Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves With Feta
I love the traditional lamb stuffed grape leaves, so I was thrilled to find that my local market had started stocking prepared grape leaves in jars. But, ground lamb is still hard to come by, and expensive. I don't like to eat meat too often anyway, so I thought a vegetarian option was in order. It's also good with goat cheese, if you prefer.
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INGREDIENTS
Nutrition- 50 -60prepared grape leaves
- 3tablespoons olive oil
- 1⁄2
- 1cup rice
- 1lemon, juice of, divided
- 2tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 2tablespoons chopped of fresh mint
- 2tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 -2teaspoon salt
- 1⁄2teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1⁄4 - 1⁄2cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1⁄3cup olive oil
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DIRECTIONS
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Serve warm, with yogurt or tzatziki sauce.
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