Dolmas with Lamb



INGREDIENTS:

1 lb Ground lamb

1 c  olive oil

3 tb olive oil

1 c  Finely chopped yellow onion

3 Finely chopped green onions (incl tops)

1/4 c  minced fresh parsley

2 tb minced fresh mint

1/2 c  Pine nuts

1 ts Ground cinnamon

1/2 ts Ground allspice

1/2 ts salt 

1/4 ts Freshly ground black pepper

1 Jar (16 oz) grape leaves packed in brine

3/4 c  Freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 c  Chicken broth

DIRECTIONS:

Several stems of fresh parsley
Additional freshly squeezed lemon juice
Grated or minced lemon zest for garnish
  
1. Wash and drain the rice.  Heat 3 Tbl olive oil in a
skillet over medium-high heat. Add the yellow onion and
saute until soft, but not brown, about 5 minutes.  Add
ground lamb and fry with onion till done.  Transfer to
mixing bowl and add the drained rice, 1/2 cup of the
remaining olive oil, green onions, parsley, mint, pine
nuts, cinnamon, allspice, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Rinse the grape leaves under running cold water to
remove as much brine as possible; pat dry and stack on
a plate. Place 1 leaf at a time, shiny side down, on a
flat work surface.  Cut off and discard the tough stem
end. Spoon about 1 Tbl of the rice mixture in the center
near the base of the leaf.  Fold the stem end over to
cover the filling; fold both sides inward, lengthwise,
and then tightly roll leaf toward pointed tip end to form
a compact packet.  Repeat with the remaining leaves and
filling.  Pour about 2 Tbl of the remaining olive oil in
the bottom of a large pot and strew with a layer of
parsley stems to prevent grape leaves from sticking.
Arrange the stuffed leaves, seam side down and almost
touching on top of the parsley, making as many layers as
necessary.  Drizzle the remaining 6 Tbl olive oil the
lemon juice and 1/2 cup broth over the leaves.
  
2. Top with a heat-resistant plate and weight with a heavy
can to keep leaves from unwinding during cooking.  Cover
the pot bring to a gentle boil reduce the heat to low and
cook until rice is tender about 1 hour.  During cooking
add a little heated liquid as needed to keep dolmas moist.
Remove from the heat and cool in the pot. Sprinkle with
lemon juice to taste garnish with lemon zest and
serve at room temperature.



Dolmas with Lamb