Grape leaves for dolma for the winter. Grape leaves for dolma for the winter How to properly preserve grape leaves for dolma

While the grape leaves are tender and young, hurry to prepare grape leaves for the winter for dolma, so that you can enjoy your favorite dish all year round. If anyone doesn’t know, dolma are small cabbage rolls, but instead of cabbage, the filling is wrapped in grape leaves. I won’t describe how delicious it is, a detailed recipe for this dish will appear on the website soon, you’ll see for yourself. In the meantime, I’ll tell you how to prepare grape leaves for the winter in two ways: canned with salt and frozen. Both of them are very simple and won't take much time.

Harvesting grape leaves for the winter

We will need:

• Young grape leaves;
• table salt;
• boiled chilled water;
• cans with a capacity of 0.7 or 1 liter;
• plastic bags;
• plastic container for freezing.

Canned grape leaves

Not every leaf is suitable for preparing dolma. You need to collect only young, soft ones, and it is also important that they are not carved. Round or slightly elongated ones with small teeth are ideal. Each leaf must be washed under running water on both sides. If you find it with pimples or spots, throw it away. Let the water drain.

Cut with scissors or tear off the petioles.

Place in stacks of 10-20 pieces. We roll it up, tucking the edges inside the “roll”. We wrap it with light threads to prevent them from unraveling.

We select a jar suitable in height, install the rolls vertically, tightly one to the other.

Fill the jars with grape leaves with boiled water, cooled to room temperature or warm. Let it sit for ten minutes so that the water fills all the voids, then drain. This way we will know how much saline solution is needed.

Now we make “brine” - a strong salty solution. We use only coarse table salt, not iodized. Add in portions, stirring. We bring the strength of the solution to the concentration “so that the egg floats” - a chicken egg should be on the surface, not sink. Before doing this, be sure to wash the egg with a brush and soda.

Pour the grape leaves with a salty solution, leave on the table for two to three hours, adding water if necessary. Then we screw the lids on and put them in the refrigerator or in a cool basement. Before use, the leaves must be soaked in water for at least an hour to remove excess salt.

You can prepare canned grape leaves for the winter in a slightly different way. Roll into rolls, place in liter jars, throw a few black peppercorns into each, add a teaspoon of mustard powder and a tablespoon of table salt. Pour boiling water over and roll up. This method is suitable if there is little space in the refrigerator or if you need to prepare a large batch. This product is stored at room temperature.

How to preserve grape leaves for dolma - freezing

This method is considered the easiest, simplest and fastest. But there is a minor drawback - the leaves need to be stored only in a container; after freezing they become very fragile and break. Place the prepared leaves on a towel and dry on both sides.

Place in stacks of ten, outer side down, ribbed on top.

Twist it into a tube and tuck the ends inside so that they don’t break off when frozen. Wrap in cling film, plastic, or place in small bags and seal.

Place in a food container, cover with a lid, and freeze. Before use, remove from the bag and, without unwrapping, place in cold water or leave at room temperature so that the process proceeds gradually. It is not necessary to scald such leaves with boiling water; after defrosting, they become soft and it is easy to twist the filling into them.

And this is a photo of dolma to show why everything is started. It’s simply impossible to resist making cauldrons of small cabbage rolls in grape leaves! While we are bragging about the result, the recipe will come later.

Try to choose leaves of the same size for the workpiece, about the size of your palm. They are just the right height to fit into liter or 700 gram jars, and they are also convenient to freeze.

Well, we have made another useful preparation, now dolma can be prepared in winter. Maybe you know another way to prepare grape leaves for the winter? Take a moment, write in the comments to the recipe - we will be very grateful.

Dolma is one of the most popular dishes of the peoples of Central Asia and Transcaucasia. However, thanks to its delicious original taste and at the same time quite simple preparation, it takes its rightful place in our kitchen. The principle of this dish is similar to our cabbage rolls, but grape leaves are used instead of cabbage, and there are also some differences in the selection of spices, preparation and serving.

The ideal option for dolma, of course, is fresh young grape leaves, the size of a palm. But their period of youth is limited and therefore the leaves are plucked and stored for future use at the beginning of summer in order to use them all year round to prepare your favorite dish.

There are many ways to do this. Today we will talk about them in detail below in our article.

Preparing grape leaves for dolma for the winter

Leaves for dolma can be either pickled or kept fresh. To do this, rinse the freshly picked leaves thoroughly, lay them out on a clean towel and let them dry thoroughly. There should not be a drop of moisture left on them, this is very important for perfect preservation. Then we place the leaves on top of each other in a stack of up to ten pieces and roll them into a tight roll. Next, wrap the roll in cling film and place it in the freezer for storage.

