This is a Greek-inspired Easter soup of lamb, herbs and spinach with stuffed vine leaves in an avgolemono (egg and lemon juice) base. So many of the classic flavours of Greece all served in one seasonal soup.
Prep time 30 minutes/Cook time 80 minutes/Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
4 fresh bay leaves
1 tsp dried oregano (wild oregano is best, available online)
1 large white onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 leek, finely sliced
800g (1 2/3 lbs) lamb shoulder, off the bone, cut into roughly 5cm (2 in) cubes (ask your butcher for the bone)
200ml (2/5 cup) white wine
1 cos lettuce (about 500g [1 lb]), thinly sliced
100g (3 ½ oz) finely chopped parsley
100g (3 ½ oz) finely chopped mint
250g (9 oz) finely chopped dill
200g (7 oz) spinach, shredded
2 large eggs
3 lemons, juiced, plus wedges to serve
chilli flakes, to serve (optional)
For the stuffed vine leaves (dolma)
80g (2 ¾ oz) short-grain rice
4 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
200g (7 oz) jar preserved vine leaves (you’ll need about 20)
Method:
Combine the oil, bay, oregano, onions, garlic and leeks into a large pan over a medium heat and cook gently for 10 mins until the onions and leeks soften and become translucent. Add the lamb along with the bone, and cook for 10 mins more, until the lamb has started to colour. Pour in the wine, then add the lettuce. Cook for 5 mins more then add 3l (12 cups) cold water, cover and cook for about 1 hr until the lamb is tender.
Meanwhile, add the herbs to a bowl with 1 tsp sea salt and the spinach. Rub the salt and herbs into the spinach with your hands for 2 mins until the herbs and spinach have wilted. When the lamb has had 40 minutes of cooking, add half the herb and spinach mix to the pan and continue cooking for the remaining 20 mins. Remove the bone and discard, then remove the meat using a slotted spoon, transferring to a board before shredding using two forks to pull apart. Return the meat to the pan, remove from the heat and add the remainder of the spinach mix.
For the dolma filling, spoon a third of the lamb and spinach from the soup into a bowl using a slotted spoon, then mix with the uncooked rice, 3 tbsp of the oil, the lemon juice and some seasoning. Spread the vine leaves out on a board and put a teaspoon of the filling in the centre of each. Roll each one up into a cigar shape, tucking in the ends as you go to fully enclose the filling.
Arrange the assembled dolma in a single layer in a small saucepan and drizzle with the remainder of the oil and a ladleful of the soup. Cover and cook for 20 mins over medium heat. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Whisk the eggs with the lemon juice and a ladleful of the soup to temper, then tip this mixture back into the pan with the rest of the soup, then stir (off the heat) until the soup is glossy and silky. Put about three dolmades in each bowl, ladle over the soup, sprinkle with some chilli flakes (if you like) and serve with lemon wedges on the side for each diner to squeeze over the soup.
