Kofta bil wara (Kofta wrapped in grapevine leaves) is a traditional Palestinian delicacy that hails from our beloved Jerusalem.
The use of grape leaves as a wrapping adds a refreshing sour and herbal note to the spicy meat and it makes for an elegant presentation.
You can cook your Kofta bil warak in tomato juice, lemon infused broth or pomegranate-infused broth.Each of the three options adds a unique and complex flavor profile.
My favorite happens to be the lemon broth but I highly recommend trying all three.

What is warak enab?
Warak enab is the leaves of the grape vines. Usually fresh leaves are selected early in the season when they are less fibrous.

What are kofta balls/patties made of?
Kofta patties are made of beef or lamb or a mixture of both. The meat is ground with onions and parsley and then it is seasoned with olive oil and spices.

What is better for kofta?lamb or beef?
Lamb meat, makes for a moister and juicier kofta. But many tend to find it on the rich and fatty side so they opt for mixing beef and lamb meat or using beef only.If you choose to go for the beef only option a tip I have for preventing the kofta from coming out on the dry side is to add a tomato to the mix and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, the result is a moist juicy beef kofta that is just as good as its lamb counterpart.

How do I prepare the meat for the kofta?can I buy it instead?
You can buy the kofta mix premade in large supermarkets and at some butcher shops but I find that those mixes tend to have too much fat added to them (that is a trick some places use to cover up for using lower quality meat in their kofta mix) and an overload of weird spices that over power the meat. You can either ask your butcher to prepare it for you with the ingredients listed below or you can do it yourself at home. The process is really quick and easy

Kofta bi warak enab recipe

For the kofta

500 g beef
1 onion chopped
1 cup chopped parsley
1 tomato chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon allspice
pinch of cardamom (optional)

Grape vine leaves

To assemble

2 to 3 Potatoes peeled and sliced into thin rounds and fried or boiled until they are cooked halfway (the number of potatoes you’ll need depends on the size of potatoes and the size of your pan)
4 tomato thinly sliced two for the bottom of the pan and two to layer between the kofta wraps
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 lemons, juiced (1/3 cup lemon juice)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Water or stock

To prepare the kofta
Grind meat, parsley and onions in the meat grinder using the finest disk.Run them twice

Alternatively very finely dice parsley and onion and add them to the minced meat if you bought your meat pre-minced

Add  the tomato, olive oil,salt and spices and gently knead them into the meat mix. Form the kofta into 2 inch patties

Prepare the vine leaves
You’ll most commonly find leaves in a jar filled with brine. Look for ones that appear to have soft leaves, which make it easier to stuff and roll them.
Rinse the vine leaves in water to get rid of the brine.
Remove the stalks if present. Leaving them will give a stringy texture.

Assembly
Wrap each patty in a grapevine leaf by placing the leaf smooth side down on a cutting board
Place the meat patty in the center
Fold the vine leaves over the patty as you can see in the pictures

Start by laying a layer of tomato slices in the bottom of the pan then alternate the wrapped kofta in warak enab with the potato and tomato slices

In a bowl mix the olive oil, salt and lemon juice and pour over the patties
Add enough hot water to cover the patties and tomatoes

Wrap the pan in foil paper and place in preheated oven at 200 C for 30-45 minutes. After 20 minutes remove the foil and continue cooking uncovered

Serve with pita bread, pickles and olives

الكفتة بورق عنب …طبق مقدسي بامتياز..
اضافة ورق العنب مش بس بتعطي منظر انيق للكفتة ..هي بتضيف نكهه مميزة لازم تجربوها..و الاجمل انه ممكن تضيفوا نكهتكم المفضلة اما باستخدام عصير بندورة كسائل طبخ..او مرقة و ليمون او مرقة و دبس رمان..بكل حالاتها بتضل طب انيق و طيب و الاجمل اكيد انه من القدس الحبيبة
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