Favorite by many dolma - minced meat with rice in grape leaves - can decorate your table all year round. After all, most of the ingredients that make up this dish are available at any time of the year. The problem can only arise from where to get grape leaves. It can be solved only in one way - by preparing grape leaves for dolma for the winter. Of course, today, if you wish, you can buy pickled grape leaves in a supermarket, but in this case dolma will be very expensive. At the same time, it is so easy to prepare them for the winter that even an inexperienced cook can handle it.
Cooking Features
The most important thing that you need to know for those who decided to prepare grape leaves for the winter, these are the rules for choosing the appropriate raw materials. After all, not all grape leaves are suitable for dolma, some should not be eaten at all.
- Leaves for dolma are harvested in May-June, that is, during the flowering period of the grapes. Experienced chefs tear down for this purpose from the fifth to the seventh leaf, when counted from the top of the vine. It is important that the leaves before this were not sprayed with chemicals, had no signs of damage by pests or sunlight, had a plain green color without signs of yellowness.
- Before harvesting them for the winter, the leaves of the vine must be rinsed well in running water and boiled over. You can do without boiling water only if you plan to pickle the leaves. In addition, at the stage of preparation of the leaves, they cut off the stalks and other rough areas.
- Whatever way you harvest grape leaves for the winter, they must be dry. They can be allowed to dry after washing naturally or blot them with paper towels to speed up the process.
- If the leaves are harvested by freezing, then you need to get dolma from the freezer before cooking. If they do not have time to thaw out, then using them may be too fragile, be damaged. Because of this, it will be impossible to wrap the stuffing in them.
- If you decide to pickle leaves in jars, they must be sterilized before this. This also applies to the covers with which you plan to cork the banks. Otherwise, the leaves will not be stored for a long time.
To prepare grape leaves for dolma for the winter can be done in different ways, and the technology will vary significantly depending on the chosen method of harvesting. Therefore, in each particular case, you should be guided by the instructions in the recipe, although you will choose and prepare the leaves equally, regardless of the preservation method chosen.
Freezing of grape leaves for the winter
Composition:
- grape leaves - how many leaves;
- food film - how much will leave.
Method of preparation:
- Wash fresh grape leaves well, cut the stalks. Dry the leaves with paper napkins. Extremely dry leaves can be used for freezing, otherwise moisture, having frozen, will make them too brittle.
- Lay a plastic wrap on the table. Put a grape leaf on it, put a few more leaves on top of it. It is desirable that the stack was 10-15 leaves of approximately the same size.
- Roll the grape leaves into a thick roll with the film. Fold over the edges of the film. Put the bags in the freezer. If your freezer has a quick freeze function, turn it on for 20-30 minutes, although this is not mandatory.
Frozen grape leaves become brittle. Therefore, keep them in the freezer should be carefully, avoiding damage to other products. To protect the leaves, they can be folded into a container or a plastic bottle. In this case, the “rolls” of leaves must be of such a size that they can pass through the neck of the bottle; the use of a film is not necessary. “Rolls” from the leaves are pushed into the neck, after which the bottle is squeezed, releasing the air, and closed.
Salting dry
Composition:
- grape leaves - 15 pcs .;
- salt - 10-20 g.
Method of preparation:
- Rinse the grape leaves, dry them, remove the stalks.
- Wash and dry the glass jar (half a liter will be enough).
- Put a grape leaf on the bottom of the jar (it can be folded). Sprinkle it with a little salt. Put the second sheet, sprinkle it with salt too. Continue to lay the vine leaves until the jar is full.
- Place the jar in the oven and sterilize them at a minimum temperature of 10 minutes.
- Boil the lid (plastic can also be used), close the jar.
When the pot has cooled, it should be removed in a cool place. It is best to refrigerate, but if in the basement you have a fairly low temperature all year round, you can store the salted leaves of the grapes in it.
Wet salting of grape leaves in barrels
Composition:
- grape leaves - how many leaves;
- water - how much will leave;
- salt - 40 g per 1 liter of water.
Method of preparation:
- Prepared grape leaves fold in stacks of 15 pieces and roll up the tube.
- Fold the tubes of grape leaves in a barrel, stacking them horizontally.
- Boil water, dissolve salt in it, boil 5 minutes.
- Fill the grape leaves with hot pickle, set the load on top.
It is possible to store leaves salted in such a way in a cold cellar up to a year. Do not forget to rinse them well before use to get rid of excess salt.
Wet salting of grape leaves in cans
Composition:
- grape leaves - how many will go into the jar;
- water - how much will leave;
- salt - 20 g per 1 liter of water.
Method of preparation:
- Prepare the leaves of the grapes, roll them into tubes, putting 10 pieces together.
- Sterilize the jar, boil a plastic lid.
- Fold the tubes of grape leaves vertically into a jar.
- Boil the water, pour it into the jar.
- After 10 minutes, drain the boiling water from the jar. Re-pour boiling water into it.
- Drain the water from the jar into the pan after 10 minutes, measure the volume of water, add the right amount of salt.
- Boil the brine for a minute and fill it with grape leaves.
- Close the can lid.
Once the jar has cooled, it should be placed in the refrigerator and stored there.
Pickled grape leaves
Composition (1 l):
- grape leaves - how many leaves;
- water - how much will leave;
- salt - 40 g per 1 l of water;
- Table vinegar (9%) - 10 ml per 1 liter can.
Method of preparation:
- Prepare brine from salt and water, cool it to room temperature.
- Sterilize the jar.
- Fold the grape leaves in piles of 20 pieces, roll them up with rolls.
- Fold in jars, fill with brine. Put in a cool place for 48 hours.
- Pour the vinegar into the jar. Put in a saucepan, filling it with water so that it reaches the “hangers” of the can. Sterilize 20 minutes after boiling water.
- While sterilization is in progress, boil a metal lid.
- Remove the jar from the pan, roll it up and turn it over.
- Cover with a blanket and leave to cool.
Pickled vine leaves can be stored at room temperature.
Prepare for the winter grape leaves can be in different ways, and none of them can be called too time consuming. So dolma can be cooked all year round.
