Dolma, or cabbage rolls in grape leaves, is one of the most popular dishes in Moldavian cuisine. The secrets of winter storage of cabbage for ordinary cabbage rolls have long been known to everyone, but few think about the fact that grape leaves can also be prepared for future use. The greens of any grape are suitable for pickling, but the most delicious cabbage rolls are obtained from the leaves of white varieties, which have a minimal number of veins and are pleasantly soft. Grape leaves for pickling are collected in late spring. If you didn’t manage to collect the necessary components on time, you shouldn’t be upset, the only condition is the correct size, youth and absence of damage.
How to prepare grape leaves for dolma for the winter
1. Before pickling, grape leaves are placed in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, after which they are washed under running cold tap water, getting rid of those damaged by disease and punctured. The washed greens are separated from the stems and inspected again, this time removing grape leaves with hard, dense veins. 2. Salting. The finished components are stacked one on one, transferred to a deep saucepan or bowl, and filled with cold water.
3. Pour 1.5 tablespoons of salt on top and stir until it is completely dissolved. 4. The greens remain in the water for 30-40 minutes, after which the saline solution is poured into the sink, and boiling water is poured on top with 1.5 tablespoons of salt added to it. The greens should be kept in boiling water for at least 10 minutes, during which time their color will change. 5. The cooled brine is poured into a separate pan and brought to a boil. Steamed grape leaves are placed in piles (3 leaves in each) and rolled into tight tubes. 6. The washed jar is sterilized (to prevent the glass vessel from bursting, it is recommended to lower an ordinary spoon into the jar during sterilization) and the resulting tubes are placed in it. The tubes are placed vertically; it is desirable that they fit tightly to each other. The filled jar is filled with hot brine and closed with a metal lid. If you don’t have one at hand, then you need to wait for the brine to cool and close the jar with a regular plastic lid.
Dolma classic
What you need for minced meat:
- 600 g fresh lamb;
- 6 tablespoons round rice;
- 5 pieces of bulbs;
- 70 g butter;
- 70 ml vegetable oil;
- 4-5 sprigs of dill, fresh mint, basil, cilantro;
- ½ teaspoon of cumin;
- ½ teaspoon crushed black pepper;
- salt (to taste).
For the sauce:
- 250 ml sour cream 15% fat;
- 5-6 cloves of garlic;
- 3-4 sprigs of parsley, basil, dill, cilantro;
- salt (to taste).
Besides:
- 50 pieces of grape leaves;
- 500 ml meat broth.
Kvass from grape leaves
When preparing ingredients, it is important to consider some nuances. Minced meat can be prepared not from just lamb, but from several types of meat. Lamb can be mixed with beef or lean pork.
Rice for dolma should be round grain. Ideally, this is the Arborio variety, but other varieties intended for making porridge are also suitable. It is not recommended to reduce the amount of onion, which is responsible for the juiciness of the minced meat. Vegetable oil should be refined, odorless and tasteless.
Butter must be high quality, with a fat content of 82.5%. The amount of fresh herbs can be adjusted to your liking. For the sauce, sour cream 15% is best. Fattier ones will have to be diluted with water, otherwise the sauce will be too thick. You can also replace sour cream with Greek yogurt.
Grape leaves can be taken fresh or pickled. They need to be collected in the spring. They should be the size of your palm. To prevent the filling from unfolding and falling out, it is necessary to use young thin leaves with a rough surface, which are elastic and tender. Only light leaves from pink and white grape bushes are suitable.
Classic dolma is small in size, so medium leaves are needed. Large dark leaves are too hard. To cook dolma rolls, you will need clear meat broth or clean water. Beef or chicken broth, unlike water, makes the dish more flavorful.
Most often, dolma is wrapped in tubes
Recipe:
- Select the leaves and wash thoroughly.
- Make minced meat from lamb.
- Place them in a suitable container, pour in boiling water and leave for about seven minutes.
- Then place the leaves in a colander to drain the water.
- Cut the onion into cubes, fry it over low heat in a mixture of vegetable and butter.
- Rinse the rice, changing the water several times so that excess starch is removed from the surface of the grains, otherwise the taste of the rice will not be very pleasant.
- Pour water over the rice using the ingredients in a 1:2 ratio. Let cook for three minutes, then drain in a colander.
- Wash, dry and chop fresh herbs with a knife.
- Add fried onions, rice, cumin, ground pepper, chopped herbs to the minced meat, and add salt to taste.
- Place the grape leaves on the work surface, rough side up.
- Place a portion of the filling on the sheet, first fold one edge up, then the side parts, then wrap it with a tube so that the minced meat is completely covered. Make all the rolls this way.
- Select small and torn leaves. Place them in two layers in a saucepan, which should have a thick bottom.
- Place dolma on the leaves in layers, seam side down, so that the tubes fit fairly tightly to each other.
- Pour in broth or water so that it does not reach 2 cm from the surface of the rolls.
- Salt the broth, cover the dolma with a plate and place a weight on top.
- Then place on the stove. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for about an hour and a half.
- Turn off the heat and let stand for about ten minutes so that the dolma is better saturated with the broth and becomes juicy.
- For the sauce, rinse the greens, dry and chop with a knife, add finely chopped garlic, mix with sour cream and add salt to taste. Place the sauce in the refrigerator to thicken it.
Note: When cooking dolma, you can lay it on a layer of onion rings and carrot slices.
How to store and when to use
The jars, covered with metal lids, are placed in a warm place and wrapped in a blanket.
After the jars have cooled, they are moved to the refrigerator, where they should remain until used. A cellar can be a replacement for a refrigerator. You can use grape leaves for their intended purpose after 2-3 weeks; this time is enough for the brine to infuse and the pickles to acquire a pleasant taste and aroma.
Oriental cabbage rolls, minced meat wrapped in grape leaves, or simply dolma can be safely classified as seasonal dishes. Not only do grapes not grow everywhere, but also the leaves on them do not “live” all year round. However, this does not mean at all that you will have to give up dolma in winter. Fortunately, grape leaves can be preserved and enjoyed in a wonderful oriental dish until next summer.
