Dolmades

I've tweaked the amounts a bit to use almost all of the leaves in one of the bottles of grape leaves that I buy, which will cover the bottom of my 9" diameter cook pot with a single layer of dolmades. To use up all of the leaves I double-wrap five or six of the dolmades.

What you need:

• a 9" diameter cook pot (at least 3" deep)

• an 8 ounce (dry weight) jar of Mezzetta grape leaves
• a 14.5 ounce can of whole tomatoes
• lemons to make at least 1/4 cup juice
• scallions to make 1.5 cups chopped onion
• cilantro or parsley to make at least 1/4 cup chopped leaves

• olive oil
• long grain white rice

Preparation:

1. Heat 2 T olive oil to a high temperature in the cook pot and add 3/4 cup uncooked rice. Stir it for a few moments so that it begins to change color, then add the scallions and continue to stir-fry for another moment.

2. Remove from the heat, mix in the cilantro (or parsley) and the mint, and remove the mixture into a bowl.

3. Rinse out the cook pot and place it on the counter next to where you'll be constucting the domades.

4. Construct the dolmades:
   1. Carefully remove the grape leaves from the jar. (The original version of this recipe called for rinsing the brine off of them and adding salt to the recipe, but I just don't rinse the leaves.)
   2. Spread our a grape leaf bottom side up.
   3. Place about a teaspoonful of the filling on the leaf near the stem.
   4. Rull up tightly like a burrito.
   5. Place the domades seam side down, packed tightly together in the bottom of the cook pot. Filling up the bottom with a single layer helps keep them from shifting around and unrolling while they cook.

5. Being careful not to jostle the dolmades around, add:
   1. 1 cup water
   2. 1 cup liquid from the canned tomatoes (squashing them produces more juice)
   3. 1/4-1/2 cup lemon juice
   4. 2 T olive oil

6. Apply medium heat to the cook pot until the liquid is simmering gently, then cover it and turn it down low.

7. Cook covered on low for about 45 minutes. They're done whenever the rice is cooked as much as you like: 45 minutes suffices for firm rice, but if you want softer rice cook longer.