Grape leaves other than for stuffing?
Before I retired, I used to pick Concord grapes from vines growing on my mail route (the new homeowners considered them a nuisance and eventually hacked them down). I'd put some out on the porch for the birds, who returned the favor - I now have some vines growing around the scrub shrubbery at the edge of the woods. I left them alone for a few years so they wouldn't be stressed, but could now use some of the leaves and fruit. I'll freeze some leaves to stuff in the future, but wonder if chiffonaded leaves would be suitable in tossed salads. Couldn't find any info on uses other than dolma. Has anyone had them other ways?
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fmed
Jul 28, 2009 06:46 PM
Wrap fresh sardines in grape leaves prior to grilling them.
http://kalofagas.ca/2009/07/20/sardin... -
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Sarah Perry
Jul 28, 2009 02:26 PM
I've only used grape leaves for dolma-like objects, but I just wanted to mention that I've bought fresh grape leaves from an Armenian grocery store here in Hollywood (Jon's, if anybody's interested). I found them much more fragrant and tart than pickled grape leaves. Elsewhere in the US, you might check local grocery stores anywhere with high grape-leaf-using populations for signs of fresh grape leaves.
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Sam Fujisaka
Jul 24, 2009 05:40 AM
Almost any leaves eaten fresh should be picked and eaten just after emergence - grape, mango, avocado, coffee.
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Your best bet is to taste them at the immature stage. If they are tart and not too fibrous then I say go for it. I like them wrapped around all sorts of little bits of things and tossed on the grill quickly. It brings out the perfume and makes a fun packet. I also put them out as wrappers when doing thin sliced grilled meats like Korean BBQ or little Vietnamese patties. Think along the lines of the minced squab or chicken that you roll in lettuce cups. Sometimes I have to make a little "v" cut where the stem meets the leaf to make eating easier since the stem is tougher. Sadly my grape leaf source is gone- I am envious!
