Food Network: Grape Leaves Stuffed with Bulgur or Cracked Wheat and Cumin from Rhodes

	Print 3x5 Recipe Cards
	Print this recipe out and cut along the dotted lines to add this 3x5 recipe card to your personal collection.

Grape Leaves Stuffed with Bulgur or Cracked Wheat and Cumin from Rhodes
Recipe courtesy of THE GLORIOUS FOODS OF GREECE (Morrow, 2001) by Diane Kochilas

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups cracked wheat
4 cups finely chopped green onion
3 large, extra-ripe tomatoes, grated (see Note)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 heaping teaspoons ground cumin
1 cup snipped fresh dill
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
One 10-ounce jar grape leaves in brine
Juice of 1 large lemon, plus more to taste

Directions
Combine the cracked wheat, onion, tomatoes, and olive
oil in a large bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and the cumin. Cover and let rest
for 2 hours, then mix in the dill and mint.
While the wheat mixture is resting, drain the grape leaves and rinse well in a
colander. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and blanch the grape
leaves, in batches if necessary, for 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and immediately rinse
under cold running water. Trim the tough stems off the leaves and set aside the
ones that are either very small or torn. Place a heaping teaspoon of filling in
the bottom center of each leaf on the table. Fold the bottom over the filling,
then fold the sides over it and roll up, tucking the sides in as you go. Place the
grape leaves seam side down in the pot, snugly next to each other, in layers. Pour
the lemon juice over them, then pour in enough water to barely cover the surface
of the dolmathes. Cut a piece of parchment to the circumference of the pot and fit

it over the leaves. Cover with a plate to keep the grape leaves in place and place
the lid on the pot. Simmer until the leaves and cracked wheat are tender and the
pot juices absorbed, about 50 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve.
Note: How to Grate Tomatoes This is one of the great rustic techniques of the
Greek kitchen. Have ready a hand grater, preferably one with coarse teeth. Make
sure the tomatoes are washed and dried. Hold the grater over a plate or shallow
bowl. Hold each tomato from the stem end and grate it along the coarse openings of
the grater until all that remains is the tomato's skin, flat and wide open. What
you are left with are the pulp, the seeds, and the juice. As for the seeds, most
traditional cooks aren't bothered by them.