My Grandma shared her secret family recipe with only my Mom & myself.
We are the last two who know how to make these delicate little treats, so when someone sees leaves in the cabinet or lamb in the fridge, we get bombarded with questions of when they'll be ready for eating!
While I can't give the exact recipe, I'll show you how they're made. And if you're up for a time-consuming meal, google a recipe that looks tastey.
I'm going to apologize ahead of time, I didn't get any pictures of the finished product in a bowl. My family devoured every last one within minutes.
With my hands, I mixed the spices, meat & rice together in a large bowl.
The hardest part about making grape leaves is being delicate with the leaves.
Getting them out of the jar is hard enough, but then you need them to soften & open, so they need to be put in warm-hot water.
The stems then need to be cut off of each leaf individually.
Roll them all up & then it's time for them to submerge them in water & cook for hours.
After cooking for a few hours, it's time to add a lemon mixture to the pot.
After another hour or two or three, the grape leaves should be done cooking.
If you're like anyone in my family, you won't be able to resist the little rolls as soon as they're cooked through.
If you're more like me, you can eat one or two then wait until the following day.
The juices soak into the meat & they're even better if you can get them to last that long.
I apologize for not being able to share the recipe. I think my Grandma would prefer the details to stay in the immediate family.
xx
