How to Roll Grape Leaves
Servings: 100 stuffed grape leaves
Roll grape leaves with any filling, vegetarian or meat, the same way. Use any size leaf, but the smaller leaves tend to be more tender. Large leaves can be cut in half. This method works for any quantity of grape leaves, large or small batch.
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 jar or 80-100 grape leaves
- 1 batch meat or vegetarian stuffing
Instructions
Step 1: Prep the leaves
- For jarred leaves: Grape leaves that are preserved in a jar are brined, which means they are very salty. Rinse them well and cover them in cold water for a few minutes, then pour off the water and separate them.For fresh leaves:It's helpful to blanche fresh leaves so that they will roll properly. Do this by submerging them in a large bowl of hot or boiling water for 10 minutes.For frozen fresh leaves:The freezing process softens the leaves, so they need only to be thawed and rinsed in warm water.
Step 2: Trim the stems
- Lay out several leaves on a counter or work surface with the heavier vein side facing up. Use kitchen shears to trim the stem as close to the leave as possible without cutting the leaf.
Step 3: Add the stuffing
- Place a heaping teaspoon full of the meat and rice stuffing mixture lengthwise across the base of the leaf.
Step 4: Fold in the sides and roll
- Fold the two sides on the right and left up over the meat. Extend these folds all the way to the far edge of the leaf to make a kind of rectangle in front of you of the leaf. Continue holding the folded edges up over the meat. Take the edge nearest you where the stem is and pull that up over the meat. Now roll the meat up in the leaf all the way to the far edge of the leaf, ending with the open edge facing down to keep the roll closed. You may need to keep tucking the right and left sides in as you roll up the leaf to tuck in the the pointy leaf tips.
Step 4: Place in the pot
- Your pot is prepared by lining the bottom first with a few of the leaves (use torn or too-large leaves for this), then with either bone-in chicken or pork chops (optional). Place the rolls in the pot with the seam side of the roll facing down. Line the pot with rows of rolls, then change the direction of the next layer of rolls, and so on.
Step 5: Cook the grape leaves
- Fill the pot with liquid just to cover the grape leaves. Try a mixture of chicken broth and lemon juice (2 cups of each). Salted water with lemon juice also works. Lay a plate over the top of the grape leaves to hold them in place and prevent them from floating and unraveling while they cook. Start with the pot on medium heat to bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 2 hours.
Video
