How to soak grape leaves for dolma. Grape leaves for dolma. Preparing minced meat for dolma

" Grape

Grape leaves have become a fashionable ingredient in the life of modern people. They are used in medicine and cosmetology, and tonic tea is brewed with them. They are best known as the basis of the national Asian and Caucasian dish dolma. So let's get to know them better.

Grape leaves are a natural storehouse of vitamins and minerals. The energy value per 100 g is 93 kcal, the product is high in fat, carbohydrates and proteins.

Useful properties and contraindications

Let's talk about the beneficial properties. Since time immemorial, healers have used the natural power of green grapes in the preparation of medicinal potions to cure various ailments. They were used as a means:

pain reliever;
antipyretic;
tonic;
restorative;
for women's diseases;
bleeding;
upset stomach;
attacks of rheumatism.

Fox grapes closeup for dolma

Modern science confirms the benefits of grape leaves. They act as an antioxidant, strengthen the immune system and protect the body from aging. Regular consumption of them in the diet:

enhances vision;
has a beneficial effect on skin and hair;
calms the nerves;
reduces the risk of cancer;
helps with joint diseases;
relieves inflammation of mucous membranes;
helps improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
cleanses the body of toxins;
reduces swelling and venous insufficiency;
stimulates the work of the heart muscle.

However, grape leaves have a number of contraindications. They are not recommended for use when:

acute form of gastritis and stomach ulcers;
obesity;
tuberculosis;
diabetes mellitus

Pregnant and lactating women should be especially careful when handling pickled and salted grape leaves, due to the presence of acids and sodium in them.

Deadlines for collection

The best time to collect greens is considered to be the period before the vine begins to flower. Considering the fact that the vine grows continuously, young leaves appear on it until autumn. In practice, greens can be collected throughout the entire growing season, except for the period of chemical treatment.

Culinary experts recommend using leaves of white grape varieties to prepare dolma. They are more tender and tasty than red varieties.

Preparing for pickling grape leaves. The leaves are rolled up and placed in jars

Grape leaf tea

Having tried this aromatic and tonic tea for the first time, you can become its fan forever. It’s quite easy to prepare “infusion” from grapevine at home. Required:

Collect young leaves and wash them.
Fold into an envelope shape.
Dry in the dryer or oven.
Grind by hand
Store in a container in a dry and dark place.

To brew tea you need to take 1 tsp of “grape tea” and pour 250 ml of boiling water over it.. Leave for 10 minutes and strain. You can brew the drink with the addition of green and black tea.

Drinking pure infusion will help cope with throat diseases; it can also be used to wash wounds or ulcers. You can store the tea leaves until the next harvest.

Dried and crushed grape leaves for brewing tea

Preparing dolma for the winter

Tasty, aromatic dolma has become a favorite not only in its historical homeland. More and more often it can be found on the tables of Russian residents. In order to delight your family with a culinary masterpiece all year round, you need to know how to prepare grape leaves for future use.

Freezing

This method of saving is the most convenient. You will need:

fold clean leaves into a stack (10-15 pcs);
roll the stack into a “blank tube”;
wrap each piece with cling film;
put in a container and put in the freezer.

When the time comes to prepare the dolma, you need to defrost the preparations and then scald the greens with boiling water.

Rolling grape leaves for freezing in the freezer

Brine pickling in jars

This pickling recipe is good because the taste of the product is neutral. For this you will need: 1 kg grape greens, 5 tbsp rock salt. spoon, 1 l. water.

Pickling recipe:

prepare sterile jars;
pour boiling water over the greens for no more than 3 minutes;
quickly drain the water through a sieve or colander;
cool the greens and collect them in piles of 10-15 pieces;
roll the stacks into rolls;
put the rolls in a jar and sprinkle with salt;
pour in chilled brine;
For fermentation, keep at room temperature for 2 weeks.

To make brine, add 1.5 tablespoons of salt to 1 liter of boiling water, stir, bring to a boil and cool. Add brine as needed during fermentation. Seal the jars with lids and store in a dark and cool place.

The shelf life of a closed jar with pickling is 1-2 years, the shelf life of the product when opened is 4-5 days.

