Grape Leaves Recipes

GREEK DOLMADES RECIPE (STUFFED VINE/ GRAPE LEAVES DOLMATHES)

Steps:

• To make this traditional Greek dolmades recipe (stuffed vine/ grape leaves), start by preparing the vine leaves. For this dolmades recipe, you can either use vine leaves sold in jars or fresh (if you are lucky enough to find them). If you use the ones in jar, rinse the vine leaves, remove the stems and leave them in a colander to drain. If using fresh vine leaves, wash them thoroughly, remove the stems and blanch them in boiling hot water. Remove the leaves with a slotted spoon and place them in a colander to cool down completely.
• Prepare the filling for the stuffed vine/ grape leaves (dolmades). Place the rice in a colander and rinse with running water. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, add 1/3 of the olive oil and the chopped onions. Sauté the onions, until translucent (but not coloured). Add the rice and sauté for 1 more minute. Pour in 2 cups of warm water and half lemon juice and simmer for about 7 minutes, until the rice absorbs all the water and is parboiled. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the herbs, remove from the stove and set aside to cool down for a while. This will be the filling for the dolmades.
• Layer the bottom of a large pot with some vine leaves (use the ones that are little bit torn) and start rolling the dolmadakia. (This is probably the most difficult part of the traditional dolmades recipe). Place one vine leaf (shiny side down) on a flat surface and add 1 tsp of the filling at the bottom end (stem). Be careful not to overfill the dolmades, as the rice will expand during cooking. Fold the lower section of the leaf over the filling towards the center; bring the two sides in towards the center and roll them up tightly. Place the stuffed vine leaves (fold side down) on the bottom of the pot and top in snugly layers. Be careful not to leave any gaps between the dolmades to prevent them from cracking open when cooking.
• Drizzle the stuffed vine leaves (dolmathes) with the rest of the olive oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Place an inverted plate on top to hold them down when cooking and pour in enough water just to cover them. Place the lid on and simmer the dolmades for about 30-40 minutes, until the water has been absorbed and the dolmades remain only with the oil.
• Remove the pot from the heat, remove the lid and plate and let the dolmades cool for at least 30 minutes.
• Serve this delicious Greek appetizer cold or at room temperature with a squeeze of a lemon. Give this traditional dolmades recipe a try and enjoy your own fresh homemade stuffed grape leaves (dolmades)!

DOLMAS (STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions until tender. Stir in rice and hot water to cover. Cover and simmer until rice is half cooked, about 10 minutes.
• Remove from heat and stir in tomato paste, currants, pine nuts, cinnamon, mint leaves, dill weed, allspice and cumin. Let mixture cool.
• Prepare a large pot by placing an inverted plate on the bottom; this protects the dolmas from direct heat when steaming.
• Rinse grape leaves in warm water; drain and cut off any stems. Place about 1 teaspoon of the cooled rice mixture in the center of a leaf. Fold in the sides and then roll into a cigar shape. Place in prepared pot. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
• Pour in just enough warm water to reach the bottom of the first layer of dolmas. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 to 45 minutes, or until rice is totally cooked. Check the water level often and add more as necessary.

MEAT & RICE STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES

Steps:

• In a skillet, heat 2Tbsp of the olive oil over medium high heat and sauté the chopped onion and garlic until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the spices and let them sweat for a couple more minutes.
• In a large bowl, combine the meat, the rice, the onion mixture and the parsley. Mix everything together with your hands until everything is incorporated. Reserve.
• Drain and rinse the grape leaves.
• Take the stems of every grape leaf and blanch them in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and reserve.
• To roll the grape leaves, place a leaf with the vein side up on your work surface. Add one tablespoon of the filling mixture to the center of the leaf. Fold the edges in and up and roll the grape leaf until it looks like a cigar, tucking the edges under the roll. Proceed with the other leaves until you've run out of filling or leaves. (See blog post for step-by-step pictures!)
• Line a heavy bottomed pot with (unrolled) grape leaves. On top of that, add the onion rings.
• Proceed to arrange the stuffed grape leaves in rows, alternating the direction of each layer of rows.
• Fill the pot with the chicken broth (enough to cover the rolls) and the remaining olive oil.
• Place a plate on the top to prevent the rolls from floating.
• Cover the pot and bring to a boil.
• When it boils, lower the heat to low and cook for 40 minutes, until meat is cooked and rice is tender.
• Remove the rolls from the broth and serve warm or at room temperature.

