vegetarian grape leaves

Thumb_grape_leaves

(from Christiner’s recipe box)

Categories: arab, side dish

Ingredients

  • Filling Ingredients:
  • 1 big tomato or 2 medium ones diced.
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 3/4 cup of rice (any kind, I prefer white)
  • 1 bunch of fresh parsley chopped
  • Juice of 1 big lemon or 2 small
  • 1/2 tablespoon of allspice (or 7 spices)
  • 1/2 tablespoon of salt
  • 1/2 cup of olive oil (or a bit more)

Directions

  1. Preparing the Pan:

  2. Take few leaves and line them up in the bottom of the pan (why? cause grape leaves stick quickly to any pan! and then add on top of those the sliced potato.

  3. If you are using fresh grape leaves, soak them in hot water and some salt for half an hour, or until completely soft then drain. If you are using the ones that you buy in the jar, soak them in warm water for few minutes then let them drain.

  4. - Mix all the ingredients together and get ready to roll.

  5. Rolling grape leaves:

  6. Cut the stems if there’s any and start adding the filling in the middle of the leaf, then fold the sides and roll while pressing a bit to let the juice out and also to make it a bit tight so it doesn’t fall apart. (just like spring rolls). Then line them up in the pan on top of the potato layer. After you finish, get a plate that can fit inside the pan, flip it upside down and place it on top of the grape leaves to press them so when they start cooking they don’t fall apart. Now add water just to cover them and let them cook on medium for about 12 minutes, if they boil too much reduce the heat. It’s optional to add more lemon juice while they cook. Tasting one is always better to check if they’re done :)

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