Salting in barrels

An ideal option for pickling in barrels for those who have basements for storing large containers.

Cooking method:

Prepare the barrel, rinse and scald with boiling water.
Place the green grapes in piles and roll them tightly into tubes.
Place the workpieces tightly in the barrel.
Pour in brine.
Cover with a clean cloth and a wooden circle.
Install oppression.

Before use, salted leaves must be soaked in water for 30 minutes.

How to marinate

Prepare sterile jars.
Fold clean and dry grape leaves and wrap them in tight rolls (10-15 pieces in each).
Place the rolls tightly in jars up to the shoulders.
Pour boiling water for 10 minutes.
Drain the water and repeat the procedure 2 times.
Pour boiling marinade over.
Roll up under the lid.
Store in a dark and cool place.

Marinade: For 1 liter of water, 1 tablespoon of rock salt, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 2 tablespoons of vinegar 9%.

Collecting grape leaves for pickling or storing for the winter

Dry preservation

The dry preservation method is popular due to its simplicity. In this case, the leaves are not rolled into rolls, but laid in layers. Each layer is sprinkled with salt. Filled jars with herbs are sterilized in a hot oven at a temperature of 90-100C for about 10 minutes. Next, the jars are rolled up with lids and stored in the cellar or refrigerator.

As you can see, preserving grape leaves for the winter is as easy as shelling pears. Having made the necessary preparations, even in the January frost, you can enjoy hot and aromatic dolma without any problems. Eat with pleasure and let a piece of the vine and the summer sun be next to you.

Dolma is extremely similar to cabbage rolls, only grape leaves are used for its preparation. To be able to consume the dish all year round, the main ingredient is prepared by thrifty housewives for future use.

The preparation of suitable grape leaves for dolma for the winter is carried out in the spring; storage of reserves is possible in dried, salted, or canned form.

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.

Canning in tomato juice

Preserving leaves in tomato juice is simple; for this you need:

Collect medium-sized material.
Cut out all the petioles and wash.
Place into piles and roll up.
Place in clean, dry jars.

The workpieces are treated with boiling water for 13-15 minutes, which is then drained. During disinfection, tomato juice is boiled, seasoned with sugar, grape vinegar and salt to taste. Salted leaves infused in tomato juice are very tasty, thanks to them dolma becomes unusual in taste.

Pickling

To pickle the leaves, they are rolled into tubes, placed tightly in a pan, poured with boiling water and kept over low heat. After 15-20 minutes you can marinate using brine:

5 liters of water;
2-3 tablespoons of salt;
peppercorns – 3-4 pieces.

You can also, according to your own preference, add dry mustard, mint sprigs, apple juice, and garlic cloves to the mixture.

The jars are filled to the top with brine, completely covering the workpieces. Some owners close the jars with rubber lids only in the morning or even after a few days, using a method such as ripening. Others seal the jars hermetically immediately after pouring the marinade. For people suffering from gastrointestinal problems, it is important not to forget to rinse the workpiece or soak it in cold water for several hours before preparing dolma.

Rules and terms for storing leaves

Delicious Armenian dolma cannot be prepared without fresh ingredients. Therefore, even grape leaves harvested for future use are used only until fresh material appears.

The preparations are not stored for more than one year, and once the product is taken it is not canned or frozen again. This way it can lose its taste, ruining the entire impression of the now famous folk dish.

Dolma preparations are stored in the same way as canning: in a cool, slightly darkened room. The exception is frozen material, which can be removed strictly in portions, keeping it away from other products. Due to its special fragility, it will require extremely careful handling until completely defrosted.

Traditionally, dolma is prepared with grape leaves. Unlike similar cabbage rolls, the ingredients for which can be found at any time of the year, preparing dolma in winter and spring becomes problematic. While cabbage is sold in stores all year round, grape leaves can only be found in summer. To prepare dolma, you need to prepare grape leaves for the winter. There are several options for preparing grape leaves for the winter.

To prepare foliage for the winter, you first need to decide on the timing. Young leaves that begin to appear before the vine blooms are suitable for dolma. And if we take into account that the vine grows continuously throughout the growing season, then the collection of leaves begins in late spring and ends in autumn.

