Grapes are grown as a
staple food source throughout the world. Most people are familiar
with the fresh fruit, and even the dried raisins. These are a great
snack for people of all ages, and they're considered to be the best
fruit to use for wine making. However, the leaves are also edible,
and no one knows how to cook them like the Mediterranean cultures.
Dolmades, dolmas, Warak Enab, these amazing little stuffed grape
leaves go by a number of different names and have quite a few
variations. All of which are absolutely delicious! Almost all
Mediterranean countries have a version (or 10) of stuffed grape
leaves, some with meat, some without. I'm going to share a few of my
favorites with you today!
Before I introduce you
to the recipes, I want to talk about the most tedious, and sometimes
difficult, part of this dish. Rolling the grape leaves. If you're
working with fresh grape leaves, you may want to parboil them for 3-5
min. This leaves them nice and supple, and MUCH much easier to roll.
Most of the canned leaves you may encounter at the store are already
nice and pliable, but you may still want to dip them in some boiling
water for a minute or two just to make sure the brine is all washed
off. You want to make sure that the leaf is laid out flat with the
veins facing upwards (some people prefer to roll the other way, do
what makes you happy!). Make sure you trim off the stem, you don't
want that bad boy poking through and ripping a hole in your leaf.
Depending on the size of your leaves, you only want to put 1-2
tablespoons of stuffing in each. The rice will continue to expand in
the cooking process and you want to make sure to leave enough room
for that to happen. Place the stuffing close to where the stem was,
in the center of the bottom section. I like to start with the right
side, but you can start with the left if you prefer. Bring up the
lower, right section of the leaf, over the stuffing towards the
center. Repeat with the left side. It's ok if you see a little of the
stuffing, it'll all be covered soon. Fold in the left section of the
leaf over the lower left section you just folded. Then bring in the
right side. Now, pretend you have a tiny burrito and start your roll.
Start rolling from the bottom, keep it snug, but not too snug, you're
still saving room for that rice. Plus, you don't want to rip it. When
you've got it completely rolled up, give it a good, but gentle,
squeeze in the palm of your hand. Just make sure that you place your
rolls with the seam down while you cook them. This will keep them
from unraveling in your pan. Lynn Livanos Athan has a good little
tutorial on this at The Spruce Eats.
There's also a trick you can use that may make the rolling a bit
faster. You can find the video here.
Once you've rolled all
your grape leaves, then you need to put them in your pot to cook.
Make sure you put something on the bottom first, either tomato
slices, onions, slices of potatoes, or just some left over grape
leaves. But if you don't do this, your beautifully rolled grape
leaves will stick to the bottom of your pot.
As always, the
following recipes are gluten free and vegan friendly.
1. Back to the basics!
Traditionally, grape
leaves are stuffed with a combination of rice, herbs, and the option
of ground beef and lamb. So here's a good traditional recipe, leaving
out the meat. If you want to add that in, feel free to do so. Also,
if you're trying to avoid Olive Oil, try using Avocado oil or
Sunflower oil instead.
Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves
60 Grape
Leaves, drained and rinsed twice
2 cups Rice
2 cups Olive
Oil
2 large
Onions, finely chopped
4 cups Water
juice of 3
Lemons
3 tbsp fresh
Dill, chopped
1 ½ cup
fresh Parsley, chopped
Salt and
Pepper to taste
1 Tomato,
sliced thick
1 Onion,
sliced thick
3-4 Grape
Leaves
Water
to cover
Instructions:
Prepare your grape
leaves. If you are lucky enough to find fresh ones, follow my
instructions above. If you are using canned leaves, make sure you
rinse them 1-2 times, the brine tends to be super salty. Lay them
flat, on a plate, with a wet towel over them so they don't dry out.
For the stuffing, in a
pan, over medium-high heat, saute the onions with 1 cup olive oil.
Saute until they are just translucent. Rinse the rice and add rice to
the onions. Saute for an additional 1 minute, then add in 4 cups of
water and the juice of 1 lemon. Simmer this mixture for about 7
minutes. Add in all the herbs, salt, and pepper. Give it a good stir.
Remove it from heat and allow it to cool.
Line a large pot with
3-4 grape leaves, the sliced tomatoes, and sliced onions. Roll your
grape leaves using my instructions from above. Place the rolled grape
leaves, seam down, inside the pot, make sure to pack them in tight
for each layer, to help prevent them from coming unrolled. Drizzle
the remaining olive oil over your rolls, and add in a bit more salt
and pepper if you want. Place an inverted plate on top of the grape
leaves to keep them from floating up in the cooking process. Pour in
the remaining lemon juice and enough water to just barely cover your
rolls. Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for about 30-40 minutes. Remove
from heat and allow to sit for an additional 30 minutes.
Traditionally, these
vegetarian grape leaves are served cool or room temperature, with a
squeeze of fresh lemon and some yogurt. However they're also
delicious hot. Enjoy!
