Domata Grape Leaves Recipes

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.

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.

DOMATA (GRAPE LEAVES)

Steps:

• Place the rice in a bowl, add cold water to cover and let stand for 30 minutes.
• At the same time, place the currants in a small bowl, add hot water to cover and let stand for 30 minutes until plumped.
• Drain the rice and currants and set aside.
• Meanwhile, if using the pine nuts, preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spread the nuts in a small pan and place in the oven until toasted and fragrant, 6-8 minutes.
• Set aside.
• In a large sauté pan over medium heat, warm 1/2 cup of the olive oil.
• Add the yellow onion and the 1 teaspoon salt and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the green onions and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes longer.
• Add the allspice, cinnamon and drained rice and cook, stirring, until the rice is opaque, about 4 minutes.
• Add the chopped tomatoes (if using), parsley, mint or dill, currants and hot water and cook, uncovered, until the water is absorbed and the rice is about half cooked, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in the pine nuts, if using, and mix in ground beef thoroughly.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Let cool.
• Rinse the grape leaves in cool water and cut off the stems.
• Working in batches, lay them out on a table, shiny side down.
• Place a tablespoonful of the rice filling near the stem end of each leaf, fold the bottom end over the filling, then fold in the sides and roll up.
• Do not roll too tightly, as the rice will expand during cooking.
• Set aside, seam side down.
• When all of the filling has been used, select a baking pan or large, deep frying pan that will hold the stuffed grape leaves in a single layer and line with more grape leaves, if using.
• Arrange the stuffed grape leaves in the pan, seam sides down.
• Place a heavy plate on top to keep the leaves from unrolling while cooking, then pour the boiling water and the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil around the leaves.
• Cover and simmer gently over very low heat until the rice and leaves are tender, about 45 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and remove the plate.
• Sprinkle with a little lemon juice, let cool, then serve with lemon wedges.
• Or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days; bring to room temperature before serving.

DOLMADES: STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES

Steps:

• In a large saute pan over medium high heat, heat 1/4-cup olive oil. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and pine nuts and saute for 2 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly. Add the rice, salt, raisins, mint and juice of 1 lemon to the bowl with the onion mixture and mix well. Set aside.
• Bring a medium pot of water to a simmer. Remove the grape leaves from the jar and drop them in batches of 4 or 5 into the hot water. Quickly remove them from the water and spread flat on a towel-lined work surface. Cut the stem from each grape leaf, as needed. (NOTE: Fresh grape leaves also need to be blanched for 1/2 minute.)
• To assemble the dolmades, place 1 grape leaf on the work surface, dull side (or underside) of the leaf up. Place 1 to 2 teaspoons of rice filling near the stem end of the leaf. Fold the stem (bottom) end up over the filling, fold the sides toward the filling in the center, then roll up the leaf into a small cylindrical package, being careful not to fold too tightly, as the rice will expand during cooking.
• Place the dolmades in a large Dutch oven or wide saute pan, seam side down. Combine the remaining cup of olive oil and juice of 1 lemon, and pour over the dolmades. Cover with a heavy plate or baking dish and add water to cover to the level of the plate. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 1 hour, or until rice is tender.
• Serve at room temperature, with Kicked Up Tzatziki as a dipping sauce.
• In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients and chill for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to marry.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
• Recipe from New New Orleans Cooking, by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

VEGETARIAN MUSHROOM AND BROWN RICE DOLMAS

Steps:

• For the filling:
• Grind the mushrooms and onion in your food grinder and then set aside (You can use you food processor if you don't have a food grinder).
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan, over medium heat.
• Add the mushroom and onion paste into the saucepan and sauté for another 10 minutes.
• Add the rice (drained) along with an additional 1 cup of water. Stir and let the mixture boil for 10 minutes or until almost all excess liquid is absorbed. It doesn't need to be cooked, it just has to absorb all of the excess water. Add spices.
• Remove from heat and add chopped parsley. Let it cool for 10 minutes.
• For the wrappers and assembly:.
• Separate the grape leaves and make the rolls adding about 1 Tablespoon of filling into each roll.
• See here how you can make the rolls.
• Take a large pot and line the bottom with some grape leaves.
• Put the assembled rolls in the pan on top of the grape leaves. Arrange them around the pan until the pan is full.
• Add the bay leaves.
• Cover with remaining grape leaves.
• Add water until all rolls are covered.
• Place in oven at 392FËš for 1 hour. Check every 20 minutes and add more water if necessary. 15 minutes before it's ready, add the tomato paste and finish cooking.
• Serve!

PRESERVED GRAPE LEAVES

Steps:

• Bring salted water to a boil.
• Add washed grape leaves and blanch for 30 seconds.
• Drain.
• Stack them on each other into 2 piles then form into loose rolls and stand each roll up in 2 pint canning jars.
• Add lemon juice or citric acid to the second quart of water and bring to a boil.
• Fill jars within 1/2 inch of top with the hot mixture.
• Seal.
• Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

DOLMADES (STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl, combine onion, rice, lamb, beef, garlic, parsley, carrot, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon oil, chopped mint, salt, and pepper.
• Place a leaf, vein side up, on a work surface; place about 1 tablespoon filling just below center. Fold bottom of leaf over filling and sides in toward center; roll up. Do not overfill or roll too tightly. Repeat, making 35.
• Lay dolmades, seam side down, in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking pan; do not pack tightly.
• Combine stock and remaining 3 tablespoons oil; pour over dolmades. Squeeze lemon over dolmades, and place lemon slices and mint sprigs on top. Place another 9-by-13-inch baking pan, half full of water, on top to weigh down dolmades.
• Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Let dolmades cool in cooking liquid, still weighted, for 2 hours. Serve drizzled with olive oil, or refrigerate for up to 2 days; bring to room temperature before serving.

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.