If the volume of your freezer does not allow you to make large-scale preparations, then the rolled leaves can be placed very tightly in glass jars, rolled up with lids and sterilized in the oven for twenty minutes.

Some experienced housewives use another simple and very effective way to store grape leaves. The prepared dense rolls are placed in plastic half-liter bottles. Each will contain approximately five bundles of ten sheets. Then squeeze the container to remove air as much as possible and screw it with a stopper. Thus, the leaves remain fresh for a long time. This is possible, of course, provided that their surface is sufficiently dry to remove any remaining moisture, otherwise they may become moldy.

How to pickle grape leaves for dolma?

Grape leaves for dolma can also be pickled. To do this, rinse the fresh young leaves thoroughly, place them in a deep bowl, fill them with hot water and immediately drain them. The leaves, slightly softened by blanching, are arranged in several pieces and rolled into rolls or envelopes. Then we place the bundles tightly in a prepared, clean, sterile jar and fill them with hot marinade. To prepare it, heat water to a boil, add three or four peas of allspice, half a teaspoon of mustard powder and a teaspoon of salt. This is the calculation for one liter jar of grape leaves. Be sure to make sure that the brine fills all the voids between the leaves in the jar. Then we screw the containers with boiled sterile lids and store them in the pantry with other preparations.

How to salt and store grape leaves for dolma?

Grape leaves are perfectly stored in a simple saline solution. To make this preparation, we cut off the young grape leaves along with the cuttings, wash them thoroughly, put ten pieces together and tie them with clean thread. Place the bundles in a clean jar and fill them with a simple saline solution. To prepare it, dissolve enough non-iodized salt in cold water so that the raw egg floats on the surface. The leaves should be completely covered with salty liquid, so during storage it is necessary to add it as the leaves absorb it and the brine level decreases. We cover the jars with such a preparation with nylon lids and store them in a cool place.

Properly salted grape leaves can be stored for several years, but before cooking they must be soaked in clean water.

Grape leaves are used to wrap dolma - a dish made from rice, small pieces of meat or minced meat and herbs. The preparation of leaves must be done in the summer in order to enjoy the spicy taste of the dish in winter. How to preserve grape leaves for dolma for the winter? There are several methods from which housewives can choose the most suitable one for themselves.

• leaves of maiden or ornamental grapes - they are considered wild varieties, unsuitable for food;
• leaves that are affected by fungus and mold, as well as specimens where insect pests are located;
• leaves colored in strange colors: yellowish, whitish or cream;
• leaves that began to darken on one side from sunburn;
• leaves growing on a vine near the roadway.

You should not collect old leaves either, as they contain harmful substances. In this case, experienced gardeners recommend plucking the 5th, 6th and 7th specimens, counting from the top of the vine. It is advisable that they all be the same size.

How to preserve grape leaves for the winter?

If desired, you can simply freeze the leaves. To do this, they need to be rolled up and placed in a plastic bag. Then you can put everything in the freezer. When you want to cook dolma, defrost these leaves first in cold water, and then follow the recipe.

Be sure to sort through the torn leaves to get rid of suspicious specimens. Rinse each of them with tap water and cut the cuttings. Now choose any of the methods for preparing leaves for the winter:

1. Fresh storage. Roll the leaves into rolls and 8-10 pieces each. Place in glass jars. Sterilize them in the oven for about 30 minutes. Then put the containers in a cool, dark place.
2. Pickling. Prepare a special brine on the stove: 2 tbsp. l. salt per 1 liter of water. Pour the marinade over the leaf rolls in the jars. Leave the latter overnight, and in the morning close the lids and put them in the refrigerator.
3. Canning. Collect 20 leaves into a tube. Place them in boiling water for 3 seconds and then in cold water. Place the leaves in jars. Fill everything with cold brine - 45 g of salt per 1 liter of water. After 2-3 days, add 1 tsp. vinegar and roll up the jars.
4. Salting. Prepare a 10% salt solution. Take a 1.5 liter container and pour cold brine into it. Store grape leaves where it is cool. Before use, they need to be soaked in water for 2 hours.

Preserving grape leaves for dolma for the winter is not a difficult task, but not every skilled housewife knows about this possibility. But many people would like to please their family with a delicious oriental dish on one of the long winter evenings. Dolma - a mixture of rice, minced meat and spicy herbs, wrapped in a delicate grape leaf, will delight even a sophisticated gourmet. And if there are no problems with the filling in winter, then the leaves should be prepared in advance.