GRAPE LEAVES-CANNING RECIPE

Steps:

• Pick grape leaves that are young, tender, and light green in color.
• Cut off stems and wash in cold water.
• In a large pot-6 quart or larger-bring water to a boil.
• Drop in leaves 12 at a time.
• Cook for 30 seconds, remove and plunge in ice cold water.
• Pat dry and stack 6 in each pile.
• Roll stack and tie with string.
• Bring the 1 quart water to a full rolling boil with the salt.
• Boil 5 minutes.
• Pack rolls of leaves in sterile, hot quart jars.
• (about 6 rolls per jar-and I remove the string).
• Pour hot brine over leaves, removing bubbles and leaving 1/8 inch head space.
• Seal and process in a boiling water bath 15 minutes at altitudes up to 1000 feet sea level.
• Consult chart for higher elevations.
• *It should be noted that this recipe says you can keep the string on-I did not.
• **To use open jar, remove rolls needed, rinse leaves in cold water and use.
• Store remaining leaves with their brine in the fridge.

DOLMADES RECIPE

Steps:

• Remove stems from grape leaves and any torn leaves. (Most leaves can be cut in half - smaller ones remain whole.)
• Mix herbs, spices, tomato, onion, lamb, olive oil, salt and pepper into rice. Mix well by hand until well combined.
• Grease the bottom of the pot and put foil in the bottom. Line the bottom of the pot with any discarded grape leaf pieces. Top with tomato slices.
• Lay out a single grape leaf. Place a small amount of filling in the centre. Fold over edges and the roll up grape leaf longways.
• Roll tightly so they don't come apart but not so tight that they tear.
• Place the rolled grape leaves tightly against each other in layers. Place a plate that is heatproof and slightly smaller than the pot on top of the grape leaves to keep in place during the boiling process.
• Mix the tomato puree into the broth until dissolved. Pour the broth mixture over the grape leaves keeping the plate in place. Bring to a boil.
• Turn down to a simmer and cook like you would rice. Once the water has evaporated below the top layer of grape leaves, remove the plate.
• Cooks for about an hour and a half until all the liquid has evaporated.
• Remove from the heat and allow to rest in the pot for ten minutes.
• Remove the lid and place the serving plate over the pot. Flip pot so grape leaves are transferred to the plate.
• Let the contents settle for a couple of minutes before removing the pot. Serve with yogurt.

LEBANESE STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, mix together the ground beef, rice, garlic powder, allspice, salt, pepper, and cinnamon, and set aside.
• Rinse grape leaves several times. If the leaves are small, leave them intact, but cut out the large center vein. If the leaves are large, cut them in half vertically, cutting out the large vein in the process. Place a small amount of the ground meat mixture at the end of each leaf. Roll up egg-roll style.
• Pour the oil into the bottom of a large Dutch oven. Lay the chops over the oil. Lay the tomato slices over the chops.
• Place the stuffed grape leaves seam-side down on top of the chops. Pack the leaves tightly and begin a second layer when necessary. Place whole garlic cloves randomly between the rolled leaves; plenty of garlic on each layer.
• When you are done stacking, pour the lemon juice over the leaves, and add water to the pot to about 2-inches above the rolled leaves. To prevent the leaves from unrolling during cooking, place a plate on top of the stack of leaves and place a heavy object on top of the plate.
• Simmer the leaves over low heat for about 2 hours.
• Invert the entire Dutch oven into a large platter with high sides (i.e. a 12-inch round cake pan). Or, remove the leaves from the pot with tongs. Serve rustic style, with plenty of Arabic bread on which to spread the garlic!

EASY STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES

Steps:

• Soak grape leaves in cold water for 2 to 3 hours. Jarred grape leaves are very salty from the brine solution.
• Rinse and drain in a colander. Set aside.
• In a mixing bowl , combine remaining ingredients. Mix well with hands.
• Place a grape leaf stem-side down. Place about 1 to 2 tablespoons of mixture in the middle.
• Fold in the sides and roll upward. Think of rolling a burrito, only smaller.
• When you have rolled the last leaf, place a heavy plate on top of the stuffed grape leaves in your pan. We use a ceramic plate. This helps keep the grape leaves in place during cooking so they don't shift around.
• Fill pan with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes until rice and meat are done.

LEBANESE GRAPE LEAVES

Steps:

• Place rice in a medium sized bowl and cover with 3 cups of cold water.
• Let stand for 30-60 minutes.
• Drain and rinse grape leaves in a colander.
• Cut leaves in half removing the thick center stem.
• Save five or six large leaves for bottom of pan- discard any extremely tough or ragged leaves.
• Drain all water from rice.
• Add lamb, salt, pepper, and cinnamon.
• Mix by hand thoroughly.
• Line bottom of large kettle or dutch oven with five or six large leaves to prevent scorching.
• Lay a leaf flat on a plate, shiny side down.
• Put approximately 1 heaping teaspoon of meat mixture towards bottom of leaf.
• Roll in one edge to seal, then roll leaf up firmly but not too tight (you need to leave a little room for the rice to expand while cooking).
• Place leaves in kettle in circular fashion leaving a small circle in the center for water to circulate.
• When you have one full row on bottom of pan, slice two cloves of garlic over the top of the leaves.
• Sprinkle with a little of the mint.
• Continue rolling the leaves and layering them with the garlic/ mint.
• You should have approximately five rows of leaves when you are done.
• Place a heatproof plate over the top of the leaves- large enough to hold them in place, but with a little room on the edges.
• Put a bowl on top of the plate filled with water to hold the plate down while cooking.
• Fill kettle with water over the top of the plate.
• Cook on top of stove on high heat until it begins to boil.
• Lower heat to medium so that water does not boil over and continue cooking.
• Total cooking time after it starts to boil is 16-19 minutes.
• Remove bowl.
• Carefully drain water from kettle.
• Remove plate.
• Arrange leaves on a platter.
• Serve with lemon wedges.

