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1
Wash and drain the rice.
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2
Heat 3 Tbl olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
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3
Add the yellow onion and saute until soft, but not brown, about 5 minutes.
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4
Add ground lamb and fry with onion until done.
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5
Transfer to mixing bowl and add the drained rice, 1/2 cup of the remaining olive oil, green onions, parsley, mint, pine nuts, cinnamon, allspice, salt, and pepper.
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6
Set aside.
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7
Rinse the grape leaves under running cold water to remove as much brine as possible; pat dry and stack on a plate.
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8
Place 1 leaf at a time, shiny side down, on a flat work surface.
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9
Cut off and discard the tough stem end.
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10
Spoon about 1 Tbl of the rice mixture in the center near the base of the leaf.
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11
Fold the stem end over to cover the filling; fold both sides inward, lengthwise, and then tightly roll leaf toward pointed tip end to form a compact packet.
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12
Repeat with the remaining leaves and filling.
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13
Pour about 2 Tbl of the remaining olive oil in the bottom of a large pot and strew with a layer of parsley stems to prevent grape leaves from sticking.
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14
Arrange the stuffed leaves, seam side down and almost touching on top of the parsley, making as many layers as necessary.
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15
Drizzle the remaining 6 Tbl olive oil the lemon juice and 1/2 cup broth over the leaves.
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16
Top with a heat-resistant plate and weight with a heavy can to keep leaves from unwinding during cooking.
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17
Cover the pot bring to a gentle boil reduce the heat to low and cook until rice is tender about 1 hour.
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18
During cooking add a little heated liquid as needed to keep dolmas moist.
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19
Remove from the heat and cool in the pot.
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20
Sprinkle with lemon juice to taste garnish with lemon zest and serve at room temperature.