To prepare the dish, only the foliage of white grape varieties is used. These leaves are juicy and tender, perfect for dolma. Red varieties have dry and stringy leaves. The minced meat in them will be dry, and the leaves themselves will be hard after cooking.

Selection and preparation of grape leaves

For preparations, leaves of grapes are used, which grow far from roadways. The leaves for dolma should be juicy and young, of a light emerald hue. They are easy to distinguish from the old ones. In addition, they should not show signs of damage, insect marks, stains or plaque. Leaves are chosen that are healthy and elastic. If plants have recently been treated with chemicals, then you should refrain from collecting leaves for several weeks.

Before harvesting foliage, it must first be prepared. The cut leaves are placed in a deep container and filled with cool tap water. Each sheet is then thoroughly washed and re-inspected. After everything is washed, they are laid out in a thin layer in the shade and dried. There is no need to dry them too much, the main thing is that only the water dries and they are not wet.

Methods for harvesting grape greens at home

There are several ways in which you can prepare grape leaves for the winter. Each method has pros and cons. You can only choose the one that is ideal for every housewife if you try all the methods of preparing green grapes for preparing this Armenian dish.

Freezing

The easiest way to prepare grape greens for making dolma is to freeze them in the freezer. Before freezing greens in the freezer, they are washed and dried. The main thing is that the leaves are dry, otherwise the water will freeze on the leaves and they will not be as tasty. The greens are placed in stacks of 15-20 pieces and placed in a plastic bag. Then put it in the freezer.

The main disadvantage of this method is the difficulty in defrosting and using greens for cooking. Frozen leaves are very fragile and will tear if moved incorrectly.

Pickling

Green grapes can also be pickled for the winter. First you need to prepare the marinade. For it you will need:

1 liter of water;
spices (cloves, peppercorns);
laurel;
1 tbsp. l. regular salt and sugar;
1-2 tbsp. l. acetic acid.

First, the jars are sterilized. Then spices and bay leaves are placed on the bottom, and grape leaves are laid out. Pour boiling water over and after 3-4 minutes the water is poured into the container. Then this water is put on fire and brought to a boil. Add salt, sugar. After the salt and sugar have dissolved, add vinegar and immediately fill the jars with marinade. Close the jars with lids. This method will keep the leaves intact. Any spices can be used. They will add aroma to the leaves and a pleasant spicy taste. This is worth considering, because this dish is not for everyone, and not everyone will like it.

You can seal the grape greens in glass jars. The process of preparing pickling in jars is as follows:

Roll the leaves into tubes (no more than 10 leaves per tube).
Sterilize jars.
Boil the water.
Place the tubes in a jar and fill with water, after 10-12 minutes drain the water.
Then pour boiling water into the jars again.
Drain the water again, add salt and boil.
Pour the brine over the leaves and close the jars with a lid.

Wait for the jars to cool and put them in the refrigerator.

Dry canning

Preserving grape leaves for dolma for the winter using the dry method is quite simple. The leaves are folded into envelopes. You need to choose greens of the same size, then they will fold evenly into the jar. Each envelope contains no more than 10 pieces.

There is no need to use spices, salt or even water for this recipe. Full jars are covered with lids, wrapped in a warm towel and left in a cool, dark place for a day. After 24 hours you need to take out the jar. If the lid is a little swollen, then it’s okay, the leaves are not lost. The workpiece needs to be remade if the lid is swollen greatly. This is a simple way to prepare grape leaves for the winter to prepare juicy Armenian dolma.

Preservation by dry salting

Another way to prepare green grapes for the winter is by dry salting. There are many recipes for cooking greens, but this one is one of the simplest. The only easier way is to freeze greens in the freezer.

The grape greens are washed under running water and dried for several hours in a cool room.

It is important to ensure that the leaves are completely dry when placing them in jars. Jars for salting are sterilized.

The leaves are folded into tubes or envelopes. The main thing is that they are not too thick. Then the blanks are placed in jars in layers. When the first layer is at the bottom, it is covered with salt. Then lay out the second layer and sprinkle with salt again. This must be done until the jar is full. After this, close the workpieces with a lid and put them in a cool room.

