One of my favorite reasons to make stuffed grape leaves is that people consistently find them to be extremely impressive. Yes, obviously the main reason I make them is because they taste delicious, but if they didn’t elicit such shock and awe I’d probably be less into serving them. People just really seem to love foods that are stuffed inside of other foods, and grape leaves are no exception.
These are not the first grape leaves I shared here. This other recipe, which I posted last year in a weirdly emotional post after returning from my trip to Russia, are also extremely delicious, but they contain meat. And I wanted the vegetarians out there to have something just as tasty as those lamb dolmas.
Maybe the second best characteristic of grape leaves, after their ability to make a great first impression, is their versatility. They’re great for your mezze platter at a party. They’re a great side dish to something Middle Eastern you whipped up. They’re great in a boxed lunch eaten at your desk! They’re very portable, easy to eat and they also last an extremely long time in the fridge, which sometimes for me is the third best quality a food can have.
It’s finally gotten chilly in New York and I’m shifting gears into fall and winter cooking. This includes thinking about a Thanksgiving menu (I am hosting my first ever!) and getting a head start on testing Christmas cookies, so you can actually use them. On the docket this weekend are a chewy molasses cookie which I loved last year and a brown-butter Linzer cut-out cookie, which is as delicious as it is festive and beautiful. Also, a cozy and fabulously easy farro and white bean soup that I think you’re going to love. Also, a full 8 hours of sleep tonight which I’m actually dreaming about. It’s going to be grand.
Perhaps tied for enthusiasm level with the amount of sleep I plan to catch up on this weekend, I have very exciting plans tonight, a Friday night, which is highly unusual for me as I generally prefer to collapse at home instead. I have tickets to a dinner in Brooklyn cooked by Olia Hercules, the London-based chef and cookbook author of Mamushka and Kaukasis, her latest book that I pre-ordered and can’t wait to cook from. It’s a feast from the Caucasus and I could not be more excited to meet some fellow foodies and eat some flavorful dishes filled with walnuts and pomegranates. I promise to report back!
A note on grape leaves: If using fresh leaves, dip them briefly in plenty of hot salted water for not more than 30 seconds. When using preserved leaves, soak them in plenty of cold water for 30 minutes to take out the extra salt, and rinse under running water before rolling.
Ingredients
- 3 large onions, chopped
- 1 1/4 cups (300ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 1/2 cups (500g) medium-grain rice (I use a medium-grain Egyptian rice from Kalustyan's)
- 1 large tomato (or 2 medium), halved and grated
- 1 tablespoon dried mint
- 1/3 cup (7g) minced fresh dill
- 1/2 cup (10g) fresh parsley leaves, chopped
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- 1/4 cup (35g) dried currants
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Salt and pepper
- 11 oz. (310) fresh grape leaves soaked, or 22 oz. preserved grape leaves, dipped in salt water
Instructions
- In a large frying pan, saute the onions in the oil over medium heat until translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the rice, saute briefly over low heat, then add the tomato, dried mint, dill and parsley and cook, stirring constantly. Add 1/2 cup (120ml) water and continue stirring. Season with salt, pepper, pine nuts, currants, cinnamon, allspice and sugar. Cover the pan, remove from the heat and let stand for about 10 minutes to let the stuffing cool and the rice fluff.
- Remove the stems from the grape leaves. Arrange the leaves on a plate, stem side facing you (shiny side down). Place about 1 tablespoon of filling on a leaf (the amount will differ according to the size of the leaf, but be generous with the filling, especially if you are using preserved leaves), and then roll the leaf up tightly. Repeat with the remaining leaves, using the large, tough leaves to line the bottom of the large pot (or line the pot with parsley stems or lemon slices).
- Arrange the rolls on the lining in the pot, packing them tightly together, and then weigh the rolls down with a heavy plate. Add 1 1/2 cups (360ml) water and cover the pot tightly. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heath, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 40 to 45 minutes, until almost all the liquid is absorbed. (If the rolls are cooked but there is still too much liquid in the pot, remove the lid and allow the liquid to boil away until the bottom is almost scorched. This adds an extra deliciousness.) Remove from the heat and let sit for 2 hours. Invert the pot onto a serving dish or arrange the rolls one by one on a platter.
Notes
https://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2017/11/03/turkish-stuffed-grape-leaves-with-olive-oil-yaprak-sarma/
