Easy Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipes

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.

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.

STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES

Steps:

• Add to the cooked and cooled white rice the parsley, white onions, lemon juice and olive oil and then blend. After blending these ingredients estimate adding a large tablespoon for each leaf.
• Lay the de-stemmed and rinsed grape leaf shiny side down, place portion of rice mixture in the center near the stem end and roll keeping stuffing close to end of leaf. Start folding in the sides and continue to roll keeping ends closed and stuffing secure inside.
• Lay "stem" down (the end of the roll) in a flat pan and continue doing so until each one is side by side close together, keeping them from opening when cooking. You can often place at least 2 layers if making large amounts, but more layering is not recommended. Pour over leaves enough water to reach top layer only and bring to a boil and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes. Add more water only if necessary, so as not to burn the leaves. Water should all be evaporated in this period of time if not, drain remaining water.
• Remove from burner and let cool for about 1/2 hour.
• Then transfer in single layers into flat pans and pour over a mixture of lemon and olive oil and place in refrigerator cool and marinate overnight or at least several hours before serving. Can be stored for at least 2 to 3 days in refrigerator.

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!

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.