Grapes are a wonderful plant. He gives us amazing berries that we can enjoy fresh. You can make a lot of goodies from them - raisins, jam, juice, wine... Grape kvass is made from young green branches and leaves. And we'll talk about dolma. About this very tasty dish, which is so loved in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Central Asia, and the southern republics of the former Soviet Union. In Moldova they are called cabbage rolls (with the emphasis on the first syllable). Dolma really resembles Slavic cabbage rolls, only the filling of minced meat, onions, rice and herbs is wrapped not in a cabbage leaf, but in a grape leaf. And they turn out smaller than cabbage rolls. The taste is original. Tender grape leaves give the dish a very pleasant sourness and aroma. Today we will talk about how to prepare grape leaves for the winter.

How to choose leaves for dolma

Not every grape leaf is suitable for dolma, but only young and healthy ones. You need to choose bright green, shiny ones from green grape varieties. In red varieties they are more rigid and the edges are embossed. You need to collect leaves during flowering before processing. But since grape leaves grow constantly, you can collect them throughout the summer, before processing. There is no need to take leaves from vines growing near the road.

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

Harvesting grape leaves

And in order to be able to enjoy dolma at any time of the year, you need to take care of preserving the grape leaves. This can be done in different ways: freezing, pickling, pickling, canning. With any method of canning, the leaves need to be prepared. They need to be washed and dried, or lightly wiped. It is advisable to slightly wither - the leaves become less brittle and are easier to manipulate. Cut off the petioles.

Freezing

The easiest and fastest way to store grape leaves is freezing. Fold the prepared leaves into a stack of 10-15 pieces. Roll up, wrap in cling film or place in plastic bags. Place in the freezer. The leaves become very fragile when frozen, so it is best to use them in a container. 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.

Bottled storage

• 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.

Now we put it for storage in a closet, on the mezzanine, in the cellar. Placing the workpiece in the cold is contraindicated. With this processing method, the product can be stored for up to two years. When you want to prepare dolma, cut the bottle. We take the leaves out of the container and fill them with cold water. There may be a yellowish coating on the leaves - these are amino acids. Do not take such points as a sign of damage. Straighten, stuff with minced meat and cook.
An option for everyone: fill the bottle with leaves in the same way, but add a little salt.

Dry canning

Another simple way to preserve grape leaves is dry canning. To do this, place the prepared leaves tightly in clean glass jars in layers of 10-15 pieces, sprinkling them with salt (not much salt is needed). Next, they need to be sterilized in a hot oven for 5-10 minutes and rolled up with lids. Store in a dark place.

Pickling

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.

1st method

To pickle the leaves we need:

• Wash and sterilize small glass jars.
• We roll the prepared grape leaves, about 8-14 pieces each, into tubes and place them tightly in jars.
• The next step is to pour boiling water over it for 5-10 minutes, then drain the liquid. Repeat the procedure. For the third time, pour boiling marinade and roll up with a metal lid.

Preparing the marinade

For 1 liter of water add 1 tablespoon of salt, the same amount of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of 9 percent vinegar.

2nd method

Another way to pickle grape leaves for dolma.

• We wash the harvested crop under running water and scald it with boiling water.
• Place 1-2 pcs at the bottom of a sterilized glass jar. bay leaf, 4-5 peppercorns, 1-2 cloves. Carefully lay the leaves on top in layers.
• Prepare the marinade from 1 liter of warm boiled water, 1 tbsp salt and sugar. spoon and 1-2 tbsp. spoons 9% vinegar.
• Pour the resulting brine into a jar, put spices on top: bay leaf, cloves, pepper.
• Cover with a plastic lid. After a day, pickled grape leaves for dolma are ready for use, but can be stored for quite a long time in a cool place.

You can buy pickled grape leaves for dolma in the store, but as is often the case, homemade preparations are always tastier. And the product marinated with your own hands corresponds to your taste preferences.

Pickling

Let's look at how to pickle leaves. Below we have prepared three ways to prepare salted product

1st method

The leaves can be preserved in a 10% sodium chloride solution. The washed and tightly rolled leaves are placed tightly in a prepared container and filled with non-hot brine. Cover with plastic lids. Salted material can be stored well at room temperature. Before use, the leaves prepared in this way should be kept in lukewarm water for about two hours, this way we will remove excess salt.

