Mince Stuffed Vine Leaves

Bring a large pot of water to the boil.

Wash the vine leaves and put ten or so into the boiling water. Simmer for 3 minutes and remove to a plate to drain. Continue until all of the leaves have been blanched.

Prepare the filling;

Peel the onions and grate them into a bowl.
Grate the tomatoes into the same bowl. You don't need to peel them as you are automatically left with the skins at the end of grating. Discard the skins.

Wash the rice, drain well and add to the bowl along with the mince, half of the tomato paste and half of the salt and pepper.

Mix together well with your hands.

When the vine leaves are cool enough to handle, place a leaf on a board in front of you and cut off the stem using a small knife.

Stuff the leaf by putting 1 - 2 tablespoons of the mince mixture at the base, wide end, of the leaf, fold over the sides and roll up.

Place the stuffed leaf (sarma) into a pot and continue to stuff the leaves until the either the leaves or the mince are finished.

When placing the stuffed leaves (sarma) in the pot they should be firmly packed but not squeezed in too tightly. Enough so that they stay put during cooking.

Mix together the water, remaining salt and remaining tomato paste.  Pour this over the finished stuffed leaves (sarma). Add more water if necessary to bring the level of the liquid to the top of the stuffed leaves.

Put the lid on the pot and simmer for 30 minutes. I usually test one to make sure that the rice is cooked and the leaf is tender. Sometimes the leaves take longer to cook.

Serve hot with thick plain Yogurt and a little of the cooking liquid.

Serve with bread to mop up the liquid.

You can use any fresh and tender leaves from a grape vine. Spring is the best time to harvest them and if possible use the ones that have a smooth undersurface rather than a furry undersurface.

If you use preserved leaves it is better to soak them in warm water for 30 minutes first.