Lamb With Feta Cheese And Grape Leaves Recipes

HOT STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES WITH LAMB

Steps:

• Carefully separate the grape leaves, place in a large bowl and pour boiling water over them to cover. Let the leaves soak for 20 minutes, then drain and rinse to remove excess salt. Drain the leaves, snip off the stems (reserving stems), and lay the leaves on a towel to dry.
• In a saucepan, bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil, and stir in the rice. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook rice until water is absorbed, about 17 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet, add the onion and saute until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute one more minute, until aromas are released. Add the lamb and cook until the meat is well browned, breaking it apart with a fork while cooking, about 15 minutes. Add the oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the feta and remove from the heat. Stir in the rice, parsley and mint.
• Place one leaf on a flat surface, vein side up, shiny side down. Place a rounded teaspoon of filling in the center of the leaf, near the stem edge. Fold the stem end over the filling, then fold both sides toward the middle, and form into a roll. Squeeze lightly in the palm of your hand to secure the roll. Repeat process with remaining leaves and filling.
• Line the bottom of a 3quart heavy saucepan with reserved stems, trimmings and any leftover or torn grape leaves, and arrange bundles seam sides down, packing them close together in layers.
• Combine the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil with 3/4 cup water, the sugar, and lemon juice, and pour over the stuffed grape leaves. Place a small, heatproof plate on top of the stuffed leaves, cover the pan and simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until leaves are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Serve warm, garnished with lemon slices and mint leaves.

LAMB WITH FETA CHEESE AND GRAPE LEAVES

Steps:

• Stir first 6 ingredients in small bowl to blend.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Rub mixture on both sides of lamb.
• Cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 450.
• Place lamb, fat side down, in roasting pan.
• Roast 15 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 375 and continue roasting until thermometer inserted into thickest part of lamb registers 135 for medium-rare, about 40 minutes.
• Remove from oven; cool slightly.
• Cut into 1/4-inch slices.
• Cook grape leaves in large pot of boiling water 30 seconds.
• Drain well.
• Pat dry with paper towels.
• Combine cheese and parsley in bowl.
• Season with pepper.
• Butter 15x10x2" glass baking dish.
• Place 8 grape leaves in dish, spacing slightly apart.
• Arrange 2 lamb slices atop each grape leaf (reserve remaining lamb for another use).
• Spoon 2 tablespoons cheese mixture over lamb on each leaf.
• Top each with another grape leaf, covering lamb and cheese.
• Brush with melted butter.
• (Grape leaf bundles can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate).
• Preheat oven to 400.
• Bake until lamb is heated through, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer grape leaf bundles to platter.

VEGETARIAN STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES WITH FETA

Steps:

• 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.