Rice Stuffed Grape Leaves

This is the recipe of delicious stuffed grape leaf which is made with olive oil in Aegean part of Turkey and with ground beef in the eastern part. Stuffed grape leaf with olive oil is suggested to serve cold with lemon while meaty one is suggested serve hot with yogurt. Here is the Aegean style stuffed grape leaf recipe:  

Rice Stuffed Grape Leaves

Rice Stuffed Grape Leaves
Origin: Turkish, Armenian
Difficulty: Hard
Ingredients:
-(Must) 1 jar (about 36) grape leaves, drained
-(Must) 3 cups water (divided)
-(Must) 2 tbsp plus 1/4 cup olive oil (divided)
-(Optional) 3 tbsp pine nuts
-(Optional) 3 tbsp black currants
-(Must) 1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
-(Must) 1 cup short-grain rice, such as arborio
-(Must) 1 tbsp sugar
-(Optional) 1 tsp allspices
-(Optional) 1 tbsp chopped dill
-(Optional) 2 tbsp lemon juice
-(Optional) 2 lemons, sliced
-(Optional) 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
-(Optional) Salt, pepper

Rice Stuffed Grape Leaves

Directions:

In large pot, bring 2 quarts of water to a full boil. Unroll 20 of the best-formed leaves. Place 2 or 3 at a time in the water and boil them 2 minutes. Gently remove leaves with tongs or a slotted spoon and drape them over a colander to dry. Snip away the tough stem of each leaf with scissors, to create a small v-notch.

Set 2 cups of fresh water in a saucepan over medium heat.

In another saucepan, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add pine nuts; after 1 minute, stir to turn; after 30 seconds more, stir them continuously until they are brown but not burned. Add currants, onion, rice, sugar, parsley, allspice and dill. Stir 2 minutes.

By now, the 2 cups of water should be coming to a boil; stir it into rice mixture. Reduce heat, cover tightly and simmer about 20 minutes, until rice is cooked and water absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool.

Arrange the 20 softened grape leaves on a sheet of wax paper, with bases of leaves facing you. When rice stuffing has cooled, put 1 tablespoon (heaping for large leaves, level for smaller leaves) on each leaf, just above the v-notch cut into the base. Fold the bottom (that is, the lower flanges) of the leaves over the stuffing, fold in the sides of the leaves, and roll them up -- not too tightly, lest they burst in the next phase of cooking.

Place them tightly side by side in a saucepan. Place the lemon slices on the surface and add 1/4 cup olive oil and  1 cup of hot water. Put a small lid or plate on top of them. Cover and cook on low heat for 40 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Let cool. Arrange on a serving dish and serve with fresh lemon slices and yogurt.

Rice Stuffed Grape Leaves

Estimetad Nutrition Values  (by myfitnesspal.com)
Serves:4	Calorie	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sugar
Per Serving	403 kcal	51 gr	20 gr	4 gr	11 gr