Dolmades (Stuffed Grape Leaves)

If using preserved grape leaves, drain and rinse them under cold water to remove excess brine, separating any that have stuck together. If using fresh leaves, blanch in boiling salted water for 30 seconds until they turn from bright to olive green and become pliable. In either case, sort through the leaves: set aside any that are torn, very small, or have thick, woody stems — these can be used to line the bottom of the pot rather than as wrappers. Trim any tough stems flush with the leaf base using scissors. Stack the prepared leaves shiny side down (the matte, veined side should face up, toward you, because this is the side the filling will be placed on). The leaves should be supple enough to roll without cracking.

In a large bowl, combine the rinsed raw rice, finely diced onion, chopped dill, chopped mint, half the olive oil, half the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Mix well with your hands, squeezing and turning the mixture until the rice is coated in oil and herb fragrance. Taste the raw mixture — it should taste brightly seasoned, because the rice will absorb flavors as it cooks and the leaf will mute them slightly. The raw rice is used deliberately: it will cook inside the leaf during steaming, absorbing the juices of the herbs and olive oil as it expands. If you pre-cooked the rice, it would turn mushy and glue the dolmades shut. The mixture should feel slightly wet and fragrant, not dry.

Lay a prepared leaf veined-side up (matte side up) on your work surface, with the stem end closest to you. Place a heaped teaspoon (about 15g) of filling on the lower-center of the leaf, roughly where the stem meets the leaf body. Fold the bottom of the leaf up over the filling, then fold in both sides toward the center, and roll forward tightly toward the tip of the leaf. The roll should be firm and compact — a loose dolma will unroll during cooking and a filling that's too sparse will leave empty space. But don't overfill: the rice needs room to expand or it will burst the leaf. Aim for a cigar-shaped roll slightly thicker than your finger. Place each finished dolma seam-side down on a plate as you work.

Line the bottom of a wide, heavy-bottomed pot with the reserved torn or small leaves — this prevents the dolmades from scorching on the pot floor. Arrange the rolled dolmades tightly in a single layer, seam-side down, wedged snugly against each other (they should not rattle if the pot is shaken). If there are more dolmades than fit in one layer, add a second layer perpendicular to the first. Drizzle the remaining olive oil and lemon juice over the top, then add the water or broth. Place an inverted heatproof plate on top of the dolmades and press it down to compact them — this keeps them from unrolling as the rice expands. Cover the pot and cook over medium-low heat for 45–50 minutes. The dolmades are done when the leaves are completely tender and a dolma opened at the center reveals fully cooked, separate (not mushy) rice.