Taste is one of my favorite senses because it correlates so much with my memories. A certain flavor can take me back many years deep into long forgotten memories. One memory I never forgot was tasting Druze stuffed vine leaves for the first time. I was at the market with a friend and this peaceful woman was sitting next to these huge pots. Each was filled with something else. One with hundreds of stuffed vine leaves, the other with stuffed cabbage, and many more stews with divine fragrances surrounding her. She gave me a stuffed vine leaf to taste, and I was hooked. Since then, I’ve been trying to re-create these delicious appetizers and finally, I succeeded!
Vine (Grape) Leaves
Stuffed vine leaves are used in many cuisines (mostly Mediterranean and surrounding regions). They come in many forms, either with rice or ground meat (or both), sweet or savory.
They are picked fresh and then cooked by boiling or steaming. You can also get them canned or preserved, which is what I normally do since I don’t have any fresh ones available. In this case, I wash them thoroughly with water before using.
Druze stuffed vine leaves
Druze (pronounced druse) are a minority religious group with roots in Islam whose 3 million practitioners worldwide are found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jordan.
In Israel they reside mostly in the north of the country and they are well known for their exceptional cuisine and hospitality, which I can strongly relate to. One of the best things to do in Israel is to drive up north and stop by Druze villages to enjoy their treats, like bubbling hot, big, crepe like pita’s that are made on an outside griddle and topped with labaneh cheese, olive oil and zaátar. Or local honey, stuffed vegetables, lamb meals and many more.
The Druze vine leaves that I love and bring to you today are rich with olive oil and tangy from lemon and get a spark of garlic.
How to make them
Chop tomatoes and Scallions thinly
Mix together with uncooked round rice (like risotto), olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon salt and a pinch of sugar
Slice tomatoes and place the slices on the bottom of the pot. This will separate the leaves from the heat and prevent burning.
After you’ve thoroughly washed the vine leaves, take one at a time and straighten it on your working surface, glossy side down. Add about half tablespoon rice filling, depending on the size of the leaf and place it where the base of the leaf starts. Then, roll the bottom of the leaf to cover the rice and fold both sides inwards. Continue rolling until the leaf wraps around the rice completely. If one is slightly teared, just roll it in another leaf until sealed.
Arrange them in the pot, above the tomato layer, assuring they don’t directly touch the bottom of the pot.
Continue to do this with all the leaves until your first layer is done. Then, top with thinly sliced garlic and lemon. Drizzle with some olive oil and continue to the following layer. Do this with every layer until you’re almost out of leaves.
Cover with remaining leaves (just one layer)
Sprinkle the top with some more olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon salt, lemon juice and a pinch of sugar. Add a plate on top to act as a weight to keep all leaves tightly together and to prevent floating leaves. Add water to reach the plate. Bring to a boil.
Once boiling, set the heat to low and cover. Cook for 1.5-2 hours until the water is absorbed. Then remove from heat and leave covered for another hour.
They are delicious when warm and cold and get even better the following day. I pack them up in plastic boxes and give them to friends and family. It keeps fresh for at least a week. The lemons, tomatoes and garlic that are cooked inside are absolutely delicious too!
And, if you like, you can serve these with a yogurt dip of your liking. But personally? I love them plain and can empty half a pot, easy!
- 4 Big tomatoes, chopped
- 7 Scallions, chopped
- 4 Cups round rice (like risotto), rinsed
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 Tsp salt
- 1 Tsp Pepper
- 2 Tsp Lemon Salt
- 1 Package of vine (grape) leaves ~100 pieces
- 3 Big tomatoes
- 17 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
- 2 Lemons, sliced thinly
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 Tsp Pepper
- 2 Tsp Lemon Salt
- Pinch of sugar
- Mix together filling ingredients; rice, tomatoes, scallions, salt, pepper, lemon salt, pinch of sugar and olive oil. Set aside.
- Slice the tomatoes and place them on the bottom of the pan
- Roll one leaf at a time by straightening it on your working surface, glossy side down. Add half a tablespoon, depending on the size of the leaf and place it where the base of the leaf starts. Then, roll the bottom of the leaf to cover the rice and fold inwards from both sides. Continue rolling until the leaves wraps the rice completely (see tutorial in post)
- Arrange the rolled vine leaves in the pot, sealed side down. Place them above the sliced tomatoes.
- When first layer is full add a few sliced garlic cloves, a few lemon slices and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Continue this with every layer until you are almost out of leaves.
- Cover the top with one layer of open, unrolled leaves and sprinkle with salt, pepper, lemon salt, pinch of sugar, olive oil and lemon juice.
- Cover with a plate that fits the pot, so it can weight down the layers of rolled leaves.
- Cover with water until the top of the leaves, to the edge of the plate
- Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then cover and let cook for 1.5-2 hours until rice is fully cooked and water levels are lower.
- Remove from heat and keep covered for another hour
- Server warm or cold. Keep in the refrigerator for up to one week.
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