*Every year for New Year’s Eve my mother makes Dolma, stuffed grape leaves. She got the recipe from an Iraqi neighbor. This recipe does take some time so looking back maybe that’s why we only made it once a year. In Israel it is very common to buy stuffed grape leaves in cans and serve them cold. Despite the extra effort in the kitchen I still think a good dolma recipe beats anything from a can.
Ingredients
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
3/4 cup parsley, chopped|
3/4 cup cilantro, choppped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp curry
1/2 tsp cumin
2 pounds ground round
2 cans tomato sauce
3/4 cup rice, cooked
1 jar of large grape leaves in brine
1 head of cabbage
Directions
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) Mix by hand the onion, parsley, cilantro, garlic, spices, meat, tomato sauce, and rice.
3) Cover bottom of large heavy baking dish with cabbage leaves to prevent the grape leaves from sticking.
4) To stuff grape leaves with meat mixture, seperate one leaf at a time and place it on plate with the shiny side down. Put 2 tblsp of the filling on the stem end of the leaf. Fold up the bottom of the leaf over the filling, then each side inward in parallel folds, and roll up the leaf. The roll should be firm but not too tight. Place rolls in baking dish, seam side down.
5) Repeat rolling up leaves with mixture until filling is gone. The rolls can be stacked in two to three layers in the baking dish but do not overcrowd them.
6) Pour 1 cup of water in baking dish and over grape leaves.
7) Cover the baking dish with a lid and and cook for 1 hour.
*Recipe by Shelley Neese, vice president of The Jerusalem Connection. Click here for her articles and videos.
