Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves With Feta

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• 50 -60 prepared grape leaves
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup rice
• 1 lemon, juice of, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 -2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/4-1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Recipe

• 1 saute onion in olive oil, just until translucent. add rice and cook until rice is fragrant, and lightly toasted. add half of the lemon juice and 1/2 cup water, and cook until water is absorbed. you want the rice only partially cooked at this stage.
• 2 remove from heat and cool slightly. add herbs, salt and pepper, and feta. use the smaller amount at first, and taste. if you like yours really cheesy, add more.
• 3 stuff the leaves. lay one leaf out flat, with the shiny side down, and place about a teaspoon of filling near the stem. roll over once, fold the sides in, and roll the rest of the way. keep the roll slightly loose, as the filling will expand slightly during cooking. if some of your leaves are small, you can overlap two of them and roll the same way.
• 4 use any torn or broken leaves to line the bottom of a large saucepan or skillet, or place a wide, flat vegetable steamer in the pan. you want to keep your finished rolls from touching the bottom, so they won't burn.
• 5 place rolls seam side down on top of broken leaves or steamer, and add water to cover, along with the rest of the lemon juice. you may want to place the lid from a smaller pan, or a plate on top of the rolls to keep them from moving around too much. bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until rice is tender.
• 6 serve warm, with yogurt or tzatziki sauce.