DATE: Wednesday, May 28, 1997               TAG: 9705240067

SECTION: FLAVOR                  PAGE: F2   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY BETTY DOUGLASS, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   41 lines

GRAPE LEAVES WORK WELL AS WRAPPERS

GRAPE LEAVES are most often found bottled or canned in brine. You will usually find them on the gourmet shelf or in the ``international'' aisles. Middle Eastern cooks stuff grape leaves with rice and meat and roll them into cigar-shapes called dolmas.

In other parts of the world they are used to flavor small cheeses, line a pot for cooking mushrooms and wrap such foods as quail, goat cheese and anchovies before grilling.

``As a vegetable, these pretty leaves of the vine have a special firmness of texture - even after cooking - and a uniqueness of flavor,'' says Alex D. Hawkes in ``A World of Vegetable Cookery'' (Simon & Schuster, 1984).

Storage - Refrigerate grape leaves in their brine in an airtight, nonmetal container, and they will keep indefinitely.

How to use: ``Whether they are packed in brine or fresh, grape leaves need some preliminary preparation before they are used,'' according to ``The Periyuli Cookbook'' by Holly Garrison with Nicola Kotsoni and Steve Tzolis (Villard Books, 1992).

Carefully remove the brined grape leaves from the jar or can. Spread in a single layer in a large, shallow pan. Add enough boiling water to cover the leaves and set aside to soak until the water is cool.

Rinse the leaves with cold water and dry with paper towels. Snip the woody stem from the bottom center of each leaf. Lay each leaf flat, vein side up, on a work surface, overlapping the bottom of the leaf slightly where the stem has been removed.

Place the filling about 1/2-inch up from the bottom and fold as directed in the recipe. The leaves should not be too tightly packed, because fillings expand as they cook. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MOTOYA NAKAMURA/The Virginian-Pilot

Grape leaves usually are sold bottled or canned in brine and are

most often on the gourmet or ``international'' aisle of the

supermarket.

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