How long do vine leaves need to be cooked for?
I have a grape vine with a lot of fresh leaves so I thought I'd make stuffed vine leaves. I'm going to precook the filling, so the final cook only needs to be enough to cook the leaves. Most recipes for stuffed vine leaves cook for long enough to cook the filling as well, so I can't get an idea of how long the leaves need. Other recipes are based on oven cooking them until crispy. I'm planning to simmer them in a covered pan or steam them over some new potatoes, as I can do that outside to avoid heating the house (we're having a heatwave here). I expect to par-cook/blanch the leaves first as apparently that makes them easier to roll.
So how long do vine leaves themselves take to steam/simmer?
Best Answer
As you're going to blanch the vine leaves until they are easy to roll, no additional time is needed to cook them...
If you add cold ingredients like cheese to the filling or if you freeze them, it's a good idea to steam them a bit more for perfectly warm and properly cooked Dolmades...
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Quick Answer about "How long do vine leaves need to be cooked for?"
Cook for 1 hr, until the rice is cooked. You can also freeze the filled vine leaves. Cook these from frozen for 90 mins until piping hot and the rice is thoroughly cooked.How do you cook fresh vine leaves?
Place your leaves in a pot or heavy bowl, cover them with boiling water, and then let them sit for about 2 minutes or until soft, but not mushy. Alternately, you can bring a large pot of water to a boil, turn off the heat, add the leaves, and let them sit for the same amount of time.Can you eat raw vine leaves?
Applications. Grape leaves can be used raw in salads or in cooked applications such as steaming and boiling. They are most commonly stuffed with seasonal and regional vegetables, rice, and meats and are cooked into a soft texture.Do you warm stuffed vine leaves?
Dolmades VariationsMeat dolmades are served warm and usually garnished with egg lemon sauce (Avgolemono), while meatless vegetarian dolmades are served cold or at room temperature with a last-minute squeeze of lemon juice and some thick creamy yogurt. And did I mention that they are the perfect recipe for lent!How do you tenderize vine leaves?
Either soak in very hot water for 15 minutes to soften the leaves or blanch grape leaves in a brine until they are soft (the time will depend on the leaves \u2013 fresh ones will only take a minute). Bring water to and boil. Add grape leave, approximately 12 leave at a time.Stuffed Grape vine Leaves the Egyptian way
More answers regarding how long do vine leaves need to be cooked for?
Answer 2
The leaves don't need any cooking at all. You can eat them raw, you can wrap filling in raw leaves, you can wrap filling in blanched leaves, you can wrap filling in leaves which have been canned and cooked to mushiness in the process - anything goes.
In practical terms, blanching first will make it easiest on you and the next cook. Raw leaves will tend to unroll with time, so if you store the prepared sarmas, they will get messy and the filling will fall out. If you cook them longer, you are just wasting time and reducing the taste. So, blanching is the sweet spot indeed. But you are not bound to it in any way.
Answer 3
Depends on the type of vine leaf. In my experience, some take 1 hour of simmering, while other types may take up to 3 hours.
You can always test the vine leaves to see if they are tender enough. They should break easily with a fork.
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