Lamb-Stuffed Fresh Grape Leaves

Long-grain rice is the usual choice for dolmas. I prefer a medium or short grain, but use whatever white rice you have on hand. A pro tip for layering the grape leaves into the cooking pot: Stack them seam-side down in a circle with one end up against the pot’s wall, leaving the pot’s center empty. By layering the stuffed leaves in a circle formation, you ensure that the plate used to weigh down the leaves comes into contact with all of them. If you stack the leaves willy-nilly into the pot, the leaves in the center won’t come into contact with the plate, and as the rice expands, they will unfurl during the cooking process. I used a 3.5-quart pot for this recipe.

Makes 8 servings as an appetizer or 4-6 as a main course

TO PREP THE RICE:

1 cup medium-grain rice, such as Calrose Boiling water

TO PREP THE LEAVES: 40 fresh grape leaves, washed well

1 tablespoon kosher salt Boiling water

FOR THE FILLING:

1 pound ground lamb, preferably organic and grass-fed 11⁄2 cups chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 cup chopped cilantro, leaves and stems

1⁄4 cup chopped fresh mint

2 fat cloves garlic, minced 4 green onions chopped, white and green parts

21⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt

1⁄2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1 rounded teaspoon allspice 1 rounded teaspoon cinnamon

1⁄2 teaspoon cumin

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil

TO BRAISE:

1 lemon, sliced

1 large Roma tomato, sliced 1 can Original V8 juice 32 ounces (1 quart) chicken stock, plus 2-3 cups more if needed

Water, optional, as needed

TO SERVE:

1⁄2 cup Greek yogurt 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, or to taste Pinch of kosher salt Chopped parsley Lemon wedges

Add rice to a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand 10 minutes. Drain, rinse and set aside.

Layer grape leaves in a 9-inch-by-13-inch casserole dish. Sprinkle with salt and cover with boiling water. Set aside to soak while you prepare the filling.

To a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients for the filling. Add the drained rice. Mix well to incorporate.

Cover the bottom of a 3.5-quart pot with the lemon and tomato slices and place near your work area.

Pull four grape leaves from the casserole dish. Hold a leaf by its stem and gather it around the base where it attaches to the leaf.

Trim away the stem and the base where it attaches. Repeat with the other three leaves. Place the four trimmed leaves vein-side up on a work surface with the top tips facing away from you. Add a tablespoon of filling in the center of each leaf just above the area you trimmed, forming it into a log.

Starting with the leaf closest to you, pull the bottom two parts of the leaf up and over the stuffing. Place fingertips of both hands on the covered stuffing and slowly roll back, just until you can tuck the leaves’ tips under the stuffing. Now roll up halfway. Tuck the two sides of the leaves in toward the center (as if you’re rolling a burrito), then continue rolling and tucking as you go, until the tip of the top leaf is under the stuffing. Place the rolled grape leaf seam-side down into the stockpot, with one end of the rolled leaf touching the pot wall. Repeat with the remaining leaves, adding them to the pot stacked upon each other in a circle formation, always with one end touching the pot wall, leaving the pot’s center empty.

Once all leaves have been rolled and layered into the pot, pour in the V8 juice. Place the pot on mediumhigh heat. Put a plate upside-down into the pot to weigh down the grape leaves (a salad or dessert plate works best for me). Pour in the chicken stock until it covers most of the plate. If you need more liquid, use water or more stock. To ensure the plate doesn’t flip or move out of place during cooking, add a small heatproof bowl half-filled with water on top of the dish. Once the liquid comes to a boil, immediately reduce the heat to low and simmer for 11⁄2 hours.

Carefully remove the bowl and plate from the pot. Let the grape leaves rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Just before serving, stir the olive oil into the yogurt, adding salt to taste. Top with the chopped parsley.

To serve, add grape leaves to a plate, pouring some of the broth over them. Add some Greek yogurt on the side for dipping and a few lemon wedges to squeeze over the leaves.