2nd method

Grape leaves can be pickled in a less saturated solution. We carry out manipulations as when marinating. Only instead of marinade we use hot brine with a salt content of approximately 2-3%.

3rd method

This method of pickling includes spices. We take scalded and rolled leaves and put them in clean 0.5 liter jars. We make a mixture of:

• salt – 1 teaspoon,
• dry mustard - 1 teaspoon, sprinkle the leaves with it,
• add allspice (several peas).

Fill everything with boiling water and roll up the lids. Store at room temperature.

For a long time, in the East they made it even simpler. The washed leaves were placed in a barrel, filled with strong brine, covered with a clean cloth and pressed down on top with a sinker.

Dry storage

And now what all our efforts are for – Dolma!

This very tasty dish is prepared quite simply. Minced meat (about 1 teaspoon) is wrapped in a grape leaf in an envelope, like cabbage rolls, only smaller in size. For minced meat we use either beef or lamb. Finely chopped onions, herbs to taste - mint, cilantro, parsley, as well as washed rice are added to it; if desired, it can be boiled a little until half cooked. Mix everything well, season with salt, pepper, spices. Place in the refrigerator for half an hour. Boil the bone broth in advance and strain through a sieve. Place the minced meat wrapped in leaves, like cabbage rolls, tightly in a pan and cook the dish over low heat until cooked.

Video about preparing leaves for dolma

In oriental cuisine you can find an interesting and unusual dish - dolma made from grape leaves. It captivates with its taste and aroma. The base consists of fresh grape leaves, meat and boiled rice.

To please yourself and your family with an interesting dish in winter, we suggest considering ways to preserve grape leaves for the winter.

Features of harvesting grape leaves for the winter

To obtain tasty and healthy preserves, you need to familiarize yourself with some recommendations:

1. Can be frozen fresh. It is worth remembering that when defrosting, the vegetable ingredient may tear. In this case, you need to be extremely careful.
2. It is necessary to stack in increasing order - from small to large. It is recommended to take the bottom one more than the others.
3. It is necessary to sort the product fresh, but in no case boiled.
4. To save space in the refrigerator or in a jar, the leaves are allowed to be rolled.

There are several options for harvesting grape greens for the winter. The technology will differ depending on the method of canning and the preservation of the ingredient.

Selection and preparation of grape leaves

The harvest takes place at the moment when the vine begins to bloom. For canning, it is recommended to use white varieties of the plant. They have a sweet and sour taste, which has a beneficial effect on the taste of the dish, giving it a slight piquancy. When using red grapes, it is worth remembering the uneven surface and rigidity of the plant.

Damaged and torn ones are unsuitable for workpieces. It is required to take even, whole and the same size.

Methods for harvesting grape greens at home

Grape leaves contain the maximum amount of vitamins, micro and macroelements. The calorie content of the product is 94 Kcal per 100 grams. In order to preserve all the positive components, you need to know how to properly prepare the herbal ingredient.

Freezing

Freezer storage is convenient and practical. How to freeze grape greens:

• Wash freshly cut leaves and remove petioles. Place on a clean towel and dry.
• The herbal ingredient must be completely dry. Otherwise, when the liquid freezes, it makes them more brittle.
• Spread cling film on the table. Place several leaves on top of each other. The stack height should be up to 15 pieces. It is important that they are the same size.

• Roll into a tight roll together with film. Carefully fold the edges of the polyethylene. Place in a disposable freezer bag.
• Place in the freezer after turning on the fast freeze mode for half an hour.

Pickling

For lovers of pickled snacks, we offer step-by-step instructions on how to pickle grape greens at home:

• leaves;
• clean water - 2 l;
• salt without additives, rock - 60 g;
• granulated sugar - 50 g;
• table vinegar - 80-100 ml.

Rinse the main ingredient. Large cutting, carefully cut. Place on a clean towel and dry. Then make stacks of 10-14 pieces each and carefully roll them into a tight roll.

