Rolled Grape Leaves

 in Favorite Recipes by

Provided by Donna Sellers for the February 2011 issue of MidlothianNOW Magazine.

This is a traditional Syrian side dish, and my grandfather’s recipe. Serves 15 as side dish or 8 as main dish.

  • 2 lbs. extra-lean ground beef
  • 1 lb. rice
  • 1 Tbsp. allspice
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. pepper
  • 16-oz. jar grape leaves
  1. Place meat, rice and spices in a bowl and mix together thoroughly with hands. 
  2. Spread out single grape leaf on cutting board with stem pointing toward you. Cut and remove stem at beginning of leaf. 
  3. Place walnut-sized portion of mixture at center of leaf and flatten. Fold in both ends of leaf, and roll from bottom to top until it resembles a short, green cigar. Place in bottom of 4-qt. pot. Repeat until all mixture is used. 
  4. Flatten out any remaining grape leaves and place on top of the finished rolls. Fill pot with water to top of grape leaves and place a dessert plate inside the pot on top of grape leaves. 
  5. Cook on medium heat for approximately 40 minutes, testing one of the grape leaves to make sure the rice is cooked and not hard.