Preparing grape leaves for dolma - recipes for salting, pickling, freezing, video

Dolma is an unusual culinary dish, reminiscent of traditional cabbage rolls, only with grape leaves as a wrapper.
Preparing grape leaves for dolma is not labor-intensive and has several manufacturing options. These include salting, pickling, freezing and dry storage. Any method of storing the future wrapper helps preserve nutrients; only the taste is distinctive. The main thing is to follow all stages of canning. Below will be presented various descriptions of preparing grape leaves for the winter for dolma, and which recipe to use is up to you to choose. Grape leaves are quite famous as an ingredient in kitchen dishes in the East. Here it is just beginning to gain its popularity. And not in vain, because the leaf is completely imbued with useful microelements, and also has a pleasant aftertaste. Edible culinary masterpieces from such plants relieve pain from varicose veins, relieve swelling, and improve blood circulation. As an antiseptic, the leaves can heal wounds and stop minor bleeding. This gift of nature contains large amounts of vitamins A, B, C and minerals - iron, calcium, manganese, magnesium. The listed positive components must be preserved, closed in jars for further consumption. Canning grape leaves for dolma is the most rational preservation for a long time. It is in the dish with the wonderful name “Dolma” that these green leaves are often used.

Freezing grape leaves

Almost all vegetables and fruits lend themselves well to freezing.
This method requires a good freezer. For those who want to learn how to freeze grape leaves for dolma, simple steps are provided below. Freezing steps:

Cut leaves without cuttings. Wipe the surface with a damp cloth.
Fold 10 pieces of sheets one by one and roll tightly into a tube shape. To prevent the form from falling apart, it must be secured with cling film, wrapping the leaves. Place in a cellophane bag and place in the freezer.
Before cooking, rinse the finished frozen leaves with hot water and start cooking.

Before freezing, the leaves should not be washed, as the remaining drops will turn into ice and disrupt the storage process.

When and from what grape variety to collect leaves

To prepare dolma, defrost it at room temperature. Then scald with boiling water. Then they retain the beneficial qualities and vitamins as much as possible.

Grape leaves can be kept fresh in plastic bottles. For this:

The container must first be washed thoroughly. To do this, pour 1 tsp inside. salt and baking soda, pour some water and shake the bottle vigorously. Then rinse with clean water and let it drain.
We put the leaves in 3-6 pieces (as it turns out), roll them into a thin tube so that it fits into the neck of the bottle. Use a thin long stick or cocktail tube to help lay the leaves as tightly as possible. Be careful not to tear the leaves! There should be nothing in the bottle except grape leaves.
Press down, release the air, and close the lid tightly.

We put the clean young leaves aside and leave them for a while to drain off excess water and dry them out a little.

The procedure must be repeated from start to finish 5 more times. The jar is already full. Since this is dry canning, you should not put the water in the pan on the fire. It is absolutely not needed for this recipe.

There are no documented contraindications to the consumption of green grapes. It is recommended to limit the product to pregnant women and obese people.

Plastic containers are very convenient for packaging grape tops. First, the bottle is washed with a solution of baking soda and salt, rinsed and dried. The product is rolled up several pieces into a tube and secured with thread. By inserting the package into the neck of the bottle, you can place it more conveniently with a thin stick or something similar. Having filled the bottle, let the air out of the bottle and screw it with a cork. When salting, it is very important to use only clean water, filtered or bottled; ordinary tap water is not suitable, as it noticeably changes the taste for the worse. After soaking, rinse the leaves again with running water and proceed to pickling. The tails can be cut off or left untouched - they are very convenient for removing leaves from the jar.

Preparation and storage of dried grape leaves

Preparing grape leaves for dolma by drying them is no more labor-intensive than freezing. This preservation allows you to preserve all the beneficial elements in the plant and its unsurpassed aroma.

Option 1:

Wash and dry the grape leaves.
To store leaves you will need ordinary glass jars. Sterilize glass containers.
Place 10 pieces of leaves on the bottom, lightly cover with salt. Make the next similar layer with salt. And so on to the very top. Then screw the lid on tightly.
The preparation is ready!

Option 2:

Clean the cut leaves from dust, dry them and arrange them in stacks one on top of the other.
Sprinkle with salt and wrap in tubes. For the procedure, you will need clean and dry plastic bottles inside. Place the resulting wrappers into the bottle through a thin neck. Fill the plastic container to the top and screw on the lid.
Store in a cool place.

