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| Meat and Rice Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe |
| Written by Dede Med |
Meat and Rice Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe

Total Time:
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Yield: 8
Level: Medium
Ingredients
- 1 2lb jar of grape leaves
- 1 lb ground beef or lamb
- 1 cup rinsed long grain rice
- 2 tbs butter
- 1 tbs minced garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 to 1 cup lemon juice
- 3 or 4 strips flap meat (1lb)
Directions
Rinse off grape leaves and then place in a boiling pot of water for 30-40 minutes then drain, rinse with cold water and let cool. Line large pot with flap meat. In a large bowl mix together rise, ground meat, butter, salt and black pepper. Follow directions in video on how to roll grapes leaves by rolling and folding in sides. Line rolls in pot and repeat layers until pot it filled 3/4 of the way. Cover grapes leaves with a dish to keep them from moving and weight it down. Add water or beef broth to the edge of where the leaves end and add 1 tsp salt. Cover pot with lid and cook on medium heat for 40 minutes. Next add lemon juice and cook for another 40 minutes on medium/low heat. Let stand for 15-20 minutes then serve with pita bread and yogurt.Meat and Rice Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 2lb jar of grape leaves
- 1 lb ground beef or lamb
- 1 cup rinsed long grain rice
- 2 tbs butter
- 1 tbs minced garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 to 1 cup lemon juice
- 3 or 4 strips flap meat (1lb)
Directions
Rinse off grape leaves and then place in a boiling pot of water for 30-40 minutes then drain, rinse with cold water and let cool. Line large pot with flap meat. In a large bowl mix together rise, ground meat, butter, salt and black pepper. Follow directions in video on how to roll grapes leaves by rolling and folding in sides. Line rolls in pot and repeat layers until pot it filled 3/4 of the way. Cover grapes leaves with a dish to keep them from moving and weight it down. Add water or beef broth to the edge of where the leaves end and add 1 tsp salt. Cover pot with lid and cook on medium heat for 40 minutes. Next add lemon juice and cook for another 40 minutes on medium/low heat. Let stand for 15-20 minutes then serve with pita bread and yogurt.This type of stuffed grape leaf is stuffed with ground meat and rice instead of vegetables and rice, it is served as a main dish. It can be served with Greek yogurt or just a slice of lemon. This dish is also called dolma or sarma.
can you describe the dish? Is it called kusa? is it stuffed squash? If so, then check out the kusa recipe on my site at DedeMed.com
By: dedemed
By: dedemed
Dede, I love this site youve shared,thankyou! Question: I remember my mother making a dish for us when I was younger, however, I dont see the dish here. perhaps you can help me out? As I recall, it was called "Ghoosa". Is there another name for this? Thanks so much!
By: DesAnne100
By: DesAnne100
sounds great, wonderful tips and I love kale :)
By: dedemed
By: dedemed
Early in my life we only had fresh grape leaves and always picked before July for tenderness. We never had to boil before use. Maybe the boiling you talked about is for tougher leaves late in the year otherwise we use cabbage or veg. Try using celery stalks at the bottom of the pot to avoid sticking. I've been thinking about Kale leaves as another high fiber leaf to stuff.
By: jbadal1
By: jbadal1
yes of course, they will be nice and tender, you'll love it :)
By: dedemed
By: dedemed
You can eat the leaves with the stuffing when it is done?
By: steamriceroll
By: steamriceroll
great tip!
By: dedemed
By: dedemed
You can also fill a 2 cup pyrex measuring cup with water and weight them down that way.
By: ssimmons0602
By: ssimmons0602
any can will work, it will not blow up
By: dedemed
By: dedemed
Hi Dede,
What type of can do you use to place on top of the dish? I'm worried about putting one on that might melt or blow up :)
Thanks!
By: Faris708
By: Faris708
yes I love it too and I especially love it when my mom makes it for me :)
By: dedemed
By: dedemed
yes it is :)
By: dedemed
By: dedemed
is it waraainab???
By: felaniz
By: felaniz
serve them on the side :)
By: dedemed
By: dedemed
Hi Dede, what should I do with the strips of meat placed at the bottom part of the top after cooking? thanks
By: dcalling84
By: dcalling84
hmmm I don't know about adding cinnamon but maybe it depends on the region, check out the written recipe on my site :)
By: dedemed
By: dedemed
hmmm very interesting recipe but sounds great as well :)
By: dedemed
By: dedemed
Finally the recipe I've been looking for. So many tell me to add cinnamon and I got scared.
By: wadadlibabe
By: wadadlibabe
Great recipe Dede! I have a veggie recipe that uses the same amount of rice. But I add minced parsley, lemon juice, of course garlic (lots), a tsp. basil and 2 Tbps. of virgin olive oil. We have quite a few wineries around so I go and get the fresh leaves which they will sell you for almost nothing. I don't pre-boil the leaves, but cook them traditionally in veggie broth (Don't add salt). serve with salted yogurt or lemon pepper in olive oil. So many ways. So many ways.
By: homoignobilis
By: homoignobilis
i would suggest a lot, probably 100-150 or so :)
By: dedemed
By: dedemed
If I'm using fresh grape leaves, how many should I pick for this recipe?
By: hsaxby
By: hsaxby
yes of course, same recipe, just use any meat that you want...although i would not recommend fish LOL :)
By: dedemed
By: dedemed
yes of course, same recipe, just use any meat that you want...although i would not recommend fish LOL :)
By: dedemed
By: dedemed
Hi Dede! Does the recipe stay the same if you want to use ground chicken meat instead of the lamb?
Loving the videos btw - fantastic!
By: 85taqwa
By: 85taqwa
Just boil them in boiling water for about 15 minutes, then drain them, let them cool then use them to wrap the leaves :)
By: dedemed
By: dedemed
We're on 
DEDE'S RECIPES
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