Stuffedgrapeleavespersian 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.

STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES (PERSIAN)

Steps:

• In a skillet, heat oil and saut onion and mushrooms until soft.
• Add parsley and spices.
• Transfer to a bowl.
• Mix in peas and rice.
• Preheat oven to 350.
• Line a 3-qt baking dish with a few grape leaves to keep stuffed leaves from sticking and burning.
• Place 1 heaping Tbs of rice mixture (depending on size of leaf) in the center of a grape leaf.
• Fold in sides, then roll leaf from stem to tip.
• Place in casserole.
• Repeat procedure with remaining grape leaves until rice mixture is used up.
• Pour water in bottom of dish (to provent sticking and drying out).
• Bake for 25 minutes.

STUFFED GREEN PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add about 2 inches of water to a large pot fitted with a steamer insert, and bring to a high simmer. Arrange the peppers in the steamer, cover the pot and cook, rotating the peppers as needed, until they are very tender and pliable, about 25 minutes. Remove the peppers with a slotted spoon, and drain upside-down on paper towels.
• Put the oil, onions and a pinch of salt in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the beef, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper, and cook, stirring and breaking the beef up, until browned and mostly cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat. Let cool in the skillet for at least 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl, add the rice, parsley, 1 cup of the mozzarella, breadcrumbs, eggs and Worcestershire and mix to combine.
• Stand the peppers up in a 9-by-13 inch baking dish. If they fall over, cut away a little of the bottoms (without cutting through the pepper) to make a flat surface.
• Generously fill and pack the peppers with the meat-rice mixture. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella. Add just enough water to the pan to cover the bottom to help steam the peppers. Loosely cover with foil, and bake until the peppers are tender and the filling is heated through, about 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue to bake for 10 minutes more.

STUFFED POBLANO PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place the tomato halves flesh-side up in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. In a medium bowl, whisk together 4 tablespoons of the olive oil, the confectioners' sugar, red pepper flakes and 2 teaspoons salt. Spread the mixture evenly over the tomato halves. Roast the tomatoes until tender, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Heat a large skillet over high heat and add half of the canola oil. When it begins to smoke lightly, add half of the poblanos and cook to tenderize without making them mushy. Using a slotted spoon, remove the peppers to a baking sheet, cavity-side up. Repeat with the remaining poblanos and canola oil. Season with salt and set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat the 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and the thyme. As the oil heats, the thyme will fry and become crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the thyme sprigs, then season with salt and cool. Add the bell peppers to the same skillet and season with salt. Cook over high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the peppers brown slightly but are still slightly firm, 3 to 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the peppers and transfer to a medium bowl. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet, heat until it begins to smoke lightly, and add the garlic and onions. Reduce the heat to medium. Season with salt and cook until the onions are lightly brown and tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the onions to the bell peppers.
• Quarter the oven-dried tomatoes and add to the pepper and onion mix. Chop the basil leaves and stir into the filling along with the red wine vinegar and mozzarella. Pull the thyme leaves off the stems and add to the mixture. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan and melted butter. Stuff each pepper halfway with the filling, and then top with the breadcrumb mixture.
• Heat the peppers in the oven to brown the tops, 10 to 12 minutes. Arrange on a platter and drizzle with the balsamic vinegar to serve.

GREEK-STYLE STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place green and red bell peppers in a bowl with enough warm water to cover, and soak 5 minutes.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place pork and onions in the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook until pork is evenly brown. Drain grease, and mix in wine and tomato puree. Continue cooking 10 minutes.
• Transfer skillet mixture to a large bowl, and mix in feta cheese, cooked rice, raisins, pine nuts, and parsley. Stuff peppers with the mixture, and arrange in a baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove foil, and continue baking 10 minutes, until stuffing is lightly browned. May be served hot or cold.

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.

SHRIMP STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES

Steps:

• Marinade: combine wine, green onions, garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and chili sauce in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth.
• Put shrimp into separate bowl. Pour marinade over shrimp and marinate for at least 1 hour.
• If using fresh grape leaves, soak in cold water for 15 minutes Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Alternatively, if using brined grape leaves, drain liquid, then rinse and pat dry.
• Place 2 shrimp on each grape leaf near the stem end, drizzle with marinade, then fold in sides and roll up. Secre with toothpicks or string.
• Grill for 3-5 mins on each side.

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.