Not sure exactly how the idea to make grape leaf tamales entered into my head. Maybe it was while making traditional stuffed grape leaves, maybe while making traditional tamales.

Maybe it came to me in a fevered dream after drinking too much mezcal? No se. But I do know that after the notion wormed its way into my head, I did a very thorough internet search in English and Spanish, and then checked my library of Mexican cookbooks, also in English and Spanish, and found no hay nada sobre esta cosa.

Lord knows there has to be someone, likely in Baja California’s Valle de Guadaloupe, which is their wine country, who has done this. But maybe not?

Bottom line is, whether grape leaf tamales are my invention or not, they are damn good. Little morsels of awesome, perfect for a dinner party as an appetizer, or as a snack anytime.

Obviously the inspiration is the traditional Mediterranean dolma or stuffed grape leaf. Those are normally stuffed with rice or ground meat. This version is  stuffed with a very rich, herby masa. And since they are so small, you have to be careful about what to stuff them with, if anything.

It has to be flavorful and petite. It could be something like chopped, roasted pepitas or peanuts. Maybe a morsel of crab, or chicken. I chose my preserved garlic cloves, which are sweet, rich, warm and soft. Fresh garlic roasted for a little less than usual, so they stay vaguely cohesive, will work, too.

You will want more fat in your masa than normal, and quite a lot of fresh herbs, to add interest and flavor. Cilantro or epazote would be obvious choices, but I chose pipicha, which is a wonderfully floral and pungent wild herb from Mexico that I grow in my garden. If you hate all these, go with minced basil or parsley or some other soft herb. Nothing hard like rosemary.

For the masa, you can either go to your nearest Latin market and pick up premade masa for tamales — be sure to say that, or they could give you tortilla masa, which has no fat in it — make masa from masa harina, which is the “masa flour” you see in the stores, or you can do what I do and make it totally from scratch. If you do get fresh masa for tamales from a store, don’t add more fat to it in the recipe.

If you want to go about making masa from dried corn, read my article on how to make nixtamal first.

You can either use fresh grape leaves if you happen to have them around, or buy preserved grape leaves, which are in most supermarkets. Remember they are edible, so no need to unwrap a grape leaf tamal… and yes, tamal is one, tamales are many.

Pretty much the only tricky thing about making grape leaf tamales is folding them. And even that is not difficult. It’s best to show, rather than tell, so watch this video of me folding traditional grape leaves and you will see how to do it. Only difference is you will sub in the masa for the rice.

You steam your grape leaf tamales as you would regular tamales, which is to say in a big pot with a steamer basket in it, that is lined with grape leaves.

Once made, they keep for a week or so in the fridge. Oh, and to reheat them, skip steaming them again. Instead, put your little tamales directly on a hot comal or cast iron pan, or grill them.