Vegetarian chickpea-dill dolmades

Prepare filling

1. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add minced garlic and rice; cook, stirring, for 1–2 minutes to toast slightly.
3. Pour in 1/2 cup water, cover and simmer gently until rice is partially cooked, about 8–10 minutes; rice should be tender but still slightly firm.
4. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes. Stir in mashed chickpeas, chopped dill, chopped mint, lemon zest and 1 tbsp olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and sugar.

Assemble and cook

1. If using jarred grape leaves, separate and lay flat. Trim any thick stems. Place about 1–2 tbsp filling near the stem end of a leaf.
2. Fold bottom up over filling, fold sides in, then roll tightly toward the tip to make a neat cylinder. Repeat until filling is used, placing each roll seam-side down on a plate.
3. Line the bottom of a wide, heavy pot with a few spare grape leaves and half of the lemon slices. Arrange dolmades snugly in concentric circles, seam-side down, packing them tightly to prevent unrolling.
4. Whisk together vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes, remaining lemon juice from 1 lemon, remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt. Pour mixture over dolmades until just covered; add up to 1/2 cup water if needed.
5. Place a heatproof plate on top of the dolmades to keep them submerged. Cover pot and simmer gently for 40–50 minutes until rice is tender and flavors meld.
6. Allow dolmades to cool in the pot for 10 minutes off heat to set. Carefully remove plate and transfer dolmades to a serving dish.

Finish

1. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and additional lemon juice to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature with yogurt or tzatziki if desired.