Kaplan, Louisiana, United States
Grape Leaves
Lebanese-style, lemony, rice and pine-nut-stuffed grape leaves
Grape Expectations
Being a lover of food means that there are very few things I eat over and over again. I've always hated leftovers, and grew up in a house where we ate "around the world" every week. So, for me to crave something is a pretty big deal. Besides boiled crawfish, which I feel like every good Cajun girl loves, there's not too many things that make me keep going back for me. The one exception is Mediterranean food. I'm not sure if it's the garlic or interesting textures, or just all around yumminess of it all, but I'm obsessed. My desert island survival kit would be packed with towering plates of creamy hummus and crispy schwarma, feta salad and lemony, Lebanese-style grape leaves. I've mastered most of these dishes in one way or another, learning at-home techniques for my favorite restaurant finds. But, grape leaves always seemed like they were too far out of my reach. After spending way too much money on a plate of grape leaves, only to finish them in 3 minutes flat, I decided enough was enough and set out on a quest to perfect them in my own kitchen. You could say I had "grape expectations" to fail, but as laborious as the process was, the results were divine! The trick is patience and a big work area. Give yourself a weekend day to get it done, and enjoy the fruits of your labor all week long.
These grape leaves are great to eat immediately, but keep wonderfully in the refrigerator and taste delicious cold. I serve mine with a homemade Greek yogurt dip or store-bought tzatziki (cucumber) sauce.
Ingredients
40-50 jarred grape leaves, drained and soaked
1/2 c pine nuts, lightly toasted
1/4 c + 1/4 c olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 1/2 c long grain rice
3/4 c + 1 c vegetable broth
1/2 c dill, minced
1/4 c mint, minced
2 lemons, zested and juiced
salt & pepper
Directions
- Remove grape leaves from brine and soak in cold water while you prepare filling
- Begin by toasting pine nuts in a large, dry sauté' pan (use one with a lid, so you can use it again later) over medium heat, stirring often to brown evenly and not burn. Set aside to cool
- Meanwhile, heat 1/4 c of olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium, when hot add onions and cook until softened
- Stir in rice and 3/4 c broth, simmer for 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed (it will be underdone at this point to prevent mushy rolls)
- Remove from the heat and stir in the toasted pine nuts, herbs and half the lemon juice and all the zest - sometimes finding this amount of fresh herbs can be difficult and/or costly. I love the freeze-dried variety available in most large supermarkets. You can use equal quantities without sacrificing the flavor!
- Season filling to taste with salt & pepper and allow to coo
- Meanwhile, drain the leaves and pat dry
- Remove hard stems at their bottom, and sort out the torn leaves, but save them to line your pot
- Place the veined side of the leaf up on a flat service and spoon in the filling - about 2 TBS, fold up and over from the bottom until the rice is covered, then fold in the sides and loosely roll the leaf up until it forms a package - make sure to leave room for the rice to expand - seal it with a gentle squeeze. Complete for remaining leaves
- Line the sauté' pan you used earlier with the torn leaves until the bottom is covered, stacking the rolls on top in a single layer, repeat layers if necessary
- Pour the remaining broth, olive oil, and lemon juice over the rolls and turn heat on low
- Cook with the lid on for 30-50 minutes until they are tender and rice is cooked inside (check back often after you hit the 30 min mark!