I large jar of Grape leaves (you can usually buy these @ any major grocery store now)
1 ½ lemons – juice
½ cup long grain rice (I like Uncle Ben’s for this recipe)
1 cup of boiling water for rice
1 ½ pounds of ground Ontario lamb
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 cup of fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp. ground coriander
Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive Oil
Drain the jar of grape leaves and soak in some warm water with the juice of one lemon for about 2 hours.
Drain in a colander and rinse one more time with some cold water and set aside. Soak and wash the rice in boiling water for about ten minutes. Drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
In a large bowl, place the rice, lamb, onions, garlic, parsley, and spices. Mix well.
Place one leaf on a cutting board, vein side up, and cut out the stem. Place one tablespoon of the filling in the center, bottom on the leaf. Fold over like a roll and them fold in the sides and keep rolling so you have a small log shape. Continue till the entire filling is used. You will have left over leaves.
In a 9X11-baking pan with sides, place a single layer of left over leaves on the bottom. Then sprinkle some olive oil on top and spread with your fingers. Place the rolls in a single layer in the pan.
Squeeze the juice of half a lemon evenly on top…don’t worry about the seeds. And also a sprinkle of olive oil. Then add about half a cup of warm water on top so the rolls are partially sitting in the water. Cover with tin foil.
Bake for about an hour. Remove from pan and set the rolls on a large platter and let cool to room temperature.
I like to then place some lemon wedges on the plate, so guests can put an extra squeeze on top. They are also nice to serve with some yogurt. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days, covered with plastic wrap….but let them come to room temperature before you serve them.