Is it possible to freeze dolma from grape leaves?

Is it possible to freeze dolma? Is it possible to freeze dolma?

Is it possible to freeze dolma?

Dolma is one of the options for such a meat dish as cabbage rolls.

Grape leaves are used to prepare dolma.

Grape leaves have a sour taste, so the finished dish has a special, piquant taste.

Many people think about the possibility of preparing this dish for future use. Of course, dolma can be frozen, but it is worth considering that after defrosting the finished dolma, the rice will change its structure and become watery.

Before freezing the finished dolma, so that it does not stick together, it must be frozen in advance.

Wrap a cutting board or tray in cellophane and place dolma on top so that there is free space between them. After the dolma is frozen on the tray, we put it in storage containers or bags. Now you can put it in the freezer for further storage.

It is best to freeze not the finished dolma, but the grape leaves.

We stack clean, dry leaves on top of each other and roll them into a tube, then wrap them in cling film and put them in the freezer. So the leaves can be stored for a year and you can cook delicious dolma at any time.

Dolma is an eastern version of Ukrainian cabbage rolls, where young grape leaves are used instead of cabbage leaves to wrap the filling. They have a pleasant, moderately sour taste and amazing aroma. Therefore, the dish turns out to be spicy. As for cooking, turning “dolmushki” is a pleasant and exciting thing. And it turns out that the snack in grape leaves is more tender than its counterparts in cabbage leaves. If we talk about the filling, then for cabbage rolls it can be anything, incl. and vegetarian, but for dolma, rice and minced meat are always used.

It is worth noting that for dolma you need to collect grape leaves in early spring. At this time of year, the grapes produce their first juicy, bright and tender leaves. Only such leaves are suitable for harvesting. Therefore, in order to prepare dolma all year round, it is necessary to prepare the leaves in early spring. They are pickled, frozen or sprinkled with salt and placed in plastic bottles. You can also freeze the finished product. This is a wonderful way to store finished dolma, because... at the right time, you can make a hot and appetizing dish in literally half an hour. It will be very nice to see such a dish on the New Year or Christmas table!

Calorie content per 100 g - 274 kcal.
Number of servings - 50 pcs.
Cooking time - 45 minutes

Ingredients:

Grape leaves - 50 pcs.
Meat - 700 g (any variety, but the original recipe uses lamb)
Ground black pepper - a large pinch
Onions - 2 pcs.
Greens (cilantro, parsley, basil) - a large bunch
Butter - for frying
Salt - 1 tsp. or to taste
Rice - 100 g

Step-by-step preparation and freezing of dolma for the winter, recipe with photo:

1. Peel the onions, wash and dry with a paper towel. Cut the onion into small cubes and saute in a frying pan in butter until transparent.

2. Rinse the rice under running water, changing the water several times to wash out the gluten. Pour it into a saucepan, add salt, add water in a ratio of 1:2 and boil until almost done. When the rice has absorbed all the moisture and increased in volume, it is considered ready.

3. Wash the meat, cut off the film, veins and excess fat. Dry it with a paper towel and grind it through a meat grinder.

4. Add fried onions and boiled rice to the twisted minced meat.

5. Wash the greens, dry and finely chop. Add it to the minced meat, season with salt, ground black pepper and mix well. You can supplement the minced meat with garlic and herbs passed through a press.

6. Spread the grape leaves face down on a board and place a teaspoon of minced meat in the middle. The amount of filling can be added more or less depending on the size of the leaves.

If you use fresh leaves, first pour boiling water over them and pour it over them for 5 minutes. Thaw frozen leaves completely. Do this carefully, because... when frozen they are very fragile. Drain the water from the canned leaves and dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.

7. Roll the grape leaf into a roll.

8. Place the formed dolma in a container for freezing. Cover it with a lid and freeze it using the “fast freezing” setting. Freeze the right and proper portion sizes because... Dolma cannot be re-frozen for the winter. If there is no such form, then pack each dolma in cling film, put it in a bag and put it in the freezer. Or place the dolma on a board wrapped in film and first freeze it individually without cellophane packaging, and then put it in a convenient container. This product can be stored in the freezer for a year.

Key Actions

There are several actions that will help preserve the taste, beneficial vitamins and, most importantly, the integrity of the leaves in the freezer and during thawing. These are the steps:

selection of leaves;
washing, trimming;
drying;
folding

Leaf collection should be scheduled for late spring or early summer. Juicy grape branches are formed precisely during this period of time. You should collect medium-sized leaves, which are located 5-7 leaves from the beginning of the branch. They should not have yellow marks, white coating, or traces of insects.

