Stuffed Grapevine 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.

SWEET AND SOUR STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil, then lower heat, and simmer until a thin syrup forms, about 10 minutes. Let cool in pan.
• In a medium saucepan, bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add 1 1/2 cups of the rice, and salt. Boil until rice is al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and let rice cool.
• In a medium skillet over medium-low heat, heat oil and add onions. Sauté until golden, about 10 minutes. Add raisins and barberries and sauté a minute or two. Add rice, sour salt, lemon powder or lemon juice, and 2 to 3 tablespoons vinegar syrup (enough for a balance of sweet and sour). Save remaining syrup.
• Pour 1/2 cup water into a heavy 5-quart pot and scatter in remaining 3 tablespoons rice, to prevent leaves from sticking to pot. On a work surface, place a grape leaf dull side up, and place 1 tablespoon of rice mixture close to the stem. Fold over both sides of leaf and roll up to close. Place seam side down in pot, continuing until there is a single tightly packed layer. Scatter half the apricots and prunes on top. Make a second layer and scatter remaining fruit on top.
• Add 1/4 cup water to reserved syrup and pour over stuffed grape leaves. Place small heat-proof plate on leaves as weight. Cover pot tightly, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer until leaves are tender, about 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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:

• Put the onions and oil in a skillet and cook over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. While the onions cook, peel the garlic cloves and mash them to a paste in a mortar and pestle. Add this to the pan along with the tomato, lemon juice, tomato paste, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the rice. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the dill. Set aside to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.
• While this is cooling, drain the grape leaves and carefully pull them apart. Put them into a bowl and cover them with cold water. Let them soak until you are ready to roll.
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place a grape leaf on your work surface, shiny side down. Add 1 tablespoon of the rice mixture to the middle of the grape leaf. Fold the sides over the rice and roll the leaf into a small log shape, about the size of George's thumb. Repeat with the remaining rice, placing the stuffed leaves into a 9 by 9-inch baking dish. When the dish is full, cover the stuffed leaves with several layers of flat grape leaves and pour in 1 cup of water. Cover and bake for 1 hour. Let cool to room temperature and refrigerate. Serve cool.

STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES

Steps:

• Filling:.
• Cook the rice. While it's cooking, mince the garlic, and chop the onions. Fry them in about two tablespoons of the olive oil, at a low temperature, in a large pan. Cook until the onions begin to turn golden brown. Chop the cranberries and the sunflower seeds finely. Mix the cranberries, sunflower seeds, and dried mint into the onion mixture and cook for about one more minute. When the rice is done, add it to the onion and garlic mixture. Mix it all together to ensure it's evenly blended, then remove it from the heat.
• To roll the grape leaves:.
• Lay a leaf out flat, with the protruded veins upwards. Scoop about one heaping tablespoon of filling into the centre of the leaf, and begin by folding the bottom two "flaps" over the filling (the flaps are on either side of the stem, at the base) Fold the sides in, and then firmly (but not too tightly, so as to avoid ripping the leaves) roll up the "top" flap of the leaf. Continue this process until all of the filling is gone. The amount of leaves you use, and amount of filling per leaf will depend largely on the size of the leaf. If you have some leaves with holes in them, or that are just too small to roll, you can overlap them so as to still make use of them.
• Lay the stuffed leaves into a large, flat skillet with a lid. Pour the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil over them, and leave, with the lid on and the temperature very low, for about ten minutes, or until very warm. At no point should the leaves be cooking, we're just heating them up.
• Eat!

STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil; salt it only if you're using fresh leaves. Blanch the leaves, a few at a time, for about a minute-or until they're tender-if they're fresh, just 15 seconds or so if they're bottled. Rinse under cool water. Remove any thick stems.
• To stuff, put a leaf, vein (bottom, or dull) side up, on a counter or cutting board. Put a tablespoon or so of filling in the center of the leaf, near the stem. Fold over the sides, then roll up from the stem end, making a little package; you'll quickly get the hang of it. Don't roll too tightly-the mixture will expand as it cooks. Put each finished package on a plate, seam side down.
• If you have any unused leaves, put them in the bottom of a wide deep skillet or flameproof casserole with a lid. Add the stock to the pot, along with a large pinch of salt and the lemon juice. Arrange the stuffed leaves in the pot, seam sides down, packing them as tightly together as is necessary; if you have to layer them, that's fine too. Drizzle about half the olive oil over all, then cover with a plate (this helps the rolls maintain their shape). Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cover. Cook for about 30 minutes, checking once or twice just to make sure there is still liquid in the pan (if it is running low, add a little boiling water).
• Turn off the heat. (If you wish to serve the grape leaves hot, see the headnote.) Let cool to room temperature, then remove the rolls, put them on a plate, cover, and chill. (They may remain in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.) Drizzle with the remaining olive oil, sprinkle with a bit of pepper and mint, and serve with lemon wedges.

DOLMADES - STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients well in a bowl except for Grape Leaves.
• Wrap 1 Tablespoon of meat mixture in 2 Grape Leaves. Wrap so it resembles a small cigar.
• Continue until all meat mixture is used.
• Pack stuffed Grape Leaves into the bottom of a pot. Multiple layers if needed.
• Cover the layers of stuffed Grape Leaves with any unused leaves spread over the top.
• Add water to cover over ½ inches above Grape Leaves.
• Place plate upside down over the leaves to weigh them down.
• Cover pot with its lid.
• Boil for 30 to 45 minutes.
• Remove stuffed Grape Leaves with tongs.
• Serve with Lemon wedges.