Dolma to go

Submitted by Beowulfs_Ghost

This is a variation on an Mediterranean and Middle Eastern appetizer usually made of rice and meat wrapped in a grape leaf. They are a great side dish or snack, but are a pain to make in small batches. I changed the recipe I used to use to one better suited to being made in one large batch, and then frozen in individual servings to be reheated as needed. By large batch, I mean 50 to 100 at a time, but since the time consuming part is the wrapping, and wrapping is pretty easy, I'll do it while watching a movie or listening to the evening news.

Ingredients
At the very least you will need;


 * 1 jar of grape leaves
 * rice
 * olive oil

Any other ingredients can be added to suit your taste. I usually use some ground meat, a few cloves of garlic, mushrooms and sweet peppers. Just keep in mind that what ever ingredient have to do well being frozen, and then being reheated using what ever method you have available.

Filling
How this differs from the usual recipe is that everything will be throughly cooked, and then cooled in the refrigerator before being wrapped in grape leaves. So cook the rice separately from the meat and veggies, and then mix them together before wrapping them. If you are using meat, be sure to cook it throughly first. If it is all vegetable, you can just cook the rice, and add the vegetables raw. What ever you want to use as a filling, make sure it is at refrigerator temperature before you wrap them.

Grape leaves
Grape leaves can be found at Mediterranean and Middle Eastern delis and markets. All the ones I've come across are rolled into bundles and put in glass jars filled with brine. Because they are packed in brine, you'll want to rinse and dry them before use or they will taste really salty. They don't need to be bone dry, but you don't want them dripping wet. You also don't want to pull out too many leaves, because once you wash off the brine and what ever preservative they were packed in, they won't last long. If you have extra filling, you can always wash off more leaves, or just eat the filling by itself. Extra leaves can be left in the jar with the brine in the refrigerator. Just add more water to make sure the leaves are completely covered.

Wrapping
To wrap the filling, you take your washed and dried off leaves, and put them in a stack. You'll need a clean surface for wrapping, like a plate or a cutting board, and another plate or a cookie sheet to put the completed dolmas. Place the leaf on the work surface with it's bottom side up. The top of the is smoother then the bottom because the veins stick out on the bottom. At this point, I'll use a scissors to trim off any stem left on the leaf, because they tend to be tough and salty. Place a spoon full of filling in the middle of the leaf, and then fold in the sides and then roll it up. Since the shape and size of the leaves can vary considerably in one jar, you'll have to adjust the amount of filling and the exact way is is rolled for each one. Just make sure that it isn't so loose it falls apart when you pick it up, and not so tight that the leaf tears. Once it is wrapped well, give it a light coast of olive oil, and set it aside.

Freezing and Heating
To make sure they freeze quickly, freeze them in a single layer and spaced apart. Once they are frozen solid, they can be stacked between wax paper and placed in an air tight container. The coating of oil not only adds flavor, but slows down freezer burn and keeps them from freezing together. To reheat them, you can steam them on the stove, or microwave them in a loosely covered container with a couple tablespoons of water.

The best method I've found for storing and reheating is a vacuum packer that uses bags that can be boiled. Once frozen solid, I place 8 to 10 in a single layer in a bag and vacuum pack them. When I'm ready to eat them, I bring a pot of water up to a simmer or low boil, and put the bag right from the freezer into the pot for about 10 minutes.

--Beowulfs Ghost 04:47, 6 August 2007 (CDT)