• 12 fresh grape leave
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 pound of ground meat (We used lamb but any meat from the market works great. Try beef, bison, poultry, elk, emu, lamb, pork, or venison.
• 1/2 cup cooked rice (We used brown rice.)
• Tablespoon of minced fresh mint
• Juice of 1/4 to 1/2 lemon
• Tablespoon sunflower oil from the market (or olive oil)
• Pinch of salt (optional)
• Pepper to taste

Directions

Preparing the leaves 

1. You will blanch the grape leaves to prepare them.
2. Prepare a pan with boiling water wide enough to accommodate flat grape leaves.
3. Using the stem as a handle, submerge the leaves (one at a time) into the water until they're limp, around 35 seconds.
4. Remove, from the water, clip off the stem and lay flat. Make a neat pile of leaves as you complete the blanching.

Filling 

1. Add a small amount of oil to the bottom of a medium-sized fry pan and heat over medium flame.
2. Add half of the garlic to the pan plus the meat.
3. Cook halfway to browned, then drain the fat, if necessary.
4. Add the rest of the garlic and the mint.
5. Squeeze in the lemon juice.
6. Cook until browned and then stir in the rice.
7. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Stuffing the Leaves

1. We found that those leaves we stuffed while the filling was still hot were the easiest to stuff and had the most tender leaves. We surmised that the filling continued to cook the leaves for a bit after they were stuffed.
2. Lay the leaves flat. Take around 1-1/2 tablespoons of filling and place on one side of a leaf. Don't overfill. Fold the sides to the center and roll, as you would a burrito [DEMO].
3. When they are completed, add a small amount of oil to the outside of the leaves to give them a beautiful shine and help keep them supple.
4. Serve warm, room temperature, or cold. 

Lemon Alternative

If you're a little more adventurous, an alternative to adding the lemon juice to the stuffing is to make an Avgolemono sauce, for dipping or to coat the leaves. This is a classic Greek egg-lemon sauce:  

Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks
• 3-4 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 3-4 tablespoons hot chicken broth (Check with Jordandal Farms on West Main St.)

Directions

1. Beat the yolks until they are thick.
2. Slowly add the lemon juice and then the broth.
3. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it is thick and smooth.
4. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for six minutes.
5. If it thickens too much, add a little more hot broth.

 Notes:

• You can preserve grape leaves in your refrigerator by storing them in a salt brine.
• We found they looked the best when the leaf veins were on the inside, against the stuffing.
• Don't overstuff them.
• There are plenty of vegan, vegetarian, and meat recipes using grape leaves [RECIPES].

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