Dolma is a mixture of meat, rice and herbs, wrapped in a grape leaf.

Proper preparation is the key to success

Collecting, sorting and proper preparation of grape leaves is half the success.

Chefs of successful restaurants of Azerbaijani, Georgian and Armenian cuisines recommend using young leaves of white table grapes, which are picked during the flowering period of the vine (in May-June). When collecting, preference should be given to thin, smooth and soft leaves with small, delicate veins. The surface of the sheet should be smooth on both sides (without edges on the underside).

The following cannot be used as food:

Leaves damaged by pests or disease should not be eaten.

• leaves of wild grapes (maiden or decorative);
• old leaves;
• leaves with signs of damage by pests, fungus, mold;
• leaves with sunburn.

You should also avoid collecting leaves that have changed their traditional green color to lemon, yellow, whitish or cream.

It’s easy to avoid making a mistake with the age of a leaf by following the advice of experienced gardeners and winemakers: pluck the fifth, sixth and seventh leaves from the crown of the vine. It is advisable to harvest grape leaves before spraying against pests and diseases.

The plucked leaves must be sorted out, washed under running water, and a stalk cut from each. Now the leaves can be harvested for the winter using one of the following methods:

• freezing;
• pickling;
• dry canning;
• pickling;
• dry salting

Some housewives additionally pour boiling water over the raw materials. If you plan to prepare it using salting or pickling, then this action is not necessary.

Return to contents

Freezing and fresh storage

Leaves should be washed thoroughly before freezing.

Freezing. Freezing in the refrigerator is one of the easiest and most convenient ways to store grape leaves, allowing you to preserve all the beneficial substances and vitamins in the raw material without compromising the natural taste. All that is required is the product and cling film.

Freezing rules:

1. Place the washed and dried leaves in stacks of 15-30 pieces. One frozen batch should be enough for one dolma preparation.
2. Cut the cling film into small pieces.
3. Place a stack of leaves in the middle of the film cut.
4. Roll the leaves together with the film into a tight roll.
5. Tuck in the remaining film to form a sealed bag.
6. Place portions in the freezer.

Leaves frozen in this way can be stored at a temperature of -18 0 C for 6 to 9 months. The main disadvantage of freezing is the fragility of the frozen product, so you need to ensure that there is enough space in the freezer so that other products do not crush the leaves. It is best to defrost the main part of the dolma in the main compartment of the refrigerator, without unrolling the rolls until completely defrosted. Another simple way to preserve grape leaves for the winter is dry canning.

Method No. 1:

• prepare glass jars and lids for canning;
• Place the washed and dried leaves tightly in jars, sprinkling a small amount of salt every 15 pieces;
• put open jars in the oven and sterilize for 5-10 minutes;
• roll up jar lids;
• store in a dark place.

To freeze grape leaves, you will need plastic cling film.

Method number 2:

• prepare clean, dry plastic bottles with caps;
• fold the leaves into a small pile (4-6 pieces), roll them into tight rolls;
• push each roll into the neck of a plastic bottle;
• fill the bottles as tightly as possible;
• release excess air from the container by pressing on the bottle, screw the cap tightly;
• store in a dark place at room temperature.

Helpful Tips:

• Before preserving the leaves, you need to let them sit for a while (dry), after which they will be easier to roll up and compacted more tightly;
• If necessary, use the plastic bottle carefully cut with kitchen scissors.

Return to contents

Marinating in glass containers

The main ingredient of dolma can be pickled like regular vegetables. At the same time, recipes can be very diverse.

Recipe with vinegar. Required Products:

• grape leaves;
• 1 head of garlic;
• 1 liter of water;
• 0.5 cups sugar;
• 2 tbsp. salt;
• 0.5 cups 9% vinegar;
• black peppercorns.

To prepare pickled leaves, you will need vinegar.

Cooking method:

• scald the leaves with boiling water and dry;
• fold in piles, roll up the envelopes and place tightly in sterilized glass jars;
• prepare the marinade by bringing water to a boil and adding vinegar, salt, sugar and pepper;
• pour boiling marinade into jars;
• roll up the lids.

Leaves marinated in this way have a spicy, salty taste. For those who are against preserving food using vinegar, another method is suitable.

Recipe with dry mustard. Required ingredients:

• 50-60 grape leaves;
• 1 tsp dry mustard;
• 1 tsp salt;
• a pinch of ground black pepper;
• water.

