Stuffed Grape Leaves

Stuffed Grape Leaves are an iconic Mediterranean recipe. It's called different names by different countries like japrak, yaprak, dolma or dolmades. The stuffing is made with rice, (meat for some), lots of herbs and onions.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Albanian, Mediterranean

Keyword gjethe rrushi me mish dhe oriz, japrak, stuffed grape leaves

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 45

Chilling time 20

Total Time 1 35

Servings servings

Calories 331kcal

Author Sonila

Ingredients

40 fresh grape leaves thin and large
12 ozs ground beef
0.5 cup rice use small grain rice
1 white onions
3-4 green onions
1 cup fresh dill about 1 bunch of dill from US grocery stores
0.5 cup fresh mint about 1 bunch of mint from US grocery stores
1 tbsp dry parsley or 2 tbsps fresh, chopped parsley
0.5 tsp salt plus a pinch more for adding to water while it cooks
0.5 tsp black pepper
2 tbsps olive oil extra virgin
2 lemons juice one, slice the other

Instructions

Rinse the fresh grape leaves then boil them for about 3-5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the leaves and spread them out on a big platter to separate the leaves from each other. Let the leaves cool down. If using jarred leaves, just rinse and drain.
Chop the onions as fine as you can. Chop dill and mint. Make sure ground beef is thawed.
Use a large skillet to start heating the oil. Then add both onions, saute until onions are translucent. Add ground beef and keep stirring with wooden spoon in order to allow for meat to cook but vegetables not burn.
Add herbs and rice. Also, add salt and pepper. (Feel free to add more ingredients to your taste). Mix everything well and let cook for few minutes. Turn heat off and let the stuffing cool down enough so you can touch it by hand.
Get one grape leaf at a time. Place 1 tbsp of stuffing right at the stem area. Do not overstuff. Fold the sides towards the middle then the middle up as an envelope. Roll the grape lead as a cigar until you're done. Place it seem down. Continue rolling until you're down with leaves or stuffing.
Get a medium size pot and place all the unused leaves on the bottom of the pot. Start arranging the stuffed grape leaves in layers, tight against each other. Once done, add a heavy plate on top of the rolls so they don't move around.
Pour about 1.5 -2 cups of hot water over the grape leaves. Sprinkle some salt and the juice of 1 lemon. Cover once it boils and cook for about 40-45 minutes in low-medium heat. If using jarred leaves, let cook for about 55 minutes. Once you turn heat off, let the pot rest for about 20 minutes before you try to get the rolls out. They'll settle in as they rest.
Remove from pot and serve with lots of lemon slices and other Mediterranean side dishes. Enjoy:)

Video

https://youtube.com/shorts/CaACoPHaMRg?feature=share

Notes

Cooking time - the more you cook this dish, the faster you get at it. Try to cook the stuffing and leaves simultaneously to overlap some cooking time them. Plus, they'll both need to cool down so you can start rolling the grape leaves. Rolling the leaves is the most time consuming part of this. Enroll kids or other family members for help:).
Jarred or Canned grape leaves - if using jarred grape leaves, double the stuffing ingredients. Don't cook or blanch the leaves as they come ready. Rinse them well, drain and then and prepare the stuffing. When cooking the stuffed grape leaves with jarred leaves, cook them for an extra 5-10 minutes.
Storage - if you have leftovers (which I doubt), store them in an aritight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
In Albania we always have a side of plain yogurt to serve with stuffed grape leaves. It's a match made in heaven!!

Nutrition