Full recipe for Beef-Stuffed Vine Leaves (Etli Yaprak Sarma)Ingredients 500 g pickled (or 1 kg fresh) vine leaves For the filling: 1 kg ground beef (semi fat)1 kg onions 1/3 cup (75g)olive oil 1 cup (225g) calrose rice tbsp. salt tbsp. ground black pepper tbsp. dried coriander 2 tbsp pepper paste 1 cup (245g) warm water For cooking: 500 g veal bones (optional but recommended) tbsp. salt 1/3 cup (75g) olive oil 1 cup (245 g) warm water Serving Sauces: The mint sauce: 1 tbsp dried mint 2-3 garlic cloves 50 g butter 300 g yogurt The pepper sauce: cup olive oil 3-4 sun-dried red peppers 1 tbsp flaked red pepper Directions: USING THE PICKLED VINE LEAVES Pickled vine leaves, turn yellow and soften within a month They can be used directly for stuffed vine recipes with or without meat So, open the jar, unroll the vine leaves, then add filling and form the stuffed vines (Etli Yaprak Sarma) The fresh vine leaves however, need a boiling water shock to reach a softer texture for the forming USING THE FRESH VINE LEAVES Boil a couple cups of water with 1 tbsp of salt Then, shock the fresh vine leaves in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes and soak it in cold water to prevent browning PREPARING THE FILLING Peel, wash and finely dice 1 kg of onions Peel and mince 2-3 garlic cloves Place the onions and garlics into a large bowl Add tbsp. of salt and knead them until they become softened You may appreciate a pair of gloves to keep your hands free of smelling and colouring! Then, add 1 kg of ground beef and continue kneading Once they are mixed well, add the other ingredients: Wash and drain 1 cup of rice, add to the filling mixture Add 2 tbsp of pepper paste, tbsp. of ground black pepper, tbsp. of dried coriander, 1/3 cup of olive oil and 1 cup of warm water Knead the filling ingredients for 4-5 minutes, until all the ingredients combine with each other well Make sure, the filling has a mushy consistency, If not, add more water to obtain it . Then, set the filling aside PREPARING THE POT Preferably, stuffed vines are cooked with very little water. The bottom of the pot is thickened by layering bones and vine stems to obtain a slow cook while multiplying the taste! First, place the bones on the bottom of the pot Add the vine stems over the bones Then, cover the layers with vine leaves to obtain a proper surface for the stuffed vines FORMING THE STUFFED VINE LEAVES Set a large and flat plate Place a vine leaf into it If there are hard veins or stems, discard them using a knife; avoid tearing the leaf Put 1 tbsp of filling in the large side of the leaf, fold the two sides of the leaf inwards, and roll the leaf slowly Place the rolls into the pot in a tight circular pattern Continue the process until the entire filling is used Then, cover the rolls with vine leaves to keep moist while they are cooking slowly Add tbsp. of salt over the rolls Place a flat plate on top of the rolls to prevent unwinding Pour 1 cup of warm water and 1/3 cup of olive oil over the stuffed vines Cover the pot with a lid Voila! The beef stuffed vine rolls are ready to cook! COOKING Set the stove to medium-high heat and get to a boil Then, lower the heat to minimum and cook for 1 hour or until the leaves are completely softened Stuffed vine leaves should cook for a minimum of 1 hour on low heat Slow cooking provides a soft texture, savoury taste, and bright yellow colour for the stuffed vines Rest the rolls for 8-10 minutes before serving Then, open the lid, take out the plate, and uncover the vine leaves over the stuffed vines SERVING For serving, prepare the mint-garlic and pepper sauce The mint-garlic sauce: Melt 50 g of butter in a saucepan, add 2-3 minced garlic cloves and stir for 1 minute. Then, add 1 tbsp of dried mint and combine the ingredients. Immediately pour it over the yogurt on the serving plate Prepare the pepper sauce:In a pan, pour cup of olive oil and heat it. Add the sun-dried red peppers and sear for a couple seconds Take them out and add 1 tbsp of flaked red pepper into the pan, sear for 1 minute Serve the beef-stuffed vine leaves hot and fresh! Place the stuffed vines on the serving plate Add 1 fried red pepper for each portion Place a generous spoon of yogurt on the side of the serving plate Drizzle the mint-garlic sauce over the yogurt Then, drizzle the pepper sauce over the stuffed vines Remember, the CHEF deserves a big complement for this intricate dish!! Appreciate the chance to taste such a masterpiece and get ready to dig into this exceptional feast!! Enjoy! For MORE recipes and detailed directions SUBSCRIBE and FOLLOW the Fairies Cuisine on YouTube, link below: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiZuIwEqdDQrXXlFU82WRMw/featured?view_as=subscriber
