Cookbook:Stuffed Grape Leaves

Stuffed Grape Leaves
Category	Appetizer recipes
Servings	20 +
Time	1 hour
Difficulty

Grape leaves (stuffed), (Arabic: ورق دوالي); (Hebrew: עלי גפן ממולאים), are an appetizer popular in Middle Eastern countries, including Turkey and Persia, where it is usually eaten with stuffed rice that has been seasoned with a multitude of spices.

Ingredients

• Batch of thin, freshly-picked grape leaves
• 1 kg uncooked rice, rinsed
• Turmeric
• Black pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• Dried mint leaves
• 1 cup raisins
• Fresh dill
• Parsley
• Green onions (scallions)
• Cooking oil
• 2 lemon

Procedure

1. Soak leaves in boiling hot water to soften, about 15 minutes (choose only the thinnest leaves).
2. Add spices to rice turmeric, black pepper, salt, dried mint leaves, raisins, finely chopped dill, parsley and green onions (scallions).
3. Place some of the rice mixture on a leaf, then roll up by folding the three-sides and then rolling like a sleeping-bag. Repeat with remaining rice and leaves.
4. Place stuffed leaves in pot with a little water, oil, and lemon juice—the liquid should just barely cover the stuffed leaves.
5. Cover pot with lid. First bring to a boil, then lower heat.
6. Cook over low heat.
7. Place sliced lemon on top of stuffed grape leaves for added flavour, and serve.

Notes, tips, and variations

• Arabs have a practice to place the fatty tail of a sheep on top of the grape leaves while cooking, so that the melted fat is absorbed in the rice and leaves; in this manner it imparts its good flavour.
• When great quantities of grape leaves are to be stored for a long period of time, they can be stored in one's deep freezer. However, they should be stored without rinsing the leaves in water, since this destroys them. Only when thawed out should they be rinsed.