I have been focussing this winter on using my woodstove as dual heating/cooking to try to avoid as much as possible using my propane stove/range for cooking, just to aim to get used to cooking without it. There are some things that are more difficult to cook without the oven, and I know there are other types of ovens out there that do not rely on fossil fuels, but I just want to focus, for now, on the wood stove during the cold months. If anyone is interested in posting recipes and directions for Woodstove Cooking, we can do it here.

I can post each time I try something that works well.

I just made the following recipe today. It is intermediate in difficulty, a little bit like rolling sushi. I used brown basmati mixed with a little wild rice instead of white rice. I omitted the fennel, dill, and pine nuts as I didn’t have any. I adjusted the cooking time accordingly (about double for cooking the rice), and used turkey stock I had left over from Christmas instead of chicken stock. I like to keep rotating the freezer contents. So here goes:

Dolmades (Stuffed Grape Leaves)
Cook Time:
1 hr 10 min
Level: 
Intermediate
Yield: 
about 30 dolmades

Ingredients
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 small fennel bulb, halved, cored and diced
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 cup long-grain rice
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons finely chopped dill leaves
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (8-ounce) jar grape leaves, rinsed and drained
2 lemons, juiced
Directions
To make the filling, coat a large saute pan with 1/4 cup of the oil and place over medium heat. Add the onion, fennel and lemon zest and stir until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the pine nuts and rice, saute for 2 minutes, stirring to coat. Pour in just 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and lower the heat. Simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 10 minutes. Scrape the parboiled rice mixture into a bowl and add the dill and parsley; season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool. Now on to the grape leaves.

Bring a big pot of water to a simmer. Blanch the grape leaves in the hot water for 5 minutes until pliable. Drain then trim the stems and any hard veins from the leaves. Pat dry with paper towels.

To assemble the dolmades, lay a grape leaf on a work surface, shiny-side down. Put 2 tablespoons of the rice filling near the stem end of the leaf. Fold the stem end over the filling, then fold both sides toward the middle, and roll up into a cigar – it should be snug but not overly tight because the rice will swell once it is fully cooked. Squeeze lightly in the palm of your hand to secure the roll. Repeat with remaining grape leaves and filling.

Place the dolmades in a large Dutch oven or wide deep skillet, seam-side down in a single layer. Pour the remaining cup of broth, remaining olive oil, and the lemon juice over the dolmades, the liquid should reach halfway up the rolls, add some water if necessary. Cover the pan and simmer over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the dolmades are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm, at room temperature or cool.