Slow Cooker Stuffed Grape Leaves

Open jars of grape leaves, pull bundles out, unroll carefully, and rinse grape leaves under running water. Shake off lightly and place on a tea towel until ready to use.

Pour oil into a skillet over medium heat, add onion and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add rice, water, salt, pepper and allspice, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer with lid on for 10 minutes (rice will not be fully cooked). Remove from heat, uncover and set aside to cool for 10 minutes or so.

When ready to roll bundles, place a grape leaf on the counter with the shiny side down and stem end closest to you. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the filling near the end, fold both sides in, and roll away from you, firmly but not too tightly. Place seam-side down on a plate. Repeat until all grape leaves (and rice) are used up.

Into the slowcooker: Place all the grape leaves into a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker, arranging them in layers. Pour the 3 cups of water and lemon juice on top. Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.

When ready to serve: Gently remove the stuffed grape leaves (they will be soft and tender) and place into a storage container. Stir together marinade ingredients and pour over the grape leaves. Serve immediately (while still warm) or let cool to room temperature, whichever you prefer. May refrigerate up to a week (and serve cool from the fridge too). Sometimes we'll warm some in the microwave after they've been refrigerated.

cook's notes

This is a variation of the recipe found in Robin Robertson's book Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker' since my slow cooker holds 5 quarts and I had two bottles of grape leaves on hand, I made a larger batch than her original, adding a marinade at the end too. I also ran out of basmati rice (used in the original recipe), so I ended up using plain old white rice - it all turned out just fine!