Vine leaves preserved in brine

 

Vine leaves - it is just the right time to harvest them and preserve them in brine to use at a later stage for making 'dolmades' (as the Greeks call them) or 'warak einab' (as the Lebanese call them).  In order to strike while the iron is hot, I picked two large baskets full, and I have to preserve them tonight.  I will share with you the recipe I am going to use, as well as tips on what to look for when picking...

To prepare the vine leaves and make the brine
1.  Snip off the stem and rinse well.  Drain.
2.  Wash leaves (about 1kg) and stack in piles of 24, with shiny side up.  Roll up and tie with string.
3.  Bring 8 cups water to the boil with ¼ cup salt.  
4.  Drop in 4 bundles at a time, return to the boil and blanch for 3 minutes, turning rolls over to blanch evenly. 
5.  Lift out and drain. 
6.  Repeat with remaining rolls.
7.  Make a brine with 8 cups water boiled with 1 cup sea salt.
8.  Pack rolls upright into warm sterilized jars and pour hot brine over leaves. 
9.  Remove air bubbles and seal when cold.
10.Tip - label jars with date and number of leaves.
11.To use the leaves, remove as many as you need one day ahead and rinse under cold running water to remove brine.

Tips when picking
1.    Grape leaves should be whole (without holes) preferably from vines that have not been sprayed with pesticides.
2.  Leaves should be light green, and tender (supple). The best are those below the new growth at the top of the plant and above those close to the grapes.
3.  Leaves should be medium to large, at least the size of the palm of your hand, large enough to wrap around a filling.

"Easy recipes" from "Sophia Lindop"

Comments

[Anne @ Pink Galoshes]

Thanks for sharing, I really love finding recipes for brining. So helpful! So tasty!

[nina]

My sister loves dolmades and I will be so popular with her if I can pull this off. Thx for sharing!