FREE LEBANESE RECIPES

Serves 6
Cooking time: 1 1/2 hours.

1 medium brown onion, chopped (optional)
Several lean meat bones, for bottom of saucepan (optional)
1 tablespoon ghee or substitute
3 cloves garlic
1lb (500 kg) fresh, tender grape vine leaves
4 cups Meat and Rice stuffing
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried min
Water as required

Lightly brown the onion and meat bones in the ghee using the saucepan in which the vine leaves are to be cooked. Drain off the ghee but leave the onion and bones in the bottom of the saucepan and add 2 cloves of garlic. Cover with a layer of vine leaves.

Soften the remaining vine leaves by dipping a few at a time in boiling water. Taking one leaf at a time, lay it down with the rough side up and place a teaspoonful of stuffing in the centre. Fold the bottom of the leaf over the stuffing, and then fold it in form each side to the middle. Roll tightly, forming a roll about 3-4 in (7.5 - 10 cm) long and 1/2-1 in (1.25 - 2.5 cm) thick.

Pack the rolls, open ends down, in tight rows and layers in the saucepan, on top of the layer of leaves covering the bones and onions. Sprinkle each layer with salt and lemon juice. Crush the remaining garlic clove, mix it with the remainder of the lemon juice and pour over the last layer of rolls. Sprinkle with mint.

Cook as directed opposite.

Variation:

Add one finely chopped tomato to the stuffing and include 2 medium sized sliced tomatoes in the bottom of the saucepan before cooking