To remove excess salt from brined grape leaves, rinse them in plenty of cold water, then briefly blanch them in boiling water; for very salty leaves, change the blanching water once. If the salt is not removed from the leaves, it seasons the stuffed leaves from the inside out, and the finished dish will taste salty no matter how well balanced the filling is. Taste a small tip of a leaf to check its saltiness, then reduce the salt in the filling accordingly.
Brined grape leaves sit in concentrated salt water in the jar; the salt keeps them from spoiling for months and has penetrated their texture. That is why rinsing the leaves alone is not enough: it removes the salty liquid on the surface, but salt remains in the leaves. The leaves need to meet hot water for salt to come out of their texture. Hot water draws out salt and softens the leaves; the stiff, brittle leaves taken from the jar become flexible enough to roll after blanching.
Carefully remove the leaves from the jar, separate the rolls without unfolding them, and rinse them in plenty of cold water, changing the water 2 times. Then place them in a wide pot of boiling water and blanch them for 2–5 minutes, depending on leaf thickness. Thin leaves soften quickly; if boiled too long, they tear when rolled. Transfer the blanched leaves to a colander and rinse them with cold water. The cold water stops the cooking and keeps the leaves’ color bright. Add only a few leaves to the pot in 1 batch; leaves piled on top of each other do not blanch evenly, and those in the middle remain tough.
Check the saltiness by tasting. Tear off and taste a small piece from the tip of a blanched leaf; if a sharp saltiness lingers on the tongue, put the leaves into fresh boiling water once more and let them sit for 2–3 minutes. Leaves preserved with dry salt are much saltier than those kept in brine, so soak them in cold water for half an hour before blanching. Do not try to remove all the salt from the leaves; a little salt already adds flavor to the stuffed leaves.
The salt in the leaves also affects the filling. Some salt remains in the leaves even after blanching and passes into the filling as the stuffed leaves cook. So use a little less salt in the filling than you would for stuffed leaves made with fresh leaves; start with one 4 ml measure less salt. Do not add salt, or add very little, to the cooking water after arranging the stuffed leaves in the pot. When cooking is finished, open one stuffed leaf and taste it; adjust any missing salt while serving, together with lemon.
One final preparation step remains for blanched leaves. Cut off the tough stem with scissors; if it is left on, it will remain a chewy fiber inside the stuffed leaf. Do not discard torn leaves; spread them on the bottom of the pot as a layer to keep the stuffed leaves from sticking to the bottom. Store leftover leaves from an opened jar in their brine in the refrigerator, keeping them submerged. Leaves left above the liquid darken and mold quickly. Use the leaves soon after opening the jar; if you see mold, notice an off odor, or find the leaves slippery, discard the entire jar.