Important Do not collect plants from wild (ornamental) grapes or from plants near the highway. The first type is dangerous due to its harmful substances, like overripe grape leaves, and the second type accumulates all machine waste, which also negatively affects health.

Washing and trimming

Selected leaves must be washed and removed from dust, residual fertilizers or pesticides. It is absolutely forbidden to send the plates under the tap - they can easily be bent or broken.

How to wash grape leaves:

Fill a bowl, sink, or large salad bowl with water.
Sink the leaves without crushing them. They must swim without interfering with each other.
Leave for 15-20 minutes. This will not only wash off the dirt, but also draw out possible remnants of nitrates or other unwanted salts.

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Now the leaves are not so fragile, they are plastic. Calmly take them out and place them on gauze or a towel somewhere in the shade. After a couple of minutes, start trimming.

The cuttings are not edible, so cut them off and throw them away. If the pieces are the same size, stack them. This will be faster, but there is a chance of damaging the leaves. Miss Clean magazine recommends keeping 2 leaves, or 3 at most.

Drying

Lay down a paper, cotton or linen towel, lay out the sheets and wait 20-40 minutes (depending on their size). This is done so that the freezing goes faster and the plates do not collapse in the process.

Rolling and freezing

Rolls for dolma consist of 10-20 grape leaves. You need to work with them extremely carefully, otherwise the plates will crack.

Tools: cling film or thick bags, containers suitable for freezing.

Operating procedure:

Place the leaves in bags and refrigerate for 3-4 hours. Cooling will restore plasticity to the leaves.
Roll the rolls and cover with cling film.
Place the finished rolls back into the refrigerator.
When all the leaves are gone, transfer the cooled rolls to a tray and into the freezer. Place them in one layer to avoid wrinkles.
After 4 hours, place the frozen rolls in a container, and transfer a new portion from the refrigerator to the trays. And so - with all the preparations. This will prevent the rolls from getting wrinkled or sticking together.

Important: Carry out the first freezing in the lower section of the freezer or at a temperature below –20 degrees. Such extreme cold is not needed for storage; standard -18 is sufficient.

How to cook frozen dolma?

Place frozen dolma in a saucepan without prior defrosting, add water, or boiling water, and cook as if it were fresh. As a form of oppression, turn over a plate on which you place a weighting agent, for example, a jar of water. Cook frozen dolma for the winter for 45-50 minutes.

See also the video recipe on how to prepare dolma for the winter.

An oriental dish - dolma - is made from minced meat, which is wrapped in grape leaves. The dolma season is very short. The leaves age, become unsuitable for food, and then completely fall off. Therefore, dolma lovers try to preserve grape leaves. From my own experience, I can say that dolma made from canned leaves is not as tasty as we would like: the leaves are harsh, over-salted, and the delicate sourness is lost. I started freezing dolma and grape leaves in the freezer. I’ll tell you how to properly freeze grape leaves for the winter. And you will be happy to cook dolma at any time of the year.

Recipe: Grape leaves for dolma - Freezing for the winter - simple and quick!

I suggest freezing grape leaves for the winter to prepare dolma. Preparing takes little time and minimal effort, and is a great find in the freezer in winter. From this preparation you can prepare dolma according to my recipe

First, we collect young, light green grape leaves.

There is no need to wash it in water; you need to freeze it dry. We wet the fabric with water and wring it out well. Then the leaves need to be wiped with a damp cloth.

Next you need to cut off the stems of the leaves, as they are tough. Carefully cut off with a knife without making a hole in the leaf.

We stack the prepared grape leaves one by one, 10 pieces each.

Wrap each stack of leaves in a tight tube and wrap it with thread. Or you can wrap it in cling film, which I didn’t have on hand.

Place the tubes of grape leaves in a bag, remove all the air (for example, using a cocktail tube) and seal as tightly as possible.

Immediately place in the freezer and leave until needed. I put it in the quick freezer first and then put it in a spare drawer.

I suggest freezing grape leaves for the winter to prepare dolma. Preparing takes little time and minimal effort, and is a great find in the freezer in winter. From this preparation you can prepare dolma according to my recipe

Which leaves are suitable for dolma

A simple and convenient way of freezing allows you to enjoy your favorite dishes all year round. When choosing raw materials, pay attention to the young leaves of the Lydia grape variety. They have juicy flesh and a nutmeg taste. The foliage of green grape varieties is also suitable. Choose healthy, shiny, undamaged, medium-sized specimens.

Choosing leaves

Remember the rules for discarding raw materials for freezing:

We select young leaves. The season for collecting raw materials begins before the grapes bloom (this is approximately May-early June) or during flowering. At this time, the juice actively circulates through the vine, and it is full of energy.

