Rolling Grape Leaves
Throwing a big party can be a challenge for even the most talented and prolific entertainer. Recently, my good friend and fellow foodie Janet Conomos was planning to host forty people for an incredible spread of Greek food that would include her homemade stuffed grape leaves, dolmades. On top of all of the other dishes she needed to prepare, Janet was dreading the thought of stuffing and rolling 150 of these tasty morsels. As we sat at her kitchen reviewing the menu, she toyed with the idea of hiring a caterer to make the stuffed leaves for her. This would make things easier and give her more time to prepare for the event. The trouble, however, was finding someone who would follow her recipe and navigate through the tedious process of washing the leaves, trimming the stems, making the filling, rolling, cooking the leaves, and so on and so on and so on. The process, as she explained it to me, sounded a little unexciting and far from simple, so we both doubted that any caterer would be willing to take the time.
Janet has taught me many things about Greek culture and food. She's guided me through the making of avgolemono (chicken-lemon) soup, introduced me to taramosalata (cod roe dip) and opened my eyes and my palate to the wonder of fresh lemon juice in cooking. It was my turn to give back, so I insisted that she teach me how to make stuffed grape leaves and, in return, I would wash, trim, roll and do my very best to imitate her flavours while making life just a little simpler for a good friend.
The four or five hours we spent in her kitchen cooking and chatting were wonderful. As we sat there rolling the leaves and catching up on our family and friends (think Greek- style quilting circle), I realized that the process of cooking, though long and tedious at times, is so much more special and simple when you have someone to share it with. So grab a good friend, a jar of grape leaves, a glass of wine and start rolling. This recipe is worth it!
