Stuffed Vine Leaves are quintessential Israeli cuisine. Lots of cultures, especially Mediterranean countries, have stuffed leaves recipes – grape leaves, usually. But the Israelis take it to a whole new and extremely tasty level with this stuffed vine leaves dish.
(Photo Attributed to Original Uploader: Artaxiad at en.wikipedia)
Stuffed Vine Leaves Recipe-
Ingredients:
(Serves 6)
- 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 lb. grape leaves (you can use fresh or canned)
- 3⁄4 cup prunes, pitted
- 1⁄4 cup cherries, pitted
- 1⁄4 cup golden raisins
- 1⁄4 cup uncooked rice
- 2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
- 1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1⁄2 tsp. freshly ground black peppercorns
- 1⁄2 tsp. freshly ground turmeric root
- 1⁄2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 lemons, sliced thin
Directions:
- If you are using fresh grape leaves, soak them 5 to 6 minutes in hot water. For canned leaves, soak them for a good 5 to 6 hours, and in cold water. In either case, after soaking, squeeze the leaves gently to get rid of most of the water and then pat them fully dry with paper towels or clean kitchen towels.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Next rough chop the golden raisins and cherries.
- Now combine all the ingredients except the grape leaves, lemon slices, and oil.
- Lay the leaves out flat, and place enough stuffing mixture in each so that when you roll the leaves up they will be about 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Spread the mixture lengthwise along one side of the leaf, leaving about 1-1/2 inches of space to the very edge. Starting on that edge, roll the leaf up and over the stuffing once. The tuck both ends of the leaf up and over the roll, then continue rolling the leaf to the other side until it is fully rolled up into a fat cigar shape.
- In a shallow baking dish that has a cover, place half of the lemon slices evenly all over the bottom; arrange the stuffed vine leaves on top, in a single layer.
- Place the remaining lemon slices atop the rolls, pour in the olive oil and 2 cups of water.
- Cover the dish, place in in the oven in the middle rack position, and bake for 1 hour.
- Stuffed Vine Leaves can be served hot or cold. If serving fresh out of the oven and hot, remove them carefully from the baking dish with a slotted spoon and place several on each serving plate. Garnish with a few baked lemon slices from the baking dish. If serving cold, discard all the lemon slices and refrigerate the rolls until they are sufficiently chilled.
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