Some tips

Depending on your preferences, determine the appropriate size. The size of the roll will be about 50% of the width;
The sheets should not show signs of disease, kinks or holes;
The lighter the grape variety, the softer and tastier its leaves. White, red and last but not least blue;
Grape leaves for dolma for the winter are collected from healthy bushes during or before flowering. At this time, sap circulation is optimal and the foliage is full of vigor.

In order to please guests, your family and friends with dolma all year round, you need to properly prepare grape greens for the winter for dolma and keep it in its original form.

Having tried dolma, many become “fans” of this dish. No wonder the dish has become popular, as it is very easy to prepare. However, in order to cook it correctly, you should know how long to cook dolma.

Cooking dolma takes 40-50 minutes. It is better to cook in a pan with thick walls. If dolma is cooked from grape leaves, then they are placed from below, at the beginning of cooking. Then the entire product is filled with water, which should completely cover the contents. However, it should not be allowed to reach the edges. Cook on low heat.

Armenian dolma - recipe in a slow cooker

We call stuffed grape leaves “Sarma”. Now the ingredients are similar. Some differences exist across cultures. For example, you will see Dolma in Iraq using curry, while only rice, meat, garlic and lemon juice are the main ingredients in Lebanon and Syria.

Pickling grape leaves

Not everyone still knows how to pickle grape leaves for dolma. This method involves storing raw materials for dolma in glass containers filled with marinade. A longer process than pickling, but the result is tastier. The leaves, saturated with brine, become more aromatic and piquant.

Marinating steps:

Pack clean grape leaves into 10 pieces and wrap each batch in a tube.
Place the tube leaves tightly in the jars and pour boiling water over them. Leave for 5 minutes, then drain the water.
Prepare 1 liter of marinade, which includes 2 tbsp. spoons of vinegar and one tbsp. spoons of sugar and salt. Boil until the bulk dissolves.
Pour the boiling marinade into jars with raw materials and immediately close with tin lids.

If the leaf tube unravels, it is better to secure it with a toothpick or thread.

Dolma (stuffed cabbage rolls in grape leaves)

Let's start wrapping the first envelope. It is desirable that the leaves are the same size. You should not buy very large leaves, otherwise nothing will work. First, we bend the bottom part a little, then fold it in half, from left to right. If it works, you can fold the leaves in half again, but this time from the bottom up. Pour boiling water over the prepared leaves for 3 minutes. Be sure to set the time with a timer and do not overcook, otherwise they will boil and fall apart.

Of the presented options on how to prepare grape leaves for dolma using simple methods for the winter, you can use any one you like, the main thing is that the prepared raw materials are of high quality.

What do fresh leaves do?

Relieves joint pain.
Relieves inflammation of the mucous membrane.
Restores the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
Remove toxins.
Relieves swelling.
Venous insufficiency is removed.
Improves heart function.

If there is at least one symptom from the list of contraindications, then you should use other drugs to achieve your goals.

It is important to properly process the foliage in order to fully reveal the aroma, which will give dolma a special taste in winter.

Then the leaves should be sorted and sorted by diameter, washed thoroughly, and then soaked in cold water for 30 minutes.

In this section we will look at how to pickle grape leaves. Winter grape leaves for dolma can be pickled like regular vegetables. Below we have discussed several methods.

Pickling grape leaves

Those who do not like the sweetish-sour taste of preservation will look for a recipe on how to pickle grape leaves for dolma. Leaves using this method are stored in glass jars in brine. Therefore, glass jars should be sterilized before starting work. There are two options for pickling, one under a nylon lid, the second involves long-term storage under a metal screw.

Option 1:

Clean leaves are rolled into a tube, each individually or in a group of several pieces.
Tamp the glass container with rolled leaves.
Prepare a brine consisting of 100 grams of salt in 1 liter of water. Pour the boiling solution over the raw materials and close the jars with nylon lids. Put it in the cellar or refrigerator.
Before preparing the next dish from these leaves, they will need to be soaked in clean boiled water.

With this storage method, the leaves are partially deprived of their beneficial properties, but the aroma remains unchanged.

Option 2:

Grape leaves are also rolled into tubes and placed in jars to the top.
Boiling water is poured into jars with raw materials and left for 5 minutes. The procedure is repeated twice.
Prepare brine from 3 tbsp. spoons of salt and 1 liter of water. Pour it into the jars and screw on the metal lids.
Pickling grape leaves for dolma is ready. After a month, the leaves will be suitable as a shell for dolma; they will not need to be soaked further.

