In our Moldovan cuisine grape vine leaves are used for making sarmale, those little rolls of grape vine leaves stuffed with rice, vegetables and meat, that we are very proud of.
Choose fresh and young grape vine leaves. Remove the stalks and wash carefully. Do not use leaves treated with pesticides or any other chemicals.
You can preserve the grape vine leaves in citric acid or in homemade sour borș - a sour juice obtained by fermenting wheat bran.
In a saucepan, whisk together 1.5-2l of water, salt and two tablespoons of citric acid and bring to the boil. If you use homemade sour borș, dilute it first with water, one part borș and two parts water.
When the marinade starts boiling, blanch the grape vine leaves in it for 1-1.5 minutes, until they change color.
Remove the leaves from water, arrange them in a jar and press well. Seal with a metal lid and store in the cellar or pantry.
Ingredients
Directions
Choose fresh and young grape vine leaves. Remove the stalks and wash carefully. Do not use leaves treated with pesticides or any other chemicals.
You can preserve the grape vine leaves in citric acid or in homemade sour borș - a sour juice obtained by fermenting wheat bran.
In a saucepan, whisk together 1.5-2l of water, salt and two tablespoons of citric acid and bring to the boil. If you use homemade sour borș, dilute it first with water, one part borș and two parts water.
When the marinade starts boiling, blanch the grape vine leaves in it for 1-1.5 minutes, until they change color.
Remove the leaves from water, arrange them in a jar and press well. Seal with a metal lid and store in the cellar or pantry.