GRAPE LEAVES

Steps:

• Mix the ground beef and ground pork. Add the rice, dill, both onions, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and then mix.
• Make a puree by first melting some butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Then add enough olive oil and tomato puree until the sauce is orange-red in color. Stir over medium heat but do not boil. Add enough of the puree to the meat so that it is moist but not soupy. Let cool, about 20 minutes.
• Cover the bottom of a large saucepan with a layer of grape leaves. De-stem the remaining leaves and place vein-side up on your work surface. Place about 3 ounces of meat filling on each leaf and roll them up. Once you have rolled all your grape leaves, stack them in a circular pattern in the pan. Add a little lemon juice, some olive oil and enough water to just cover the top of your last stack. Cover and let simmer for about an hour.

DOLMATHAKIA ME KIMA: STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES WITH MEAT AND RICE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot, and add the juice of 1/2 lemon and the salt. Carefully unroll the leaves (do not separate them). Turn off the heat and place the leaves in the hot water for 3 minutes.
• Remove the leaves and place them in a bowl and cover with cold water. When cooled, drain in a colander. It is not unusual for many of the outer leaves in the jar to be damaged or to tear while using. Set these aside to use later in the recipe.
• To prepare the filling, start by soaking the rice for 10 minutes in hot water and drain. (Alternatively, sauté the rice with the onion.)
• Sauté the onions in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until translucent, not browned.
• In a bowl, combine the onion, ground beef, rice, remaining olive oil, dill, mint, juice of 1 lemon, salt, and pepper. Mix well by hand.
• To fill and roll the leaves, gently separate one leaf and place it shiny-side down on a work surface. Place a heaping teaspoon (or more depending on the size of the leaf) of the filling on the leaf at the point where the stem joins the leaf.
• Fold up the bottom of the leaf over the filling, then each side inward in parallel folds, and roll up the leaf. The roll should be firm, not tight, as the filling will expand during cooking. Repeat until all the filling has been used.
• Because the leaves on the bottom can burn while the filling cooks, put a plate or wooden souvlaki skewers in the bottom of a heavy-bottomed pot (see tip below). The plate should fit snugly in the pot.
• If there are unused leaves or leaves that were torn and not used during the filling process, put them on the plate or on top of the skewers. Place the dolmathakia on top, packing them closely together (not squashed), seam side down, so they don't unroll during cooking. Layer them until all are in the pot (two to three layers are best, but no more than four layers). Place several unused leaves over the top.
• Take another plate and place it upside down on top of the dolmathakia, using something to weigh it down (a second plate works well). Add the 2 cups of water to the pot and cover. Bring the water to a gentle boil, add the remaining juice from the 1 1/2 lemons, reduce heat to low, and simmer for approximately 50 to 70 minutes. Check to see if done-if the rice has cooked, they are done. If not, continue cooking for another 10 minutes and check again. Cooking time depends both on the type of pot used and the particular stovetop heating element.
• If preferred, you can use a pressure cooker. No plates are needed but do use the skewers in the bottom. Pack the dolmathakia into the pressure cooker, add the 2 cups of water, close and cook for 15 to 20 minutes at the first pressure mark.

MY OWN FAMOUS STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, saute the rice, onion, dill, and mint for about 5 minutes, or until onion is soft. Pour in 1 quart of broth, reduce heat to low and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until rice is almost cooked. Stir in 1/2 of lemon juice and remove from heat.
• Take one leaf, shiny side down, and place 1 teaspoon of the rice mixture at the bottom (stem) end of the leaf. Fold both sides of the leaf towards the center, roll up from the broad bottom to the top, and place into a 4-quart pot. Repeat with all leaves, leaving no gaps as leaves are placed in pot (to prevent from opening while cooking). Sprinkle with remaining lemon juice and with olive oil.
• Pour chicken broth over all to cover grape leaves. Cover pot and simmer for about 1 hour (do not boil, because this will make the stuffing burst out of the leaves). Remove from heat, remove cover and let cool for 1/2 hour. Transfer to serving dish and serve.