Stuffed grapevine leaves with meat

Ingredients

• 40 – 50 tender medium sized grape vine leaves (plus a few large leaves for base of pot)
• ½ kg quality mince meat
• ½ cup short grain rice
• 1 large brown onion
• 1 cup water
• Butter
• 2 (juicy) lemons
• Olive oil
• Ground black pepper
• Salt

Method

Wash leaves well. In a large pot bring water to the boil with a dash of olive oil. Blanche leaves then drain in colander. Cut hard stem from centre of leaves (this can be done at the time of wrapping or prior to blanching).

Cover rice with cold water and bring to boil. Simmer until rice is softened (taking care not to overcook – rice should have some “bite”). Drain. Fry finely chopped onion in butter until golden. Add mince to onion mixture and cook well. Add softened rice (in stages until proportion rice/meat looks right) and add juice of one lemon. Add generous amount of ground black pepper and salt. Leave mixture to cool.

With oiled hands place vine leaf right side down on a board. Position a small amount of cooked mixture at base of leaf and wrap. Then squeeze finished roll quite tightly in hand and arrange one after the other in the saucepan on top of a few larger reserved (grape vine) leaves.

When all iaprakia have been positioned in the saucepan, add juice of one lemon, 1 cup of water, 3 – 4 knobs of butter and more ground pepper. Weigh down with a heavy plate or dish to ensure rolls stay tightly in place. Bring to boil and then simmer for about 30 minutes. Let iaprakia stand in saucepan for a couple of hours before refrigerating.
* Tip 1 – First get your vine leaves! These can be bought frozen or tinned but fresh is always best. In Australia the month for cooking is November when the leaves are at their best.  This coincides with St Dimitri’s Day and so these were always great favourites to celebrate the occasion of our grandfather Jim’s nameday.

* Tip 2 – If leaves are on the small side, two can be overlapped before wrapping.

* Tip 3 – Be generous with the black pepper.

Helene’s Modern Update

Use olive oil instead of butter to fry onion. No need to add butter to pot when cooking either. Always delicious!