Cooking method:

• pour boiling water over the leaves and drain the water;
• fold into piles of 10 pieces, form into tight rolls;
• place in sterilized jars;
• sprinkle the rolls with mustard, salt and black pepper;
• Fill with boiling water completely and cover with a lid;
• turn the jars over onto lids and wrap tightly until completely cool;
• store in a cool, dark place.

Canned grape leaves are best used during the next cold season and should not be stored for longer than 1 year.

Probably, every nationality has its own traditions, including culinary ones. Various national dishes are prepared in many families, and now recipes for their preparation can be found on the Internet. And this is great, because new culinary experiments can greatly diversify your diet. Thus, any housewife can prepare traditional dishes of Transcaucasia and Central Asia in her kitchen, which, undoubtedly, includes dolma. But it can only be cooked properly in warm weather, since this requires grape leaves. And today we will talk about how to preserve grape leaves for the winter.

Dolma is somewhat similar to our cabbage rolls. But it is prepared exclusively in grape leaves. Traditional cabbage for cabbage rolls can be easily purchased at any time of the year, but with grape leaves the situation is more complicated. Therefore, housewives prefer to prepare it: pickle, can, freeze or salt.

It is better to store leaves collected from grapes for dolma at a time when the vine is blooming. Experienced chefs recommend giving preference to raw materials collected from white grape varieties. The leaves of the red varieties are used much less frequently, as they are stiffer and have an uneven edge. Of course, for dolma it is worth preparing only young leaves that were cut from plants located far from roads.

Keeping dolma leaves fresh

In fact, harvesting grape leaves can be done without any special heat treatment. The prepared leaves must be rolled into rolls of ten pieces and filled into a glass jar. Afterwards, roll up the jar with a regular sealing lid and place it in the pantry (in a fairly dark place). In the cold season, the leaves will be the same as if plucked from a bush.

For the winter, grape leaves can be pickled.

For this option of preparing dolma, you need to cut the required number of leaves from the bush. Afterwards, you need to sort them out so that only whole, uninjured ones remain. They must be washed under running water and then placed in a fairly deep pan. Pour boiling water over the prepared raw materials.

The cooled leaves must be carefully laid out in piles of several pieces, and then rolled into rolls. Fill the jars with this raw material (quite tightly) and start preparing the marinade. Boil water, dissolve salt and black peppercorns in it. For one and a half liters of liquid you need to use a couple of tablespoons of salt and three to four peppercorns.

Pour the prepared brine into the jars so that it spreads evenly, filling the voids between the leaf rolls. Cover the jars with lids, wrap them up and leave them overnight. In the morning, seal the jars with plastic lids and put them in the refrigerator for storage.

Conservation

Many housewives preserve greens for the winter for dolma by canning. If this manipulation is performed correctly, the raw materials will remain tasty and healthy, and will also be perfectly stored.

Prepare the grape leaves: wash them, shake them off and dry them a little. Roll them into tubes, twenty leaves in each, and secure with a thread.

Take each of the prepared rolls with a slotted spoon and lower them into boiling water for literally ten seconds. Then immediately immerse them in cold water.

Place the prepared rolls in half-liter jars. They should be located quite tightly. Fill such raw materials with cold brine. To prepare it, you need to use forty grams of salt for every liter of water.

Leave grape leaves in jars with loose lids for three days.

Pickling

Another fairly popular way of preparing grape leaves for dolma is salting. This is a fairly simple method for which readers of Popular About Health only need to stock up on raw materials, water and salt. The leaves should be washed thoroughly first. You should also prepare a saline solution - ten percent - and cool it. Pour the resulting solution into the leaves in a half-liter jar, seal and store in a fairly cool and dark place. At the same time, do not forget to soak the leaves before use, pouring cold, clean water over them for one and a half to two hours.

You can also pickle the leaves for the winter using the hot method so that they do not spoil. To do this, you need to prepare vegetable raw materials and brine. Use five to six tablespoons of salt per liter of water. Boil the brine and dip the pre-washed leaves into it in a stack of ten pieces. After the leaves change their color to brown, they need to be removed from the boiling liquid and placed on a plate. Process all the leaves in this way, put them in a sterile jar and fill with brine. Then seal the jars and turn them upside down until cool.

Prepare in the freezer

Grape leaves can also be stored for dolma by freezing. The collected raw materials must be thoroughly rinsed and spread on a paper towel to dry.

Afterwards, you need to fold the leaves into piles and roll them up. Place these preparations in bags and place them in the freezer. Keep in mind that frozen leaves become especially fragile. Before cooking, you need to carefully defrost them: lay them out to thaw on their own, or dip them in hot water.

So, there are many ways to prepare greens for dolma. And every housewife can choose the one that suits her.