Boil clean water in a separate saucepan. Fill jars with grape greens with it. Cover and leave for 10 minutes. Repeat the procedure twice.

In the meantime, let's start preparing the marinade. To do this, combine water, salt and granulated sugar in an enamel container. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring regularly. Boil for 2-3 minutes, remove from heat and pour in acetic acid.

Pour the prepared delicious marinade over the prepared leaves. Roll up tightly and turn over. After cooling completely, remove to a cool place. It is recommended to store in a cool, dark place.

Salting in jars

This cooking option does not require fermentation. It is enough to prepare the main ingredient and make the brine. To enhance the taste, mustard is added to the appetizer. Let's look at how to cover grape greens with a zesty flavor:

• leaves - 30 pcs.;
• mustard (powder) - 0.5 tsp;
• black pepper - 1 pc.;
• table salt - 1 tsp.

Sort the grape greens, rinse and dry. Place in stacks of 10 pieces and roll into rolls. Place in prepared glass jars.

Fill them with boiling water and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain the liquid. Pour salt, mustard and peppercorns into a jar. Pour boiling water over it and immediately seal it tightly. Turn upside down and cool under a warm blanket. Store in a cool place.

Dry canning

You can preserve grape leaves using a simple and popular dry method. Therefore, there is no need to roll them up.

Place the prepared leaves into sterile jars, salting each layer.

Cover with lids, place on a baking tray and place in the oven. Sterilize at 100 degrees for 8-12 minutes. Roll up hermetically. Turn over and cool.

Preservation by dry salting

For those who don’t have time to tinker with the hot salting method, we suggest looking at the recipe for cooking in a plastic bottle.

• table salt - 60 g;
• leaves - 100 pcs.

For canning, it is necessary to choose young, whole and dry leaves. There is no need to wash them after collection. The fermenting composition covering the surface allows you to make the product without brine.

Those who like to cook such a tasty and aromatic Georgian dish as this throughout the year need to take care in advance of having grape leaves for it! They can be frozen for the winter, pickled, or simply sealed in pickled jars. The latter recipe is also more popular because the leaves in this form can be stored for about a year and a half and will be juicy and dense at any time when the container is opened.

It is correct to pick only young leaves for preservation. Their peak growth occurs in the spring, but you need to be guided by your region. “Old” grape leaves after June are no longer suitable for making dolma - they are hard and fibrous. The leaves are rolled into a tube, so you can optionally put spicy herbs, such as dill, inside such a tube.

Recipe information

Cuisine: Georgian.

Cooking method: pickling.

Total cooking time: 30 min.

Number of servings: 3 .

Ingredients:

• grape leaves – 30-50 pcs.
• vinegar 9% – 3 tbsp.
• salt – 1 tsp.
• sugar – 0.5 tsp.
• water – 250 ml
• dill greens - optional.

Cooking method:

Note to the owner:

• If you are worried about preservation, then add 1 aspirin tablet to the jar with leaves - it prevents fermentation!
• Dolma made from pickled grape leaves has a more interesting taste - you can feel the sourness and some piquancy.

Description

Dolma from pickled leaves- a dish of oriental traditional cuisine. The closest relatives of dolma are the familiar cabbage rolls. In contrast, dolma is prepared from pickled leaves and most often grape leaves. You can find a recipe for pickling such leaves at home on our website. You can also find already pickled grape leaves in jars that are sold in stores. Only the best large and young grape leaves are used for pickling.

A step-by-step recipe for preparing dolma from pickled grape leaves is presented in the photo below and describes in detail each stage of the process of creating this unique oriental dish. As a filling, we will use juicy and satisfying minced turkey, which is best prepared by yourself. We will also bake our dish in the microwave with a special vegetable layer. During baking, the juice of tomatoes and carrots will thoroughly soak the grape leaves and meat rolls, making them even tastier. Let's start preparing dolma with minced grape leaves for dinner.

