MEDITERRANEAN STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES

INGREDIENTS FILLING

2 cups Vegetable Stock (page 125) or store-bought vegetable broth or purified water

1 cup brown rice

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup grated radish

1/3 cup chopped scallions or green onions

1/2 cup minced celery

3/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil

GRAPE LEAVES

36 grape leaves

1 bunch chives

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/3 cup currants or yellow raisins

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pinch salt (optional)

1 tablespoon capers

1. Bring the stock or water to a boil in a large pot. Add the rice and salt. Reduce heat and simmer, covered with a tight-fitting lid, for 45 minutes. All the water should be absorbed. Fluff the rice with fork.

2. Mix together the rice and all the other filling ingredients in a large bowl, tossing thoroughly with a spoon.

3. Rinse the grape leaves. Spread the grape leaves out and spoon 1 ½ tablespoons of the filling on the end of each leaf, and then roll up, folding the outer edges in.

4. Take three 5-inch-long chives and dip briefly in boiling water to make them more pliable. Tie them around each stuffed grape leaf.

5. Place the leaves in a small casserole dish and drizzle 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon lemon juice over them. Cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes at 350°F. Serve warm or cold.

Tips: Grape leaves are not readily available fresh, so you will have to buy them bottled or canned. They are packed in brine, a salty solution that you’ll want to rinse off before using. Gently lift the leaves out of the jar, lay them in a bowl, and run them under a soft stream of water, letting the water completely drench the leaves. To dry, lay the leaves in a colander and let them drain, or lay them on a flat surface and pat dry with a clean cloth.