I wasn't planning to write about this recipe yet but in a nod to how this experiment originally started I leaked a picture on Facebook and received some positive responses. So I'm going to post this one early for you Jenny and Connie, I hope you are doing well.
Stuffed Grape Leaves or Dolmathes are a Greek dish of almost indescribable flavor, they are literally leaves from a grape vine stuffed with meat, bulgur wheat, and spices. Before making this recipe I had never had homemade stuffed grape leaves, I have only had them in restaurants. My favorite Greek restaurant is a little family run place called Yanni's. Yanni's is very similar to the restaurant, Villa Nova, that I wrote about a few weeks ago in that all of their food seems very simple but is very delicious. Also like Villa Nova I'm convinced that the only seasoning in their kitchen is a jar labeled "Goodness". The problem that I have , again, is that eating at restaurants is not conducive to a successful diet but I was lucky to find a few recipes that are very close to reproducing the deliciousness of the food at Yanni's. This recipe replicates the taste of Yanni's stuffed grape leaves so closely that I don't think I could tell the difference.
When I first got this recipe I was a little apprehensive about attempting it. The difficulty level is a little higher than most recipes but if you follow the instructions closely you should get predictable results. The first hurdle I had to overcome was finding grape leaves, these are usually stocked in the Mediterranean aisle of the ethnic section of your grocery store. The next hurdle was to find bulgur wheat; look in the health food/organic section, you might have to ask someone where it is but it's worth the effort. The last hurdle I had to overcome was that about five minutes before I was going to start cooking I realized that I didn't know where my steamer basket was. I quickly decided that it would be easier to run to the store and buy a new one than spend an hour going through boxes in the basement. The lesson I learned that day was no matter how confident that I'm ready to start a new recipe make sure that I have everything and know where it is. Also, remember that you are cooking with steam; if your water evaporates off you are no longer cooking, you're burning.
When you have all of your ingredients and utensils ready the next thing to consider are the grape leaves. Grape leaves generally come packed tightly in a jar and require a little extra patience to get them out without tearing. Once you have them out of the jar, boiled, and rinsed it's a good idea to separate them and try to spread them out as much as possible. When I got to this point I realised that because of the size and shape of the leaves that I had there was no way that I was going to be able to stuff them and wrap them, and have them stay together. My solution was to abandon the idea that I was going to be able to wrap each one of them in only one leaf. Instead I overlapped three leaves in a triangle shape, putting the stuffing on the bottom center of the leaves and wrapping them like cigars. Problem solved.
Now that we've gone over all of the variables, let's look at today's recipe.
Stuffed Grape Leaves
Prep time 14 min. Cook time 51 min. Serves 6
Ingredients
14-1/2 oz. canned tomatoes, whole
3/4 cup uncooked bulgur wheat
1 tsp ground cumin
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 pound uncooked lean ground beef, (5% or less fat)
3/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 cup parsley, fresh, chopped
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
8-1/8 oz. grape leaves, about 24, rinsed and drained
1 cup water, boiling
1 medium lemon, cut into 6 wedges
Instructions
Place a strainer over a 2-cup measure and drain the tomatoes, reserving the liquid. Chop the tomatoes and transfer to a large bowl.
Add enough water to the liquid to make 2 cups, pour into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the bulgur and cumin; cook, covered, until the liquid is absorbed, 18-20 minutes. Add to the tomatoes.
Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the beef and allspice; cook, stirring frequently to break up the beef until it is no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Add the beef mixture, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to the bulgur mixture, and stir to combine.
Place the grape leaves in a pie plate, cover with the boiling water; then drain. Place a grape leaf shiny side down on a cutting board and trim off the stem. Spoon 1/4 cup of the bulgur mixture down the center lower third of the leaf. Tuck in the ends and roll up. Repeat with the remaining grape leaves and bulgur mixture to make a total of 24 stuffed grape leaves. Place a steamer basket in a saucepan and arrange the rolled leaves, seam-side down in the basket. Add 1/2 cup water to the saucepan and steam, covered, until the grape leaves are heated through, about 20 minutes. Serve with the lemon wedges.
This recipe yeilds 4 stuffed grape leaves per serving.
This recipe is a little more involved than most but if you like Greek food it is definitely worth the effort. I personally plan to make it at least once a month. Also, stuffed grape leaves can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days before steaming. As always, if you try this recipe check back here, leave a comment, and let me know how it worked out.
Next week - Maple-Mustard Pork Chops with Butternut Squash Puree or Facing a Challenge.
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