Grape leaves. There are so many different types. Grape leaves can be served cold or hot; stuffed with meat, rice, and/or vegetables and are native in countries Greece to Iraq and every other country in between. Each of which has their own version of stuffed grape leaves. Some call them Dolma, and others Waraq Enab ورق عنب
My Tayta always made meat and rice stuffed grape leaves with tomato sauce served warm. It’s my favorite way. My mom, makes them the same. And today, I’m still using the handwritten transcribed recipe from my Tayta. I won’t deny, however, that if there are any leftovers, I eat them cold straight out of the fridge. I can’t be the only one who loves cold leftover grape leaves.
At my parents house, though, leftover grape leaves are almost unheard of. Like my mom says, it takes 2 hours to roll and 5 minutes to devour. She isn’t wrong there. If we’re lucky in to have any left overs, I usually don’t expect them to last until the next night. Well, that’s because either I, or the boys, will find the Tupperware hidden in the back of the fridge and eat it cold. The only way you’ll see any kind of leftover grape leaves, is if someone is smart enough to put some away in an opaque Tupperware and label it with their name… and maybe even put it in the garage fridge. Otherwise, any and all grape leaves are fair game.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Fresh Grape leaves (or one jar grape leaves)
- 1 Potato, cut into large round slices
- 1 lb Ground Beef or Lamb
- 2 cups Jasmin Rice, washed and soaked for 10 mins, then strained
- 2 tablespoons Seven Spice
- 1 tablespoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1lb Lamb ribs
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cardamom pods
- 2 tablespoons seven spice, divided
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 can tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons salt, divided
- 4 cups water
- Juice from 1 lemon
Instructions
- Prepare the broth by putting the lamb ribs, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, 1 tablespoon seven spice, 1 tablespoon salt and 4 cups water in a large pot.
- Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. When done, strain the broth into a large bowl. Keep the ribs on a side plate and discard the spices.
- Stir in 1 can of tomato paste into the broth and add another tablespoon of seven spice and lemon juice.
- Prepare the grape leaves by boiling.
- For fresh leaves, heat water in a pot until just about to boil, and drop the leaves in until they change color. Carefully use tongs to remove and place in a strainer
- For leaves from a jar, place all the leaves in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 5-7 minutes
- Once the leaves are done, get your stuffing ready
- In a large bowl, mix together raw ground meat, jasmine rice seven spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and vegetable oil and use your hands to mix well.
- Cut the stems off any leaves
- Start by placing the leaf on a flat surface, shiny side down.
- Place a small spoonful of stuffing on the bottom center of the Leaf
- Fold the bottom section over the stuffing, then fold in the right side of the leaf, then the left side of the leaf, and continue to roll towards the top
- Place the rolled leaf, folded side down and continue with the rest of your leaves and stuffing.
- When you’re done stuffing, it’s time to stack your pot
- In a large pot, arrange the ribs on the bottom
- Cover with the potatoes
- Place 2 cloves of garlic and a cinnamon stick between the lamb and potatoes
- Begin layering your grape leaves folded side down
- Place a small, heatproof plate over the grapeleaves and press down
- Pour your prepared broth over the grapeleaves, make sure the broth is about one inch above the leaves
- Bring to a boil uncovered
- Once at a boil, bring the heat down as low as possible, cover and simmer for 1.5 hours
- Remove the plate and pour ¼ cup olive oil over the grap leaves
- Cover and cook for another 30 minutes
- Serve warm
