Stuffed Grape Leaves (Zeytinyagli Yaprak Sarma)

Ingredients:
- 1 can grape (vine) leaves
- 1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 big onions, chopped
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- 2 cups rice, washed
- 3 tablespoons dried currants
- 1 tablespoon spearmint flakes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 + 1/2 lemon juice
- 1 cup parsley, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Hot water

Directions:

1. Take out the grape leaves and wash well a few times to take off the salty brine taste. Place on a strainer.
2. In a large pot, saute onions in 1/4 cup olive oil. Add in pine nuts. Stir a few minutes.
3. Add in rice to the pot. Stir 2 more minutes. Reduce heat to very low.
4. Add the remaining ingredients respectively: dried currants, spearmint flakes, black pepper, cinnamon, sugar, 1/2 lemon juice, parsley, salt and 1/4 cup hot water. Simmer covered until rice absorbs water. Then turn off the heat and set aside uncovered to cool.
5. Take a grape leaf. Lay on a clean flat surface (like a tray). Take 1 teaspoon of the rice mix and place it along the bottom edge of the leaf. Roll the leaf like an rolling an egg roll, but as tight as you can.
6. Lay a few grape leaves open on the bottom of the pan as a base. Place the stuffed and rolled grape leaves in the pot one by one as you go along.
7. After placing all the rolled leaves in the pot, drizzle remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1 lemon juice on top.
8. Place a small flat plate upside down on top of the leaves to act as a heavy weight and prevent leaves from getting loose. Pour 2 cups of hot water into the pot. Simmer about 30 minutes on medium-low heat until leaves and rice are tender. Chill in fridge for a few hours before serving.

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