Grape Leaves Wrapped Feta in WFO

[Dino_Pizza]

I apologize for not having a good pic. I can't wait to make this again ASAP and will post pics:

A year ago, the LA Times had a blurb in the food section about using various leaves to wrap chunks of cheese for grilling. That's all it said, no more detail than "try grape leaves, fig or avocado", something like that.

Last saturday, I fired up the WFO for a rib roast and appetizers. I picked a dozen grape leaves from my 2 vines, (I went for the younger leaves, but old enough that they were small "palm-size") rinsed & dried them, put a 1/2" cube or wedge of goat cheese in half and brie in the other, added a grind of pepper & a 2" sprig of my garden oregano, half sticking out, and folded them up and skewered with a toothpick. Some folded nicely, some didn't. Didn't matter.

They were not folded like "dolmas", because the grape leaves are raw, fresh so they were spiky and a bit loose but I had all the cheese covered or wrapped, then put the Tuscan Grill in the WFO with coals under it for a few minutes, drizzled a few ounces of olive oil on the wrapped, tooth-picked folded grape leaves and put them on the grill for about 10 minutes.

I saw cheese oozing out and blackened leaves and removed them to a serving plate. They were 60% blackened/charred, 40% still green. I wasn't sure how to serve them, (I thought: open up the little 'wraps' and eat the goey cheese?) but NO; guest grabbed the toothpick with the slightly blackened wrapped leaves and cheese chunks and put the whole thing in their mouths pulled the toothpick thru their lips. You could hear the crispy snap of chard grape leaf in the month as it gave way to the lemony greenish flavors of the grape leaves and creamy cheese. The singed oregano gave a wonderful herby flavor too.

In the next few weeks, I'll do it again (with pics) and use feta cheese instead because the oregano and 'lemony-ness' of the grape leaves screamed for a saltier, firmer cheese than the goat cheese I used.

Please try it, I think you'll find it was easy and delicious.

-Dino

[Les]

Originally Posted by Dino_Pizza

grabbed the toothpick with the slightly blackened wrapped leaves and cheese chunks and put the whole thing in their mouths

Dino, were the pieces around 2 inches in size? I am trying to envision this - the size seems like eating a slice of Sushi? If that is the case, it sounds delicious and manageable. Thanks for another thing to try...

Edit!! I re-read the post and I have another question. How much wine did you serve before this event occured? ;-)

[Gulf]

Originally Posted by Les

How much wine did you serve before this event occured? ;-)

That's funny Les'
Dino, I hope this recipe can be done with the small wild grape leaves that we have down here. If not we'll serve it up with beer . That'll do it .

[Dino_Pizza]

Ha, you guys are funny. Les, what makes you think wine was involved? We actually had it with a Santa Barbara Viognier.

Gulf, If you're talking about some of the wild concord vines that pop up from birds scattering seeds, they should be fine. Even though they are smaller, they don't have long "fingers" (spiky toothes?) that might add too much leaf to fold up, so it might work.

Les, the cheese was about 1/2" square and 1/4"+ thick. After wrapping they were about the size of a match box with a toothpick thru it. So yes, a small piece of "sushi". I used the thicker fancier toothpicks that are more rigid and come in a small plastic container. Otherwise you might have to soak them in water first.

I'm going to try it on my bbq grill this week and post a pic.

[Gulf]

Originally Posted by Dino_Pizza

Ha, you guys are funny......Gulf, If you're talking about some of the wild concord vines that pop up from birds scattering seeds, they should be fine. Even though they are smaller, they don't have long "fingers" (spiky toothes?) that might add too much leaf to fold up, so it might work

They may be scattered by bird droppings (not sure) , but ours are called scupanine, muscadine, and vullis grapes. Most leafs are about 1 and 3/4". A few of us have learned to use the hardwood (old growth) part of the vine as a smoking wood. I'm looking forward to trying the leaf as a wrap or seasoning as we do the local bay leaf.

[Les]

Originally Posted by Dino_Pizza

Ha, you guys are funny. Les, what makes you think wine was involved? We actually had it with a Santa Barbara Viognier.

Thank god you didn't break out the gazillion dollar bottle like when you broke in your oven The selection is much more in line with leaves and cheese...

[Bacterium]

A cheese that holds its shape, although not big on flavour as it tends to absorb other flavours, is halloumi......once it comes out drizzle with lemon......ahhhhhh also great with spit roast lamb and rustic bread

[Dino_Pizza]

Damon, halloumi sounds like a perfect choice. I'll have to remember that.

Les: my make-shift oven door is truly crumbling now and I've been avoiding building a real oven door (which everyone else on this forum seem to have no problem making but I find it quite difficult) and I'm saving one of my few Opus' for that milestone.

By the time I get to a proper door for the side-storage compartment, I'll be celebrating with 2-$buck-Chuck .

[Dino_Pizza]

Here is pic of the grape leaves and squares of cheese I used to make grilled grapeleaves:


And here I'm about to drizzle a litte olive oil on all the packets. Notice how irregular each is. It doesn't matter that they are not perfect square packets. I think it's better this way.




And 5 minutes later:


I used long metal tongs to turn a couple while cooking but in the oven dome, the tops cook as fast as the bottoms. Just the outside is charred, and we eat the whole thing. I put a grind of pepper on each chunk of cheese and a sprig of fresh oregano.

[Purplegoanna]

that is the exact same cast iron stand i need for the inside of my pizza oven but im finding hard to source it......