Q: I am looking for a shop that specialises in Greek food in Durban. Can you advise me in this regard or if there is a shop where I can order on line in SA. Specifically I am looking for vine leaves and Greek cheeses.

A: Its a little hard answering your question as we are based in JHB but i have spoken to friends in Durban who are huge foodies and they gave me two options one is to try Eat-Greek (031) 369-1777 (Peter) as that is where they have bought vine leaves from in the past, with regards to the cheese they were not 100% certain but they did tell me that there was an article in today’s mercury newspaper about a Greek foodie setting up a food market starting on Saturday the 26th 8am-4pm at the Hellenic Community Centre in Durban North.

I hope you find what you are looking for.

The Wickedfood chef, Here is a Fantastic recipe for Dolmades:

Stuffed vine leaves, with rice and mince, take time and practise to make into slim parcels, all of them exactly the same size. Pickled leaves can be used instead of fresh ones, but if so, wash them very thoroughly to remove salt and omit the final teaspoon of salt sprinkled over the rolls before cooking. Will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge.

±30 (±375g) fresh vine leaves (or 1 bottle), washed and drained
3T butter
2 onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2t ground cinnamon
1/2t ground allspice
1 cup long-grain rice, washed and drained
1/2 cup currants, soaked in hot water
1/2 cup almond nibs
2T fresh parsley, chopped
2T fresh mint, chopped
Salt to season

To serve
1 lemon, cut into wedges
250ml yoghurt

1. Blanch fresh vine leaves in boiling water to make them soft and easy to roll – ±2 minutes (if leaves are very large, cut in half and trim stalks from leaves). (Or rinse the bottled leaves, but do not blanch.)
2. Line the bottom of a pot, that will later hold all the filled dolmades, with a layer of the bigger and broken leaves.
3. Heat the butter in a pan. Add the onions and fry until tender.
4. Add the garlic, cinnamon and allspice, and fry for a further minute. Transfer to a bowl.
5. Add the rice, drained currants, almonds, parsley and mint, and mix well. Season to taste.
6. Working with 1 leaf at a time, place it stalk side up. Place ±1t of mixture on a leaf, centred at the base side of the stalk. Fold the base of the leaf over the filling, then fold in sides over, and roll – they should be ±2cm in diameter and 7cm long. (Although leaves will vary in size, put the same amount of mixture on each.)
7. As each roll is completed, place it into the leaf-lined pot, arranging the rolls in a circular pattern, seam end down. When all leaves and mixture have been used, pour the lemon juice over, and sprinkle with mint and 1t salt.
8. Cover the rolls with water and place a plate on top of the rolls before covering with a lid (the plate prevents the rolls opening). Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for ±1 hour.
9. To serve
10. Carefully remove the rolls from the pot and arrange decoratively on a serving plate. Serve with wedges of lemon and a bowl of yoghurt on the side.

Makes ±25

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252  sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios in Johannesburg. Cooking classes are run in the mornings and evenings 6 days a week. The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

The classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.