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1
Pour 2 bowls of short grain brown rice into a stock pot. Pour in 4 bowls of water. (Double water.) Bring to Boil, simmer for 45 min. Open lid, let rice cool off.
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2
Finely dice 2 red onions. Melt butter in a large skillet. Mix in 2 tbp dried dill leaves. Brown onions. Add a pound or more of beef. Stir in one tin tomato paste, a spash of olive oil. Cook 10 min on high flame.
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3
Lightly brown 2 cups of pine nuts in toaster oven. Watch carefully. (Or use skillet.)
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4
Add: Meat mixture to stockpot of cooked rice. Browned pine nuts. 1/4 cup olive oil,
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5
1 cup chopped fresh spearmint leaves, 2 cups chopped dried cranberries, 2 - 6 oz. tins of tomato paste, 2 tsp cayane pepper (optional) Finely grated rinds of 6 Organic lemons. Mix thoroughly for 5 minutes till mixture evens.
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6
Ready grape leaves. De-jar, squeeze out excess brine, unroll and lay flat.
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7
Prepare large cooking sheet with tin foiled bottom, or use several ceramic baking ovals. (No need for tin foil here.) Pour 1/4 inch of olive oil on the bottom of each pan, spread evenly.
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8
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
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9
Pick up about 3 tablespoons, or a large meatball's worth of rice mixture. Place in leaf near stem. (Leaf is shaped like a clover.) Fold over two sides of clover, roll to seal. Dolma is about 1 1/2 inch by 3 inches. Place in pan side by side. Continue... till you make150 or run out of leaves, or rice mixture. Roll dolmas in pan so surface is covered with olive oil, or brush more oil on top. Cover with tin foil.
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10
Place pans in oven. Lower temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for 50 minutes. Bottom should brown, top should get a bit crisp, rice should loose excess moisture.
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11
Serve hot or cool, as appetizer or main dish.
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12
Leftovers can keep in oven for 4 days, instead of fridge.
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13
And those lemons... make lemonade! Squeeze remaining lemons. Mix with maple syrup to sweeten. Add saved mint leaves, Ice. ENJOY!
