Shared by Ronit Drucker, Rozita Gol, Evelyn Siouni and Coby Gohari
Shared by Ronit Drucker, Rozita Gol, Evelyn Siouni and Coby Gohari
Grape Leaf Dolmeh with Sweet and Sour Filling
Yield: approx 50-60 stuffed grape leavesTime: 1 H 30 min
Grape Leaf Dolmeh with Sweet and Sour Filling
Yield: approx 50-60 stuffed grape leavesTime: 1 H 30 minFamily Journey
Bukhara, UzbekistanMashhad, IranTehran
Holon, IsraelQueens and Great Neck, NY
While grape leaves are often filled with meat or rice and vegetables, in this recipe from the late great cook Tamar Moradoff, the filling is studded with dried fruit like raisins and dates. If you’re new to rolling dolmeh, be careful to not over stuff the grape leaves — aim for about two tablespoons of filling in each roll.
Read more about Tamar and her family in "The ‘Boss Lady’ Mashadi Chef and Grandmother" and try her recipes for ash reshteh (Persian creamy noodles with walnuts), shir bereng (Persian rice pudding), and kuku sabzi (Persian omelet).
Ingredients
For the dolmeh:
- approximately 2 - 16 ounce jars grape leaves
- 2 ½ cups Carolina rice
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 cup (8 ounces) orange marmalade
- 1 cup raisins, finely chopped
- 1 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
- 1 cup pitted medjool dates, finely chopped
- 1 cup mixed dried stone fruit (peach, apricot, plum), finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons barberries
- 1 cup oil
For the sauce:
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup oil
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Step 2
Carefully remove the grape leaves from one jar, being sure not to tear them. Place the leaves into a strainer to drain out the water.
Step 3
In a medium sized pot, bring 5 cups of water to a simmer. Add the rice and turmeric and cover, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes.
Step 4
Place the par-cooked rice into a large bowl and add the marmalade, dried fruit, barberries, and 1 cup of oil. Mix together to combine.
Step 5
Line a heavy bottomed casserole dish completely with grape leaves. This will prevent your stuffed grape leaves from burning while baking.
Step 6
Place a grape leaf onto a clean surface. Lay out about 2 tablespoons of the filling in the bottom third of the grape leaf, spreading into a 3½-inch line. Fold the right and left sides of the grape leaf to meet the ends of the line of rice, then tightly roll up the leaf from the bottom up, making a tight package. Continue stuffing the grape leaves until you have used all of your filling.
Step 7
Place the stuffed grape leaves into the lined casserole dish, stacking as needed. Mix together the sauce ingredients and pour over dolmeh until they are covered halfway.
Step 8
Cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil and place into the oven. Bake for one hour.
Step 9
Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another hour, until the grape leaves are tender and the flavors have melded together.
Step 10
Serve warm or store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