A 1 liter jar contains 70 rolled sheets.

The actual cooking process itself:

• Look closely at the leaves. They are different on the “front” and “back” sides. On the reverse side, the veins on the leaves are more pronounced, and on the front side they are smoother. We take a grape leaf and place our minced meat on the “wrong” side with a spoon. • Carefully wrap the leaf in an envelope. Try to make the envelope tight. • Place the resulting envelopes or, as I call them, dolmushki, tightly on the bottom of the pan. We lay them in rows, trying to press the dolmushkas against each other as tightly as possible. • Fill the laid dolmushka with boiling water so that all the dolmushki are under water. Add seasoning or salt. And we press the dolma down with a plate on top to prevent it from opening up and rising up. • Cook over very low heat for about 0.5 hours. If you doubt whether the dolma is ready, you can take out one dolmush and try cutting it in half with a fork. If this is easy to do, then the dolma is ready! • Matsoni is best served with dolma, but you can also use the more common kefir or sour cream.

Personally, I like to eat dolma with sour cream. Look what I got!!! Bon appetit!!! I really hope that you try to cook this dish and that you like it!!!

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Recipe 1: Classic Dolma

An excellent appetizer will decorate any table and surprise guests with a pleasant, unforgettable taste. It is equally tasty both hot and cold. If you want to cook dolma, start with this simple recipe.

One kilogram of lamb (fillet) - half a glass of round rice - four onions - one teaspoon of coriander - one teaspoon. dried basil - one teaspoon. dried oregano - two tablespoons. lie tomato paste - glass of water - 500 gr. grape leaves - black pepper and salt to taste

Fill each grape leaf with a heaping tablespoon of filling and, if necessary, refer to the How to Store Grape Leaves section above. Note: 3 cups of prepared filling fills about 32 grape leaves. Store-bought grape leaves are usually packed in a highly salted brine, so using fresh leaves is a healthier option.

Read on to learn how to select and plunder grape leaves from the garden for a delicious Mediterranean treat. To continue our Greek Food Festival at the Greek Market, Sue has posted a recipe for some delicious dolmades on her blog, please don't skip the salt.

1. First, let's prepare the minced meat. To do this, chop the meat finely with a knife, grind the peeled onions in a blender, mix the minced meat with onions, dried herbs, ground into powder, pepper and salt. We also add rice to it. Mix.

2. Wash the leaves, soak them if necessary, remove the cuttings and place each one on a work surface. Next, grab the minced meat with a teaspoon and place it at the base of the sheet. Wrap it carefully like a small package. We do the same with the remaining leaves.

How to prepare grape leaves for dolma, as well as a recipe for its preparation

Initially, they came up with wrapping minced meat in grape leaves where they were in abundance. Most Caucasian homes have this plant in every yard. So collecting the required number of young leaves (and dolma is prepared only from them) is not difficult. Now that this food has become very widespread, you can not only pick them outside your window, but also buy them at the market. In winter or autumn, as well as in those latitudes where the southern plant cannot survive, pickled grape leaves for dolma are sold. Thrifty oriental housewives create their own supplies of this semi-finished product in sufficient quantity to delight their family with this delicious dish. For those who do not know how or do not want to store grape leaves for dolma, we can advise you to simply buy them. Although homemade will be cheaper and, most likely, tastier. Moreover, this activity will not cause any special trouble.

Grape leaves for dolma for the winter

There are several ways to preserve this important ingredient for oriental cabbage rolls. Some pickle them, others simply salt them. The last option is both simpler and more useful. Before pickling grape leaves for dolma, they must be collected and washed. Only young and absolutely smooth specimens will be useful. As for the size of the leaves that are suitable for this dish, there are no strict restrictions. Experienced housewives recommend picking only those that are almost the same size as the palm of your hand. But if you wish, you can take those that are a little smaller (in the future it will be more troublesome to work with them) and somewhat larger (they may turn out to be harsh).

Next, they are thoroughly washed and tied into bundles using thread. Each should have 15-20 leaves. It is advisable to take them with cuttings to make it easier to remove from the jar in the future. When the bunches are formed, you need to start preparing the brine. To do this, salt (not iodized) should be dissolved in boiled water, based on the following proportion: 70 g. per liter of liquid. There is no need to heat it up. Bunches of leaves are placed in sterile jars, filled with brine, covered with lids and stored in the refrigerator or basement. They can stand for a year or even longer. The only thing you need to pay attention to is that if the brine evaporates over time or is absorbed by the leaves, it must be topped up. Before using, the bunches will need to be removed from the jars, doused with boiling water, rinsed well and the cuttings cut off.

