1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cups rice
1 cup parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint, optional
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil, optional
1 tablespoon dill, optional
1 cup tomato sauce, optional
juice of 4-5 lemons
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Dash cayenne and/or paprika, to taste
80-100 grape leaves
1/2 teaspoon allspice, optional
1 cup water
PREPARATION:
Saute onions in some oil until translucent. Stir often to prevent burning.
Add all ingredients except parsley and grape leaves and bring to a boil.
Stir, turn heat low and cook, covered, about 15 minutes. Add parsley and
stir. Let cool.
ASSEMBLY:
Rice mixture should be cooked the day before and allowed to cool
If using grape leaves in a jar, boil grape leaves for approximately 30
seconds to remove brine, then rinse with cold water. Drain leaves & remove
stem from leaf.
Lay each leaf flat dull side up. Place 1 teaspoon rice mixture on the leaf,
fold sides over filling and roll leaf up.
COOKING:
In a deep round casserole with lid, lay some of the unused or torn
grapeleaves, stems and pieces on the bottom of the casserole to protect the
rolled grape leaves from burning. Arrange the rolled grapeleaves in the
casserole in as many layers as needed. Add 2 1/2 cups water over the
grapeleaves, top with a few squeezes of fresh lemon and a few torn mint
leaves. Place a crockery plate over the top of the rolled grape leaves and
cook in a preheated 375 degree oven until water has almost absorbed.
Remove from oven and let cool completely.
Remove yalanchis from the casserole and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Drizzle
good Extra Virgin Olive oil and lemon juice over the top of them. Garnish
with thin lemon slices.
1 c. finest cracked bulghur , uncooked (we call it seemeed) (cooked short grain brown rice for g-f version)
2 tsp dried mint
1 tsp Aleppo pepper
1/3-1/2 c. tomato sauce (or 1 TB tomato paste)
˝ c. extra virgin olive oil
˝ c. lemon juice
salt to taste
1 bunch flat leaf parsley
1 red bell pepper
2-3 tomatoes
1-2 large cucumbers
7-8 leaves Romaine lettuce
Combine bulghur, mint, Aleppo pepper, tomato sauce, oil, lemon and salt. Bulghur will soak liquids and seasonings and soften.
Fine chop all veggies. Mix everything together. Drizzle with more olive oil. Correct seasonings.
For meat filling, combine…
1 ˝ lbs lean ground beef (or lamb)
1 c. rinsed and drained long grain rice
scant 1/2 c. tomato sauce
juice of 1 lemon
2 TB minced garlic
salt, black pepper, Aleppo pepper to taste
Rinse 40-50 grape leaves thoroughly and remove stems.
Wrap sarmas and arrange snugly in pot. Arrange 10-15 whole, peeled cloves of garlic in spaces between sarmas.
Invert small plate over them all.
Add cooking
liquid:
Enough cold water to completely cover the edges of the plate (all sarmas should be submerged by about ˝ inch.
1-2 juiced lemons (use more if grape leaves are fresh)
couple more TBs tomato sauce
salt, black pepper, and Aleppo pepper to taste
Bring to a gentle boil, then let simmer for 15-20 minutes, until done.
Remove sarmas from pot. Reduce cooking liquid for a couple of minutes if needed.
Serve with yogurt (lowfat has best flavor), radishes, raw white onion or scallions, carrot sticks.