Well, well isn`t it September? Well, I know, it is almost October but, school has just started, leaves are becoming yellow and golden brown, of course there are wine festivals, and yes there are grapes. Black and white ones, small or bigger ones, sweet or a bit sour, they can be surprising by every bite. Grapes are good, that was always my motto, but let`s see what kind of recipes we can make out of this great fruit?
About 2 months ago I enrolled into this cooking contest, where every month there is a different theme, and they wait for your recipes/pictures etc, so the can put them on their website. I came up with 3 ideas, and this one, that you will be reading is the first. Pretty much it is almost like a traditional greek dolmades, but I made it a bit “grape-i”:) There are a few ingredients thou, so don`t be afraid, we still talking about an easy recipe, it only has a few steps that`s all. Also the dolmades are so nice with some yoghurt dip, so instead of the usual tzatziki, I prefered to make a mint-shallot version, as for a little change.
Ingredients
Grape-Sage Risotto (3-4 people)
1 spoon of butter
1dl of white wine
1 small red onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 cup of arborio rise
1 cup veg stock
1-1- handful of white and black grapes – diced
1 handful of fresh sage
Make a risotto base using the ingredients, adding the sage and the grapes only at the end, and set aside to cool down. Season it as you like, I prefer white pepper and salt.
Mint-shallot yoghurt.
0,5 liters of good quality, thick greek or turkish yoghurt.
1-2 shallots depending on the size brunoise
Handful of fresh mint – shiffanade
1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar
1 clove of garlic brunoise
salt, pepper
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, and keep in fridge.
With the grape leaves, if you don`t grow grapes at home, you can easily buy the leaves in brine at the local deli store, but if you can access some fresh grapes, it’s a 2 minute step to make them at home. You only need to blanch them in boiling salty water, for about 1 minute. Set aside to cool down. As quantity, I gave 3-4 dolmades per person, but of course it’s up to you how many you would like to make.
After that you only need to roll the risotto in the leaves, and store them in the brine mixed with some olive oil. Keep in fridge up to 4-5 days, serve with the yoghurt, toasted baguette and some olives. Maybe some fresh grapes as well. Don`t forget it`s amazing with some dry white wine! Enjoy!
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