Ingredients

• 
  (400 g)
• 
  (1/3 cup)
• 
  (1 PC.)
• 
  (4 cloves)
• 
  (1 PC.)
• 
  (3-4 small pieces)
• 
  (80 g)
• 
  Canned grape leaves
  (1 jar)
• 
  (taste)
• 
  (taste)
• 
  (taste)

Cooking steps

Let's prepare all the necessary ingredients for making dolma from pickled grape leaves.



You can purchase ready-made grape leaves or pickle them yourself according to our recipe, which is also presented on the website. Remove the pickled leaves from the jar, straighten them and set them aside.



We pass the turkey fillet through a meat grinder and place it in a deep bowl. We also send onions grated on the finest grater there. Thoroughly wash the specified amount of rice, dry it and add it to the meat. Add spices to the bowl as desired, salt and pepper to taste and squeeze one clove of garlic through a press. Mix the minced meat for dolma thoroughly.



In a separate deep bowl, grate the washed carrots on a coarse grater, and add the coarsely chopped cloves of the remaining garlic there. Wash the tomatoes, cut into rings and add to the carrots. Mix the ingredients thoroughly.



Place the first grape leaf on the cutting board.



Place a tablespoon of minced meat on the top of the sheet.



We wrap the edges of the sheet, and then roll it up into a roll.



Place all prepared rolls tightly in a deep bowl.



We spread all the previously prepared vegetable dressing from tomatoes, carrots and garlic on top of the rolls.



Cut the butter into pieces and place on top of the vegetables.



Place the remaining grape leaves in a dense layer on top of all the rolls and chopped vegetables, and cover with a lid. Place our dish in the microwave and cook in combination mode for 20 minutes. Then add a little water and cook the same amount.



Serve the finished dish hot with sour cream. Dolma from pickled grape leaves is ready.



Bon appetit!

Grape leaves are a popular and delicious ingredient in recipes for first and second courses, found in the culinary traditions of many peoples of the world. Grape leaves are low in calories, they contain many microelements, are rich in vitamins B, C, as well as vitamin A - an antioxidant necessary for eye health, skin beauty and immunity, which plays an important role in the prevention of aging and the prevention of cancer. The daily requirement of vitamin A can be obtained by eating just a few grape leaves (about 4-6 pieces). Grape leaves are very interestingly combined with meat, fish and vegetable dishes; they are used for pickling vegetables, added to pilaf and even cooked in soup.

Grape leaves are used in the preparation of dolma (sarma) - a well-known and widespread dish of meat and rice, reminiscent of cabbage rolls, in which grape leaves are used instead of cabbage leaves. Pickled grape leaves will give dolma a special piquancy and delicate taste. In addition, grape leaves can be stored in the marinade all winter, which means you can prepare your favorite dishes both in winter and summer! In order to learn how to pickle grape leaves, you need to know several rules for collecting and preparing them.

Rules for collecting grape leaves
It is preferable to collect grape leaves before flowering or at the beginning of flowering, when they are still soft and thin. The taste and structure of the leaves may vary among different grape varieties. The leaves of red grape varieties are coarser and tougher, and are less suitable for use in cooking. The leaves of white grape varieties are the most tender; they taste sweet and sour, salty and very juicy. You need to choose small leaves, untreated with chemicals. It is better to collect leaves in the morning, rinse the collected leaves thoroughly, carefully stack them in stacks of 5-10 pieces and start pickling.

How to pickle grape leaves
Ingredients needed to make pickled grape leaves:

• young grape leaves;
  
• 1 liter of water;
  
• 1 ½ tbsp. salt;
  
• 1 tbsp. Sahara;
  
• 2 tbsp. l. vinegar.
  

1. Wash the grape leaves thoroughly in cool water. Lay them out carefully to dry a little. Then fold the leaves in stacks of 5-10 pieces and roll them into rolls, place them in this form in small sterilized glass jars.
   
2. Pour boiling water over the leaves, leave for 3 minutes, then drain. Then pour boiling water over them again for a couple of minutes. Drain the water.
   
3. Heat water, add sugar, salt and vinegar. Bring the marinade to a boil.
   
4. Pour the prepared marinade over the grape leaves.
   
5. Let the jars sterilize for 5 minutes. Then close the lids and put them in a dark and cool place.