VINE LEAVES SARMA

For years, I’ve had a simple ritual: I collect non-sprayed leaves from the vines in my garden, wash them well, and freeze them just as they are. That way, I can prepare sarma with vine leaves any time of the year. When I need them, I simply defrost the leaves by dipping them in water — they keep their freshness and flavor beautifully.

This dish is beloved across the Balkans, and in Macedonia, it is a favorite for family lunches and festive tables. Unlike cabbage sarma, vine leaves give a light, fresh taste that pairs perfectly with minced meat and rice, topped with sour milk or yogurt.

This dish is easy to made, it takes about 30 minutes to prepare and about 45 minutes to cook.

Ingredients:

50-60 vine leaves
500 g minced meat
150 g rice
1 tbs vegetable seasoning (Vegeta)
1 tbs red paprika
pinch of salt
parsley
oregano

Preparation:

If leaves are fresh and young, they are ready for use. Just wash them. If you keep leaves in the freeze (like I do), then just put them in some water to unfreeze and to soften.
Then fry meat in a frying pan with some olive oil, fry until it changes colour. Add rice, spices, red paprika, salt, parsley and oregano in the end and mix well.
Put 1 tbs of the meat mixture in the middle of each leaf and wrap them. Wrap them so that you first fold one side over, then the other side, then roll. Put them in a pot with a lid and add water to cover them.
Cook covered for about 45 minutes.
In the ends, you can prepare a mix of 1/2 a cup of water, 5 tsp of tomato sauce and 1 tbs of flour and add it for better taste and for extra sauce. Leave to cook for another 5 min.