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Prep Time: 60 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes |
Ready In: 90 Minutes Servings: 2 |
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Mark Bittman; he recommends if you cannot get fresh grape leaves, you may prefer using cabbage or chard leaves instead of bottled grape leaves, which he says have little flavor. Ingredients:
40 large grape leaves (you will need extra because some will be imperfect) |
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for garnish |
1 cup minced onion |
1/4 cup pine nuts |
1 cup long grain rice |
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice |
1 teaspoon salt |
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or 1 1/2 cups beef stock or 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock or 1 1/2 cups water |
fresh ground black pepper |
2 tablespoons minced fresh mint or 2 tablespoons fresh dill |
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice |
Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; parboil grape leaves, a few at a time, until they are tender and pliable, just a couple of minutes.
2. Drain leaves, then cut off the stems and remove any hard veins near the base of the leaves; pat dry with paper towels.
3. Meanwhile, add olive oil to a large, deep skillet over med-high heat.
4. One minute later, add in the onion; cook, stirring, until it is tender, about 5 minutes.
5. Add in the pine nuts, rice, allspice, 1 teaspoon salt, and stock.
6. Cover, decrease heat to med-low, and cook about 10-12 minutes, until the rice is somewhat tender but still quite al dente.
7. Cool in a large bowl, check flavor for salt, and add lots of pepper, the mint, and half the lemon juice.
8. One at a time, place the grape leaves, shiny side down, on a work surface; put 1 tablespoon rice mixture in the middle of the leaf.
9. Fold over the stem end, then the sides, then roll toward the tip, making a neat little package.
10. Don’t roll too tightly, as the rice will continue to expand during cooking.
11. Place the packages side by side in a roasting pan or skillet (layering them is fine), add water (or even better, more stock) to come about halfway up the rolls, and weight with a heatproof plate.
12. Cover the pan/skillet and cook over low heat for 30 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed.
13. Drain; serve at room temperature, sprinkled with remaining lemon juice and a bit of olive oil.
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