My first experience with grape leaves was at a Mediterranean restaurant in the Upper East Side. It was my second night living in New York City, and one of my friends took me out so I could get a feel for my new home. I fell in love. Not only with NY, but also with these bite sized rolls of heaven called “dolmades” (English translation: grape leaves).
What I have realized though, is that not all grape leaves are created equal. I know this because any time I see them on the menu, I order them. They are frequently not up to par. I’ve found that most people, when I mention grape leaves, squint their eyes and nose up in what I call the “yuck face.” This is because they haven’t experienced a truly tasty grape leaf yet, so they’ve discounted them altogether. Well, when I moved out of the Upper East Side and could no longer get 6 sides of grape leaves delivered (only to meet the $15 delivery minimum of course, not at all because I needed 6 sides of this deliciousness), I needed to find an alternative plan. I started experimenting in my kitchen and let me assure you, what I came up with—there will be no more “yuck faces” once you’ve tried this recipe.
Left to right, steps to roll the grape leaves.
Yields: ~55 grape leaves
Prep Time: 20 min | Assembly Time: 30 min | Bake Time: ~50 min
Ingredients:
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup pine nuts, chopped
¼ cup parsley, chopped
½ tomato, diced
¼ cup raisins, chopped
1 jar grape leaves, rinsed and towel dried
¼ cup lemon juice
¾ cup basmati rice
~2 cups water
1 tbsp olive oil
Baharat spice*
*Baharat spice is a mixture of spices used in Middle Eastern cuisine
1/2 tsp black pepper
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cinnamon
1. Drizzle olive oil in a heated pan. Add onion and garlic, stirring occasionally until soft and translucent (~5 minutes). Stir in rice and pine nuts. Add parsley, tomato, lemon juice, and half (1 cup) of the water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer ~7 minutes or until water is absorbed. Cool.
2. Rinse grape leaves in cold water a few times to remove vinegar (they are placed in vinegar in the jar so they keep). Dry on a paper towel (they will still be partially wet).
3. Add raisins and Baharat spice to cooled rice mixture.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a casserole dish with a few unrolled grape leaves to cover the bottom of the dish.
5. Place grape leaves smooth/shiny side down (veiny side up) on a work surface and trim any large stems you find (sometimes they’ve already been trimmed depending on the brand you buy). Place a spoonful of the rice mixture in the center. Fold stem end up, then fold sides over the filling. Roll up firmly creating a tight roll (see picture above).
6. Place rolled grape leaves in casserole dish close together, seam side down on top of the unrolled leaves. Try not to leave any space between rolled leaves.
7. Pour remaining water (~1 cup), enough to partially cover rolls. Cover rolls with another layer of unrolled grape leaves. Cover dish with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 X 50 minutes-1 hr.
8. Let cool to room temperature and drizzle lemon juice over grape leaves prior to serving.
The Cook’s 2 cents:
· My recipe says to add ~1 cup of water prior to baking the grape leaves. Depending on the size of your casserole dish, you may need more/less. Just know you should have enough to partially cover the grape leaves. If you don’t use enough, the water will evaporate and they will turn out chewy and overdone. Too much water, and they end up being soggy.
· I say 50 min to 1 hr bake time because again depending on how large the dish is it may vary. I usually put the time on for 50 minutes and check them. If all of the water has cooked off, I take them out. They have a delicious aromatic smell that will let you know when they are close.
· The reason I dry the grape leaves after rinsing them is because if they are too wet, they will start to tear when rolling.
· Sometimes I have leftover leaves in the jar. You can save them for later use, but I add a water/vinegar mixture back to the jar. Otherwise they stick together and are nearly impossible to roll again without tearing.
· There’s definitely a learning curve to rolling the grape leaves. Inevitably there will be some that are broken. Use leaves that are torn or broken to layer above and below the rolled grape leaves. This way they aren’t wasted.
· Although this dish is time consuming, it’s a good make ahead dish. You can roll them and refrigerate them until you’re ready to bake them.
· Because this makes so many grape leaves, you’ll inevitably have leftovers. If you do end up refrigerating, make sure to bring them to room temperature prior to serving because the rice gets a bit hard in the fridge.
Nutrition Facts:
Serving size: 1 dolmade Servings per recipe: ~56
Calories: 23 Fat: 0.8g Sodium: <1mg Carbs: 4g Fiber: <1g Sugars: <1g Protein: <1g