Storage

As a rule, it is most convenient to store jars of grape preparations for the winter in the refrigerator or cellar. After the containers with greens have cooled, they are placed on the lower shelves of the refrigerator or lowered into the basement. The choice of one location or another is not important, the main thing is that they are stored in a cool room, where bright sunlight will not reach. The preparations need to be stored for no more than one year. If they sit longer, they lose all their taste, and dolma based on such greens turns out to be tasteless.

The products that are kept in the freezer are stored the least. Their shelf life is only six months. If they sit longer, then they are safely thrown out. They are no longer suitable for cooking. When defrosted they are watery and slimy.

Of course, even if ideal storage conditions for grape preparations are observed, Armenian dolma based on them is not as tasty and juicy as fresh ones. In this case, cabbage leaves will be the best option. After all, cabbage rolls and dolma are not much different. It’s better to enjoy dolma in the warm season, when grape leaves are plucked directly from the vine. Many housewives note that leaves prepared for the winter become hard and rough, no matter how they are pickled.

Dolma is a popular dish in the East. It is similar to cabbage rolls, but the filling is wrapped in grape leaves, which add sourness to the dish. In each country, this dish has its own name, but translated it has the same meaning: “stuffed vegetables or leaves.”

In our country, this food is also gaining popularity, because something new and tasty is always interesting. I first tried it from the local Greeks, now I cook it myself for my family. Moreover, this dish is not only tasty, but also healthy. Any housewife, even the least experienced one, can handle this recipe. You just need to stick to the basic principles and everything will work out well. Today we will talk about how to store grape leaves for dolma.

Freezing preparations for dolma

Kitchen appliances and utensils: hob and saucepan.

Ingredients

Choosing the right ingredients

Now I will share with you which grape leaves are suitable for dolma:

For preparing preparations It is better to use freshly picked leaves. It is advisable to harvest in mid-summer, when they are young, soft and tender.
For preservation choose larger leaves.
They must be free of damage, rot and dark spots.

Step by step recipe

Wash, remove the stems and divide 60 grape leaves into three piles of 20, placing them from largest to smallest. So the bottom largest one will hold the entire pack.
Pour three liters of water into a deep saucepan. Bring it to a boil, but do not let it boil.
Place one pack into the water so that the large ones are at the bottom.
“Bathe” them in water until the color of each changes.
Do not let the water boil. Our task is to pour boiling water over the dolma preparations, but not to cook them.
Remove from water and place in a rimmed dish. Let the water drain.
Repeat these manipulations with each stack of blanks.
Straighten the leaves and place them in a plastic bag.
Release all the air from the bag and close it so that they do not bend.
Stack the packages on top of each other in this order:

The first package is tails up.

The second package is tails down.

The third package is tails up.

Place in the freezer when cool. You can store it for one or two seasons.

Video recipe: preparing grape leaves for dolma in the freezer for the winter

I invite you to watch a short video that describes in detail how to prepare grape leaves for dolma. You will be able to see what they will become after being in the water, and how to put them in a bag correctly.

There are a lot of ways to preserve grape leaves, and every housewife uses the one that is most suitable for her. This way they are well preserved in canned form. When you open a jar of such preparations in winter, the room is filled with the fresh, summer aroma of grapes.

Canned grape leaves for dolma

Cooking time: 40 minutes.
Number of servings: 90 leaves.
Calories: 93 kcal per 100 g of product.
Kitchen appliances and utensils: jar, seaming lid and machine, saucepan and hob.

Ingredients

Step by step recipe

Video recipe for preparing canned grape leaves for dolma for the winter

Let's watch a short video that shows in detail how to preserve grape leaves for dolma.

Cooking options

To prepare dolma, leaves of figs, quinces and other various trees are used. But with grapes it turns out tastier, because they give the food a pleasant sourness.
For the filling, you can also use ingredients to suit your taste. Its classic version is minced meat with rice. This dish is also prepared in vegetarian cuisine without using meat. In fact, you can wrap anything, the main thing is that you like it.
Initially, the filling was chopped lamb, but over time they began to make it from any type of meat and fish.

Dear readers, I hope you have used the recipes I suggested on how to store and pickle grape leaves for dolma. Now in winter you will delight your household with delicious food. If you have any suggestions or recommendations, write, I will always be glad to read from you! And now I wish you a good mood and bon appetit!

