SteffieFlo's
Cornucopia

Grape Leaves with Lamb
and Rice Filling
This is a favorite of my friends in Taipei.
I got the recipe from the owner of a Greek
Restaurant here in Taipei.
It takes no longer than any other meal
and it's a nice change from the ordinary.

Prep time:  30 minutes
Cooking time:  1 hour 5 minutes
Makes about 36 stuffed grape leaves
(I cut the recipe from 108; it comes out super!)

Ingredients:

1 jar (16 oz.) prepared grape leaves, drained 3 tablespoonns lemon juice
3/4 cup long-grain  white rice 1 teaspoon dried mint
1/4 cup pine nuts (pignoli) 1/4 cup raisins or currants
1 pound ground lamb 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped 3/4 teaspoon salt
3 medium scallions, chopped 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preparation:

1.  Boil the grape leaves in a large saucepan for 1 minute.
Drain them, rinse, and drain again.  Seperate the large
leaves (for stuffing) from the small leaves (to use later).
2.  Cook the rice until just tender (about 10 minutes),
drain and rinse under cold water, drain again.
3.  Toast the pine nuts over medium heat in a dry skillet,
stirring often, until lightly browned (about 2 minutes).
Remove and set them aside.  In the same skillet,
cook the ground lamb, onion and scallions 
over a medium heat, stirring often to break up the meat, 
 until the lamb looses its pink color (about 5 minutes).
Turn off the heat, stir in the rice, toasted pine nuts,
mint, raisins, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, salt and pepper.
4.  Line the bottom of a 5-6 quart *Dutch oven with about
10 of the small grape leaves.  Place a large grape
leaf, veined side up, on a cutting board and put about
1 tblspn lamb-rice filling in the center of the leaf.  Fold
in the ends and roll to form a cylinder.  Repeat with the
remaining leaves and filling.  Arrange the filled leaves
in prepared pan, seam side down and packed closely
together.    Put some of the small leaves between the
layers.  Combine 1 cup water, 2 tblspns lemon juice and
olive oil and pour over the packed grape leaves.
5.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat
to low, cover tightly and simmer until the liquid is almost
absorbed (about 45 minutes).  Let this cool to about 
room temperature before serving.

Serve it with warm French or sourdough bread
with a room temperature bread dip of olive oil
(about 1/4 cup), garlic oil (but just a hint) and a pinch of basil.
It's very Greek, but taste-test it, first!
Then add a salad of endive lettuce, tomatitos
(Italian cherry tomatoes), black olives and crumbled
fetta cheese with an olive oil and vinaigrette dressing.
*A Dutch oven is a heavy pot or kettle with a close-fitting
lid used for pot roasts and things of that sort.

This is my Dutch oven.
 Actually, it's a little light, but it does the job.

 
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Coming Soon:

The Idiot's Guide to Preparing "Killer Chinese Food" NOW UP The Idiot's Guide to Preparing "Knock-out Vegie Plates"
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