A question for John Patakos

[LizStreithorst]

You once told me that you could teach me how to make stuffed grape leaves.  I didn't follow up because I didn't have the grape leaves available until now.  My supermarket suddenly has some.  Imagine that...down here in rural Mississippi!

Please tell me how to do it.  The ones I bought in the can sucked.

[Mugwump]

You once told me that you could teach me how to make stuffed grape leaves.  I didn't follow up because I didn't have the grape leaves available until now.  My supermarket suddenly has some.  Imagine that...down here in rural Mississippi!

Please tell me how to do it.  The ones I bought in the can sucked.

'Dolma'......

[LizStreithorst]

Yes, Dolma.

[John Patakos]

Dolma or Dolmathes...either one.in the old country (Greece and much of the middle east) they were made with lamb or goat.i use a combination of ground beef and pork.3/4 lb beef & 1/4 lb pork.
here is the bad thing.....i don't really measure.......but here it is as best as i can explain.....
grape leaves..i usually buy either Orlando brand or Yergat brand..available at almost any middle eastern store...or even online.buy 2 jars...1 lb each................remove the leaves from 1 jar and open them up.place them in a pan of cold water..
you will need....
large stock pot...about 16 qts.
large mixing bowl.
dinner plate.
1 qt. mason jar.

ingredients list....

grape leaves..
pork neck bones..
chicken soup base.
3/4 lb ground chuck.
1/4 lb ground pork.
2 cups long grain rice.
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes.
3-4 tbs finely minced fresh mint....or dried..
2 med onions finely minced.
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil.

salt
pepper
seasoned salt
garlic powder
______________________________________________________
in large mixing bowl...
ground meats............rice(raw).....onions....mint...tomatoes......olive oil...salt..pepper..seasoned salt..garlic powder..
mix well....

place a layer of neck bones on the bottom of the pot.
carefully separate the leaves..they can be delicate..put aside any that are torn or are a bit tough..make a layer of these leaves over the neck bones..you will need more leaves to cover the top...
try not to let the leaves dry out..
use a dinner plate to roll them on.
lay a leaf on the plate , bottom side up with the stem facing you..this is just like rolling stuffed cabbage.place a spoonful of the mixture at the back of the leaf..fold the sides over and roll snugly...
as you roll place dolma all around snugly in layers..they need to fit closely together..
about 1/2-3/4 done using the first jar of leaves see how much mix you have left and figure how much of the second jar you need to finish..
once all of the dolma have all been rolled place the layer of leaves on top..then make a stock with the chicken soup base and lemon juice...enough to cover the top layer by about 1/2" or so.
take the dinner plate and place it upside down on top of the leaves..place the pot on the stove..fill the mason jar with water and place it on top of the plate..it is to hold everything down..
simmer for about 1 1/2 hrs...you may have to add a little water while it cooks..
remove the jar and gently pull back some of the top leaves and remove a dolma from the center of the top layer and taste to see if it is cooked all the way..

there are a few things to top the dolma..Avga Lemono (egg & lemon) sauce..(no ; i don't know how to make it..).............EVOO....no Rachael Ray did not invent that..my cousin and i used that term since the late 60s......and Sour Cream..either sour cream or evoo depends on my mood...

ok ; there it is Liz..not difficult , but time consuming...i hope it comes out ok for you...

[LizStreithorst]

Thank you John. It will be hard for me since I haven't done it before.  It will be my next cooking project.  I only cook on weekends.  I'll have to see what brand of grape leaves my store has.  They went from having none at all to having two different brands

[John Patakos]

i forgot to mention..they do freeze well..

[Mugwump]

I love Galumpkis....now I've got to try this....MMMMmmmm.....yep, freeze well too.....LOL..has to because we make two big pans when we make it....MMMMMmmmmmmmmmmm

...Liz, don't forget the hot fresh bread.....gotsa have some soakie with the juices....yum yum..

[LizStreithorst]

I will make this tomorrow.  My supermarket carries lamb but it's ridiculously expensive, probably because there is so little demand.  I'll see if they'll grind some up for me.  I'd much rather use lamb than beef or pork.

[LizStreithorst]

I have the yearning for these once again.  When it comes upon me I can't help but spend all morning in the kitchen doing prep work.  Prep work is fun when you know how wonderful the result will be.