Bring potatoes, chicken stock and bay leaves to boil in a large pot. Add salt and pepper if the stock is not salted.

In a separate skillet, sauté onions with a pinch of salt and pepper until tender. Add chilies and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes. When the potatoes are fork-tender, add the contents of the skillet to the pot. Add corn and return the chowder to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and slowly stir in Half-and-Half and sour cream. Taste and adjust seasonings.

I garnished with grated Monterey Jack cheese and chopped cilantro.