I love Stuffed Grape Leaves, or as I call them… grape leaves… I have always loved them, I will always love them, they are the best Arabic food from when I was a kid. I remember going over to my grandmother’s house and eating this at get togethers. When I graduated high school my mom and I made 4 jars worth of grape leaves. 4 jars! That’s like 200+ grape leaves. This is my favorite food but, it also takes a lot of time.

Because of the movie magic in the video you only see me roll 3 grape leaves, in reality I spent about 2 hours rolling these and that probably wasn’t even half the jar. I tell you this not to discourage you from making these but, so that you have all the information going into making this. Plus, you kind of need to plan ahead while making these. I would suggest that you get your family together and learn to roll these, it’s a good excuse to get together. Not to mention you’re hands will be dirty so you can’t get on your phones, helps to make good ole fashion conversation.

No matter if you make this with friends, family, or on your own these grape leaves are great! If you want to see me make this check the video below or keep scrolling for the full written recipe.

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs of Midamar Ground Beef (I prefer 93/7, but 80/20 works)

1 jar of grape leaves, stems trimmed and leaves rinsed

water

Lemon Juice (large bottle)

1 1/8 cup rice, rinsed

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1 – 2 large potatoes

Instructions:

1) In a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup cook rice until about half or three quarters cooked

2) In a large mixing bowl combine rice, ground beef, salt, and pepper and until well incorporated

3) On a plate or large cutting board lay a leaf vein side up, making sure each part of the leaf is laid flat. Place meat onto the bottom portion of the leaf near where the stem was. Form the link into a small link. Wrap the left and right sides of the leaf around the meat, then, gently, pull the bottom of leaves up and over the meat. Roll up to the tip of the leaf; this process is similar to wrapping a burrito but on a much smaller scale.

4) Cut potatoes into ¼ inch slices (a little thicker is okay) and place on the bottom of a large pot making sure to cover as much of the bottom as possible. Place each grape leaf in the pot pointing one direction for the first layer and switching directions every layer.

5) Place a heat safe plate on top of the grape leaves and gently press down. Cover grape leaves with water until completely covered, cover plate with water to help weigh it down. Place two coffee cups with filled with water on top of the plate

6) Place pot on heat and bring to a medium simmer. Let grape leaves simmer for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes has passed, dump out half to three quarters of the water and refill with lemon juice. Bring back to a simmer and let cook for 15 -20 more minutes. Serve alone or with hummus

That’s it for me this week, check us out on Facebook and let us know if you made this and how you made it your own! Be sure to check us out on Youtube and follow us on Instagram as well to keep up on all of our delicious Halal recipes. Thank you from all of us Midamar!