Dolma made from grape leaves is a classic dish of the Middle East and far abroad, similar to cabbage rolls. There is an assumption that the first time meat twisted into the tops of a plant was cooked in the Ottoman Empire. The leaf-wrapped filling (grape leaf dolma) is found in cuisines all over the world, including Africa, Greece, etc.

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 color, 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.

Procurement of raw materials

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

Let's consider the types of processing and ways to ensure the safety of raw materials.

Dry storage

The method makes it possible to quickly prepare and compactly store grape foliage. We put dry products in a jar, sprinkle each unit with salt. After filling the container, put everything in the oven at 90-100 degrees for 10 minutes. Then you can roll up the jars and send them for storage.

Dry canning

Prepared ingredients must be clean and dry. Place in a jar in layers. Sprinkle every 10th leaf with salt. After the jar is filled, it is sterilized for 10-15 minutes. After this, the container can be rolled up with a lid. This way you can preserve the taste and smell of a fresh product.

Freezing

Reliable, simple and popular storage method. In this option, all nutritional and taste qualities are preserved. Several sheets are stacked and rolled. If the product was washed in water, then it needs to be dried. Grape leaves should be frozen dry and slightly wilted. You need to store it in a hard container, because the frozen product is very fragile.

Bottled storage

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 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. This method allows you to preserve the foliage in its original form. The rarefied atmosphere in the container facilitates storage. If necessary, the plastic bottle just needs to be cut.

Pickling

How to pickle grape leaves for dolma? Jars need to be washed and disinfected. Pour boiling water over, drain and rinse with it. Let the leaves dry (this allows you to pickle the green grapes and roll them without the risk of breaking the veins) and place them in a container. The marinade is prepared as follows: add 1 tbsp to one liter of water. a spoonful of sugar and the same amount of salt. Boil for three minutes and then pour in 2 tablespoons of 9% vinegar. Remove from heat. This solution is poured into the contents and the jars are screwed on. Pickling grape leaves for dolma is one of the most popular types of stock. You can store this product at room temperature.

Pickling, how to pickle grape leaves

When salting, you can use brine. The liquid for pouring is prepared simply: add 1.5 tablespoons of salt per liter of boiling water. Boil and then cool. Pour boiling water over the greens for 2-3 minutes. Drain quickly through a colander. Place the softened greens in piles and roll them. We put everything in sterilized jars, sprinkle with rock salt and fill with brine. To allow the preserved food to ferment, we keep it in the room for 2 weeks. Add brine if necessary.

We looked at the most popular options for harvesting grape leaves for storage and use for a year or even two. Pickled, salted, etc. Grape leaves for dolma contain a lot of useful elements and vitamins that help our body maintain health.

Recipes for making real dolma

The size of the dolma depends on the dimensions of the sheet and is usually no more than 5-7 cm. The filling for each roll takes about 1 tbsp. spoons.

Classic dolma

For the filling use lean meat and round rice. Onions are fried in vegetable oil. All ingredients are mixed, greens are added to taste. We wrap a small amount of filling in leaves that have been pre-soaked and kept in boiling water. Place the rolls in a pan. You can pour vegetable oil on the bottom and each layer. Fill with water in which the leaves were processed. Simmer the dolma for about an hour over low heat. When serving, you can put sour cream and tomatoes next to it.

Dolma in Armenian

Armenia has its own recipe for making the filling. In addition to minced meat and rice, a small amount of sweet pepper, onions and tomatoes is added here. Fresh or pickled grape leaves are kept in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. The further process follows the same rules. The filling is wrapped in leaves and placed in a thick-walled container. Cooking also takes place in water, but the dolma is under pressure (a load holding and pressing from above). Slow boiling for half an hour is the final step. Serve on a large platter with sauce (kefir, garlic, salt, pepper).

Every family has its own special ones.

Green grapes contain a lot of useful substances. Proper preparation of products allows you to freeze or pickle foliage for dolma, while maintaining taste and aesthetic qualities. If the whole procedure is carried out correctly, then you can pamper your loved ones with this dish all year round. Dolma made from fresh grape leaves will decorate any table.