Questions about grape leaves (b/c i've never cooked much)?!
how can you tell if a leaf is "tender"/the right size for making a grape leaves!?
what type of meat can you use!? (i thought just lamb!.!.!. but idk for sure)
thanks for the help (i'm just not that great at cooking but i like grape leaves and thought it'd not be too hard to learn how to make em) any tips on how to wrap em or anything that'd be helpful that'd be nice too, Thankzz!Www@FoodAQ@Com
what type of meat can you use!? (i thought just lamb!.!.!. but idk for sure)
thanks for the help (i'm just not that great at cooking but i like grape leaves and thought it'd not be too hard to learn how to make em) any tips on how to wrap em or anything that'd be helpful that'd be nice too, Thankzz!Www@FoodAQ@Com
Answers:
Funny you should ask, I had dolmades for dinner :)
Hestia has it right as far as the leaves go!.
My ya-ya grew her own leaves and brined them herself!. I just use canned leaves, and I've yet to find one that wasn't tender!.
Size doesn't matter too terribly much!. You'll get a feel for it once you start wrapping them!. If the leaf is small, you just put less stuffing in it!.!.!. though I have come across a few that were just too small!.
You can stuff grape leaves with all sorts of things, even with vegetarian stuffings!.
I stuff mine with lamb, Arborio rice, a bit of sun-dried apricot, some lemon juice, lots of flat leaf parsley, a bit of onion, salt, pepper, and sometimes a bit of white wine!. Sometimes I add mint, sometimes I don't!.
The tricky thing is keeping them submerged when they're cooking!. I use a small free weight or a heavy dinner plate (or two if I need more weight on them)!.
You pack them tightly as you can without breaking them open into your pot, in layers if needed, then set your plate or whatever you've found to do the job, on top of them!.
Then put enough water in the pot to just cover them by maybe half an inch to an inch!. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 50 minutes!.
When they're done, you have to drain them, but you have to do it carefully!. The plate on top of them will be hot, and you need it to stay in place while you drain the water out!.
You can either 1!. Press on the plate with a strong, large spatula while you tilt the pot to pour the water out, or
2!. If the plate isn't submerged in water, you can press on the plate with your hand by using a thick potholder (though not one with any kind of holes in it)!.
To wrap them, set them on the counter with the stem towards you and the side of the leaf with the veins sticking out facing up - or in other words, rough side up, smooth side down!.
Put some of your stuffing at the center just above the stem!. Fold each of the bottom prongs of the leaf towards the center, then roll upwards!.
They should look like little burritos!.
One more tip - If you get a leaf that has a hole in it, or if you accidentally tear one, unwrap it!.
You should keep a few leaves off to the side, preferably ones that are too damaged to be used!.
Patch the holes with those leaves by tearing off a piece from them and placing them over the hole in your better leaf!. Then wrap the patched leaf again!.
And one more tip - if you do get the canned leaves (they come in glass jars), they can be really hard to get out without tearing them up!.
Slowly work your fingers into the center of the leaves, and begin to twist while gently pulling!. They should start to come out!. Once you have enough out of the can to get a good grip, just grab onto it and continue twisting it out gently!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Hestia has it right as far as the leaves go!.
My ya-ya grew her own leaves and brined them herself!. I just use canned leaves, and I've yet to find one that wasn't tender!.
Size doesn't matter too terribly much!. You'll get a feel for it once you start wrapping them!. If the leaf is small, you just put less stuffing in it!.!.!. though I have come across a few that were just too small!.
You can stuff grape leaves with all sorts of things, even with vegetarian stuffings!.
I stuff mine with lamb, Arborio rice, a bit of sun-dried apricot, some lemon juice, lots of flat leaf parsley, a bit of onion, salt, pepper, and sometimes a bit of white wine!. Sometimes I add mint, sometimes I don't!.
The tricky thing is keeping them submerged when they're cooking!. I use a small free weight or a heavy dinner plate (or two if I need more weight on them)!.
You pack them tightly as you can without breaking them open into your pot, in layers if needed, then set your plate or whatever you've found to do the job, on top of them!.
Then put enough water in the pot to just cover them by maybe half an inch to an inch!. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 50 minutes!.
When they're done, you have to drain them, but you have to do it carefully!. The plate on top of them will be hot, and you need it to stay in place while you drain the water out!.
You can either 1!. Press on the plate with a strong, large spatula while you tilt the pot to pour the water out, or
2!. If the plate isn't submerged in water, you can press on the plate with your hand by using a thick potholder (though not one with any kind of holes in it)!.
To wrap them, set them on the counter with the stem towards you and the side of the leaf with the veins sticking out facing up - or in other words, rough side up, smooth side down!.
Put some of your stuffing at the center just above the stem!. Fold each of the bottom prongs of the leaf towards the center, then roll upwards!.
They should look like little burritos!.
One more tip - If you get a leaf that has a hole in it, or if you accidentally tear one, unwrap it!.
You should keep a few leaves off to the side, preferably ones that are too damaged to be used!.
Patch the holes with those leaves by tearing off a piece from them and placing them over the hole in your better leaf!. Then wrap the patched leaf again!.
And one more tip - if you do get the canned leaves (they come in glass jars), they can be really hard to get out without tearing them up!.
Slowly work your fingers into the center of the leaves, and begin to twist while gently pulling!. They should start to come out!. Once you have enough out of the can to get a good grip, just grab onto it and continue twisting it out gently!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Ehh!. The best comparison I can offer is how you would treat spinach!.
As for meat, actually, you can technically use anything!. For a typical Greek taste, lamb will be fine, however beef, such as properly seasoned hamburger, will do quite nicely, as in a dish I've had many times!. It's pronounced "domathes," but I don't know if that's how it is spelled!.
Edit: The same thing Hestia's Princess is referencing!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
As for meat, actually, you can technically use anything!. For a typical Greek taste, lamb will be fine, however beef, such as properly seasoned hamburger, will do quite nicely, as in a dish I've had many times!. It's pronounced "domathes," but I don't know if that's how it is spelled!.
Edit: The same thing Hestia's Princess is referencing!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Answer: The way I tell if the leaf is tender is by how easily the stem is pinched off from the leaf!. I typically use ground beef with rice for the filling as that is how my grandmother taught me to make them!.
It's hard to describe the process in an answer as in a lot of ways it is a visual thing!.
Look up dolmathes online for recipes!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
It's hard to describe the process in an answer as in a lot of ways it is a visual thing!.
Look up dolmathes online for recipes!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
could be lamb size is to ur desion on the survings leaf is not what has to be tander it is the leafWww@FoodAQ@Com