Atlantic Avenue and Stuffed Grape Leaves

Photograph courtesy of PD Photo.org

Among the brick pots, buckets, and rakes

A row of inverted grape leaves climbs to a pale green

“The Sea-Garden, “ Fanny Howe,  Selected Poems

My grandmother and my Lebanese aunts did lots of traditional cooking, but my mom didn’t.  So we made periodic trips to Atlantic Avenue to eat at Julia W’s Lebanese restaurant where we’d have hummus bi’ tahini, baba ghanouz, tabouli, kibbi, and beautifully-made plump-and-juicy stuffed grape leaves. Julia was a distant cousin, what some Americans would call a “shirt tail” cousin. Invariably, after our meal, we would move on to shopping for imported goodies at Sahadi Fine Foods, which I believe in those days was simply “Sahadi Bros.”  Back then, lots of foods were sold in bulk, mostly from large oak barrels.  Sahadi’s was pretty posh, as I remember, polished and pristine.  But, other of the small, family owned groceries were also intriguing for the wonderful pungent scent, a combination of olives, spices, and fresh breads, and well-scrubbed wooden floors covered with saw dust.

I have always loved grape leaves, not only for the flavor but for the example of using a resource so efficiently.  No waste. Use both the fruit of the grapevine and use the leaves.  Wonderful! Though often made with lamb or beef, stuffed grape leaves are just as delicious without meat and naturally wheat-and-gluten free.  

Since I avoid white rice, I started experimenting a few years ago with brown-rice stuffed grape leaves. They didn’t come out well the first few times.  I stuck with it.  There had to be a way. After all,it would not be unreasonable to assume that once-upon-a-time the stuffing was always made with brown rice, before we started fooling so much with our food.

With time and perseverance, I finally did it and love the results.  Wish I could share some photographs of my own, but the camera died.  So here’s the recipe.  Hope you will try it and like it too. Stuffed grape leaves can be served with a soup or salad, as part of a mezze, or as a snack food.  Once it’s prepared, it’s a good gluten-free lunch-on-the-run along with a bit of plain soy or dairy yogurt and a piece of juicy fresh organic fruit.

Since I have never grown grapes, I always buy my grape leaves in jars.  These days you can find them in the regular grocery or on-line and don’t have to search for a Middle Eastern grocer.  A small (one pound) jar will make about 32 stuffed grape leaves.  A large (two pound) jar will make about 56.  In our neighborhood, prepared stuffed grape leaves are quite dear, about two dollars each.  You can make your own for much, much less than that.

If you have never made your own, please note that your home-cooked grape leaves will not be uniform in size in the way prepared ones are. The jars of grape leaves will have several different sizes in them. No matter.  Stuff them all.  The flavor will be the same.  Outstanding! This recipe is more in the Greek manner than the Lebanese. Enjoy . . . .

The recipe

Serves twelve as an appetiser

2 cups of Pacific Organic Vegetable Broth, which is gluten-free

1 cup of organic, short-grain brown rice

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 clove of garlic, minced

3 shallots, minced

1/3 cup of green onions, rough chopped

1/4 cup of fresh spearmint leaves, minced

1/4 cup of fresh parsley, minced

1/4 cup fresh dill weed, minced

4 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice (Meyer when you can get them)

1/3 cup sultana (yellow) raisins, rough chopped

¼ cup pine nuts (easily omitted if you have allergies), rough chopped

Olive Oil, best quality you can afford

1-1 lb. jar of grape leaves

Assemble (a video follows) and bake the stuffed grape leaves:

Using the vegetable broth and salt, prepare the brown rice according to package directions.

While the rice is cooking, lightly sauté the onions, shallots, and garlic in oil and reserve.

Remove the grapes from the jar.  Separate them, rinsing them all under cold water           

When the rice is cooked, mix the rice with all the ingredients except for the grape leaves and olive oil.

Lay out a leaf at a time.  Place a teaspoon in the lower, center of the leaf. Adjust how much you put in each leaf according to its size. Fold the bottom over the stuffing and then fold in the sides.  As you finish each one, place it in a small casserole that has a cover to go with it.  Once you have all the grape leaves stuffed, drizzle some oil lightly over the top.  Cover with foil and then the casserole lid.  Bake for ten minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees.   Cool to room temperature before serving.

I have uploaded (or downloaded???) a video in which you will see how to stuff the leaves.  This lady is preparing the grape leaves using white rice.  Consequently, the rice is uncooked.  She will cook it on the stove top, probably layering the smaller leaves (unstuffed) in the bottom of the pot to keep the larger, stuffed grape leaves from burning.  I have found that this technique (the same as my grandmother’s) does not work well with raw brown rice.  Hence, I devised the method described above.  Please also note, mention is made in the video of taking care that the rice mixure doesn’t burst out of the rolled leaves. That’s because raw rice is placed in the leaves and room must be left for it to expand.  When using my revised method described above, this is not a concern.

This video was posted to YouTube by RioJoes

~ by brooklynmemoriesmostgreen on August 29, 2009.