Choose medium-sized leaves (about the size of your palm). This size is the most suitable, it is convenient to work with while preparing a dish.

Pay attention to the veins: they should be small and delicate.
The leaf shape must be correct.
It is better to collect raw materials on a dry day, because... droplets on the leaves can contribute to the appearance of spots.

Advice: Winegrowers advise plucking the fifth or seventh leaf from the top of the vine.

We pick the most suitable “wrappers” for dolma from the vines of light grape varieties.

after chemical treatment of vines against pests;
from a vine growing near a highway: the leaves absorb exhaust gases;
old foliage, because it can accumulate substances harmful to human health;
affected by pests, fungus, mold;
with an unnatural (whitish, cream, yellow) color;
from girlish, decorative grapes.

The vine grows throughout the summer. Therefore, you can freeze the raw materials for dolma at the end of summer.

The leaves are tastier and more tender on light grape varieties. However, they are also suitable from red or dark grape varieties, if there are no others. By priority, we choose the foliage of light, then red, and lastly blue grapes.

Preparing to Freeze

Be sure to wash the raw materials collected for harvesting;
dry;
Take the cuttings - you won't need them;
Wither the leaves: they will become less brittle.

Packing

It is better to store frozen grape leaves in tight bags, because cling film and thin plastic bags crumble when exposed to low temperatures for a long time;
determine approximately the number of leaves for one preparation; that’s how many of them should be in the roll;
attach a sticker to the roll, indicate on it the date of preparation and quantity;
try to ensure that there is no air inside the package - this will help protect the workpiece from foreign odors;
Frozen grape leaves are fragile, so it is advisable to store the rolls in a solid container.

How to freeze grape leaves for dolma for the winter: Step-by-step recipe with photos

It is advisable to freeze on the day of collection, so the preparation will be the most fragrant.

Ingredients

grape leaves - 75 pieces;
cling film.

Step-by-step freezing recipe

Soak the leaves in cold water for 10 minutes. Place them in a colander and rinse under running water.

Dry on a towel.

Dry in the shade. At the same time they will wilt.

Place the raw materials in stacks of 25 pieces.

How to prepare leaves for dolma for the winter

Grapes are a wonderful plant. He gives us amazing berries that we can enjoy fresh. You can make a lot of goodies from them - raisins, jam, juice, wine... Grape kvass is made from young green branches and leaves. And we'll talk about dolma. About this very tasty dish, which is so loved in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Central Asia, and the southern republics of the former Soviet Union. In Moldova they are called cabbage rolls (with the emphasis on the first syllable). Dolma really resembles Slavic cabbage rolls, only the filling of minced meat, onions, rice and herbs is wrapped not in a cabbage leaf, but in a grape leaf. And they turn out smaller than cabbage rolls. The taste is original. Tender grape leaves give the dish a very pleasant sourness and aroma. Today we will talk about how to prepare grape leaves for the winter.

Is it possible to freeze dolma?

It is not recommended to keep raw grape cabbage rolls in the refrigerator for more than a day.

I will tell you how to properly freeze dolma for a long time.

Preparing the container

Best suited:

thick freezer bags;
boxes made of thick plastic;
containers for freezing.

How to freeze dolma for the winter: step-by-step recipe

We prepare minced meat according to any recipe you like. Below we present one of the recipes. The simplest and most beloved.

Boil grape leaves in boiling water for several minutes.

Place the dolminki on a tray or any board so that they do not touch.

Place the pieces in the freezer for 2-3 hours to pre-freeze. If you immediately put the dolma into bags, it will stick together.

Divide the pre-frozen dolma into portions and place them in prepared containers. And put it in the freezer for storage for the winter.

How to freeze dolma for the winter

Prepare the minced meat according to the recipe you like, and boil the grape leaves in boiling water separately. Form the products, and you can start preparing. If you put them in bags at once, they will stick together. Therefore, you need to freeze them first.

To do this, wrap a tray or board with film or a bag. Place them so they are not touching and place them in the freezer for 3 hours at -18°C or lower.

Now you can put it in the prepared container. To do this, divide them into portions so as not to defrost the entire stock. We offer the following options for freezing dolma:

in bags with a zip fastener;
in tightly tied plastic bags;
vacuum seal in portions;
in plastic boxes;
in large plastic glasses with a lid.

Some housewives recommend freezing ready-made dolma. The preparation method is no different from the above, but in its raw form it will turn out tastier. To prepare, you do not need to defrost, just pour in the sauce and add 20 minutes from the cooking time indicated in the recipe.

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The traditional dish includes rice, lamb, onions and garlic, and herbs. The main ingredient is fresh grape leaves, which need to be collected in the summer, when the grapes are growing. The younger they are, the tastier the dolma will be.