Stuffed Grape Leaves

Ingredients

• • 1 jar of large grape leaves in brine (about 60-75 leaves) or about 180 small leaves
  • 8 cups of water
  • 2 pounds of lean ground beef
  • 1 cup of uncooked short-grain rice
  • 2 medium-large onions, finely chopped
  • 5 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 bunch of fresh dill, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh mint, chopped
  • juice of 3 lemons
  • 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of sea salt
  • 2 cups of water

Preparation

• Step 1- Blanch the leaves.
  • Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot, add juice of 1/2 lemon and the salt.
  • Carefully unroll the leaves (do not separate them). Turn off the heat and place leaves in the hot water for 3 minutes.
  • Remove leaves and place them in a bowl and cover with cold water. When cooled, drain in a colander.
  • It is not unusual for many of the outer leaves in the jar or can to be damaged, or to tear while using. Set these aside to use later in the recipe.
• Step 2- Prepare the filling
  • Soak the rice for 10 minutes in hot water and drain. (Alternatively, sauté the rice with the onion.)
  • Sauté the onions in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until translucent, not browned.
  • In a bowl, combine the onions, ground beef, rice, remaining olive oil, dill, mint, juice of 1 lemon, and pepper. Mix well by hand.
• Step 3- Filling and rolling the leaves
  • Gently separate one leaf and place it shiny side down on a work surface.
  • Place a pinch (up to a teaspoon) of the filling on the leaf at the point where the stem joined the leaf.
  • Fold up the bottom of the leaf over the filling, then each side inward in parallel folds, and roll up the leaf.
  • Roll should be firm, not tight, as the filling will expand during cooking. Repeat until all the filling has been used.
• Step 4- Cook the leaves
  • Put a plate or wooden kabob skewers in the bottom of a heavy-bottomed pot (see tip below). The plate should fit as closely as possible to the sides.
  • If there are unused leaves, or leaves that were torn and not used during the filling process, put them on the plate or on top of the skewers.
  • Place the stuffed grape leaves on top, packing them closely together (not squashed), seam side down, so they don't unroll during cooking.
  • Layer them until all are in the pot (2-3 layers is best, but no more than 4 layers). Place several unused leaves over the top.
  • Take another plate and place it upside down on top of the stuffed grape leaves, with something to weight it down (a second plate works well).
  • Add 2 cups of water to the pot and cover. Bring the water to a gentle boil, add the remaining lemon juice, reduce heat to low and simmer for approximately 50-70 minutes.
  • Check to see if done. If the rice has cooked, they are done. If not, continue cooking for another 10 minutes and check again.
  • Cooking time depends both on the type of pot used and the particular stovetop element.