Name: Stuffed Vegetarian Grape Leaves (Warak Syami bil Zeit)
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 cups medium-grain white rice; 475 g grape leaves; ½ cup olive oil, divided; 1 large yellow onion,; finely chopped; 3 tomatoes, seeded and; finely diced; 1 red bell pepper, seeded; and finely diced; 1 cayenne pepper, finely diced; 4 cloves garlic, crushed; 2 cups finely chopped and; firmly packed parsley leaves; ¼ cup finely chopped and firmly; packed fresh mint leaves; 1 cup lemon juice, divided; 2½ tsp salt; 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Soak the rice in boiling water for 30 minutes. Drain.
Add the fresh grape leaves to pot of boiling water, and then turn off the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes, drain and pat dry. If using brined leaves, leave them in hot water for 15 minutes more.
In a skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil until it shimmers. Add onion, then green and red peppers, tomatoes, and Serrano pepper. Cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes, until the vegetables have softened. Add the garlic, rice, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Squeeze lemon juice, add more olive oil, then add the parsley and mint and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently to allow the rice to soak up the flavours. Set aside and let cool.
Use a knife to remove thick stem from bottom of each grape leaf, being careful not to tear the rest of the leaf. Discard leaves that tear.
Lay 1 grape leaf flat on a surface with cut stem toward you. Add 2 tsp of the stuffing to centre, and then fold up the stem end to cover. Carefully fold in the sides and roll. Repeat.
In a large pot, add some oil then layer the potato, tomato and Serrano. Arrange stuffed grape leaves in layers, ensuring that they fit snugly. Use a plate to weight them down and keep them in place while cooking. Add salt and pour in enough boiling water to cover everything by an inch. Cook over high heat for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, and cook until rolls are fork-tender and the water has substantially evaporated, about 1 hour.
Drizzle lemon juice and oil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve at room temperature, garnish with parsley and pomegranate seeds.
People usually fight over the slightly burnt bits so make sure not to discard, scrap off the pot and keep in a bowl.

Stuffed Vegetarian Grape Leaves (Warak Syami bil Zeit)

Stuffed Vegetarian Grape Leaves (Warak Syami bil Zeit)

Ingredients

Instructions

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