2. Lentils and Chickpeas.
I love using lentils
and/or chickpeas in my grape leaves. They add a boost of protein and
texture that just takes these delicious rolls to the next level. In
the following recipe, I used lentils, but you can use chickpeas, fava
beans, kidney beans, or really any cooked bean in place of the
lentils.
Lentil Stuffed Grape Leaves
60 Grape
Leaves, drained and rinsed twice
1 lb cooked
Lentils
2 cups Rice
2 cups Olive
Oil
2 large
Onions, finely chopped
4 cups Water
juice of 2
Lemons
2 tbsp Zaatar
¼ tsp
Allspice
Salt and
Pepper to taste
1 Potato,
sliced thick
1 Carrot,
sliced thick
3-4 Grape
Leaves
Water
to cover
Instructions:
Prepare your grape
leaves. If you are lucky enough to find fresh ones, follow my
instructions above. If you are using canned leaves, make sure you
rinse them 1-2 times, the brine tends to be super salty. Lay them
flat, on a plate, with a wet towel over them so they don't dry out.
For the stuffing, in a
pan, over medium-high heat, saute the onions with 1 cup olive oil.
Saute until they are just translucent. Rinse the rice and add rice to
the onions. Saute for an additional 1 minute, then add in 4 cups of
water and the juice of 1 lemon. Simmer this mixture for about 7
minutes. Add in all the lentils, herbs, salt, and pepper. Give it a
good stir. Remove it from heat and allow it to cool.
Line a large pot with
3-4 grape leaves, the sliced potatoes, and sliced carrots. Roll your
grape leaves using my instructions from above. Place the rolled grape
leaves, seam down, inside the pot, make sure to pack them in tight
for each layer, to help prevent them from coming unrolled. Drizzle
the remaining olive oil over your rolls, and add in a bit more salt
and pepper if you want. Place an inverted plate on top of the grape
leaves to keep them from floating up in the cooking process. Pour in
the remaining lemon juice and enough water to just barely cover your
rolls. Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for about 30-40 minutes. Remove
from heat and allow to sit for an additional 30 minutes.
Traditionally, these
grape leaves are served hot. They are also delicious at room
temperature. I personally love eating these with fresh tomato slices
and a bit of lemon juice. Enjoy!
3. Add in the good stuff!
This is my absolute
favorite stuffed grape leaves recipe. There are so many good things
added into the stuffing that it cannot be called “basic.” If you
don't like one of these ingredients, simply substitute something you
do like. For instance, if you don't like tomatoes in your grape
leaves, try using green peas or corn instead. You could even chop up
some boiled eggs, or tofu, and add that into the stuffing. The most
important thing about any of my recipes, is that you have fun making
it and you enjoy eating it!
Vegetable Stuffed Grape Leaves
60 Grape
Leaves, drained and rinsed twice
1 Large
Tomato, finely chopped
1 Zucchini,
finely chopped
1 Medium
Carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1-2 ribs of
Celery, finely chopped
¼ Green Bell
Pepper, finely chopped
3-4 Green
Onions, finely chopped
2 cups Rice
2 cups Olive
Oil
1 Large Red
Onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp Minced
Garlic
4 cups Water
juice of 2
Lemons
1 cup fresh
Parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp Crushed
Pepper
Salt and
Pepper to taste
1 Tomato,
sliced thick
1 Onion,
sliced thick
3-4 Grape
Leaves
Water
to cover
Instructions:
Prepare your grape
leaves. If you are lucky enough to find fresh ones, follow my
instructions above. If you are using canned leaves, make sure you
rinse them 1-2 times, the brine tends to be super salty. Lay them
flat, on a plate, with a wet towel over them so they don't dry out.
For the stuffing, in a
pan, over medium-high heat, saute the red onion, garlic, celery, and
carrots with 1 cup olive oil. Saute until the onions are just
translucent. Rinse the rice and add rice to the onions. Saute for an
additional 1 minute, then add in 4 cups of water and the juice of 1
lemon. Simmer this mixture for about 7 minutes. Add in all the
remaining vegetables, herbs, salt, and pepper. Give it a good stir.
Remove it from heat and allow it to cool.
Line a large pot with
3-4 grape leaves, the sliced potatoes, and sliced carrots. Roll your
grape leaves using my instructions from above. Place the rolled grape
leaves, seam down, inside the pot, make sure to pack them in tight
for each layer, to help prevent them from coming unrolled. Drizzle
the remaining olive oil over your rolls, and add in a bit more salt
and pepper if you want. Place an inverted plate on top of the grape
leaves to keep them from floating up in the cooking process. Pour in
the remaining lemon juice and enough water to just barely cover your
rolls. Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for about 30-40 minutes. Remove
from heat and allow to sit for an additional 30 minutes.
Serve these either hot or cold. With or without lemon juice and yogurt. Enjoy!
I hope you enjoy these
Stuffed Grape Leaves! Let me know what you think down below!
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