Greek: Dolmades 09 by Recipe Cottage

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	Dolmades 09

		Grape Leaves Suffed with Ground Lamb grape Leaves ground lamb (or hamburger), very lean rice salt pepper cinnamon tomato paste Mix the lamb with raw rice in a ratio of 2 (meat) to 1 (rice). Season with salt, pepper & cinnamon and don't be afraid of the cinnamon. Optional additions are a generous handful of fresh, minced parsley and/or a chopped tomato. I like both. Rinse the grape leaves (assuming they're in brine. If you're lucky enough to have them fresh--ah!). Remove the largest part of the center leaf vein. Many of the leaves that come in jars are large enough to cut in half. Find the way that's best for you. Put about 1 teaspoon of mixture into each leaf and roll like a burrito, i.e., wrap in the sides, turn up the bottom, and continue to roll until it's similar to a little cigarette. Tuck each one neatly into a heavy pot. Place them close together so they won't fall apart. Continue until you have lost patience. Do this with the radio on because it's a tedious task! You should have at least 50, and this is using about a pound of meat. Any leftover meat mixture can be frozen or added in a little aluminum foil package to the cooking pot. Make a thin tomato sauce by stirring a spoonful of tomato paste into some warm water. Cover the stuffed grape leaves with this thin sauce. I make mine thicker than my Lebanese friends do. Place a saucer on top of the leaves, so they won't float. Simmer for 30 minutes or so or until the leaves are tender and the rice is cooked. Serve hot or cold.