Dolma in grape leaves

As for the recipe for oriental cabbage rolls itself, it is also quite simple. But before you begin the process, you should be patient. After all, dolmushki turn out to be very small compared to traditional cabbage rolls. This means that you will have to make more than a dozen of them, even to fill a small saucepan.

Minced meat can be prepared from the types of meat that are usually used for cabbage rolls. Most often it is pork and beef in equal proportions. For half a kilo of meat take half a glass of rice, 3 medium onions, 50 grams. melted butter, salt, spices (you can get by with just ground pepper) and a bunch of dill. It is prepared in the traditional way. The meat and onions are passed through a meat grinder, rice, salt, pepper and melted butter are added. Chopped dill is also sent there.

Grape leaves for dolma are doused with boiling water (except for the case when pickled ones are used), then they are placed in cold water, the cuttings are cut off (if any) and they begin to form cabbage rolls, wrapping the minced meat according to the principle of envelopes. Next, they are placed in rows in a cauldron or pan. A small amount of melted butter is poured over the top of the dolma, and then it must be pressed down. This can be done with your hands, covering the cabbage rolls with a plate, or using pressure. Boil dolma for 45 minutes, adding hot water and adding salt, bay leaf or other spices. Serve hot with matsoni, sour cream or other sauces.

2. Then, before laying the leaves, let them dry out a little by laying them out on the table (then they roll up easier and compact better).

Features of preparing grape leaves for dolma for the winter

Dolma will always be tasty and pleasing to the eye with its appearance if the preparation is carried out according to the following rules:

Collect after the buds appear on the clusters.
It is preferable to use white grape varieties.
The raw materials must be tender, without rough veins or signs of disease.
It is advisable to pick from the tops of the shoots.

Harvesting cannot be done if the bushes have been treated with chemicals, the shade of the vegetation has acquired an unhealthy appearance, and the plants are located in close proximity to the road.

There are several categories of people who are not recommended to eat green grapes. These include patients suffering from ulcers, diabetes, excess weight, and women in the last months of pregnancy.

Methods for preparing grape leaves step by step

Families where dolma is the most favorite dish deliberately leave several grape bushes without spring pruning, the leaves of which are systematically plucked and used. The reserves are left for the autumn-winter period, acquiring, depending on the storage methods, their own piquant taste.

Freezing

Freezing is a very practical method suitable for owners of large freezers. The picked leaves are washed and dried naturally. Then it is enough to fold them into small piles and roll them up, after which they are placed in hermetically sealed plastic bags.

Before use, the raw materials must first be removed and allowed to defrost on their own. In emergency cases, the tubes are immersed in cold water for 25-30 minutes, and then in hot water.

It is advisable to remove only the portioned version from the freezer, since re-freezing is not recommended.

Fresh leaves in plastic bottles

To keep the leaves fresh for a long time, they are washed, slowly scalded, and then left to dry. Then, 5-9 pieces, depending on their size, are rolled into a tube and placed in a dry plastic bottle. As soon as the container is completely filled, remove the air from it, close it and store it in a dark and very dry place.

Dry salting

For dry pickling, you need to prepare the leaves, and then follow these steps:

take a clean, dry jar;
pour a centimeter layer of salt on the bottom;
lay the layer;
repeat the steps.

There must be a thick layer of salt at the top; it is advisable to purchase coarse grain salt for this work. The lidded jar can be placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator or in a cool room. The material is washed before use.

Wet salting in barrels

A steep salt solution itself disinfects perfectly, therefore, for storage in barrels, the container is simply washed well. The leaves must be rolled up and placed tightly, and then filled with a salt solution prepared in proportions of 1 to 10. The top of the barrel must be tightly closed, but not necessarily hermetically sealed. Before use, the workpieces are soaked, otherwise the dolma will be over-salted.

Wet salt in jars

Storage in jars using the wet salting method requires complete disinfection of the material. To do this, prepare boiling water, pour it over the leaves for 5-6 minutes, and then drain the water. The operation must be repeated at least 3-4 times, during which, in parallel, prepare a solution in which it will be possible to pickle the workpiece without loss of taste. The liquid should be only slightly salted; it should be used immediately after the last pouring of the boiling water. The jars are rolled up with lids, as with any preservation.