Recipe - Hot Stuffed Grape Leaves With Lamb

1 Jar preserved grape leaves;
drained
One half cup Longgrain rice
One fourth cup Plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 Onion; finely chopped
3 Cloves garlic; minced
One half pound Lean ground lamb
1 teaspoon Dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground
black pepper
4 ounce Feta cheese; crumbled finely
or grated
3 tablespoon Finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoon Finely chopped mint
1 teaspoon Sugar
1 Lemon ; Juice of
1 Lemon cut or sliced up ; for garnish
Mint leaves; for garnish

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Carefully separate the grape leaves, place in a large bowl and pour boiling
water over them to cover. Let the leaves soak for 20 minutes, then drain
and rinse to remove excess salt. Drain the leaves, snip off the stems
(reserving stems), and lay the leaves on a towel to dry.

In a saucepan, bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil, and stir in the
rice. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook rice until water is absorbed,
about 17 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a
skillet, add the onion and saute until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the
garlic and saute one more minute, until aromas are released. Add the lamb
and cook until the meat is well browned, breaking it apart with a fork
while cooking, about 15 minutes. Add the oregano, and salt and pepper to
taste. Stir in the feta and remove from the heat. Stir in the rice, parsley
and mint.

Place one leaf on a flat surface, vein side up, shiny side down. Place a
rounded teaspoon of filling in the center of the leaf, near the stem edge.
Fold the stem end over the filling, then fold both sides toward the middle,
and form into a roll. Squeeze lightly in the palm of your hand to secure
the roll. Repeat process with remaining leaves and filling.

Line the bottom of a 3quart heavy saucepan with reserved stems, trimmings
and any leftover or torn grape leaves, and arrange bundles seam sides down,
packing them close together in layers.

Combine the remaining One fourth cup olive oil with Three fourths cup water, the sugar, and
lemon juice, and pour over the stuffed grape leaves. Place a small,
heatproof plate on top of the stuffed leaves, cover the pan and simmer over
low heat for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until leaves are tender and
most of the liquid is absorbed. Serve warm, garnished with lemon slices and
mint leaves.

Yield: 40 to 50 stuffed grape leaves

c.1997, M.S. Milliken & S. Feniger, all rights reserved

Posted to recipeludigest by molony molony@scsn.net on Feb 24, 1998