International Cuisine

Rice Mixture

Butter/Olive oil

Finely minced onion

Ground pork or beef

Long grain rice

Tomato paste

Biber

Fresh minced dill

Fresh minced mint leaves

Fresh minced Italian parsley

Salt & Pepper

Water

Olive Oil

Heat oil and fry finely minced onion until soft and translucent. Add ground meat, and spices and fry till cooked. Add rice, water, tomato paste, biber, dill, mint and Italian parsley and continue to cook until rice is half done. Take off heat and cool.

Grape leaves (Orlando brand)

Pour away the liquid in the grape leaves bottle and soak the grape leaves in warm water for 10 mins. Cut away the stems of the leaves. Place the amount a teaspoonful of the rice mixture at the edge of the leaf, nearest to the stem. Roll like spring rolls but make sure that each stick should be about the thickness of a finger. If the leaf is too big, half it. When done with rolling, place all rolls lying down into a pot and cover with water. Put a plate with weights on top to keep the rolls steady when boiling. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Cook for 30 to 40 mins until rice is cooked. The water is usually dried up when done. Let the pot cool totally before opening. Otherwise, the rolls will dry up and darken. When cooled, pour olive oil over the rolls and drizzle lemon juice for flavor. Serve cold if there is no meat in rice. Otherwise, serve warm.

Small sweet peppers

Cut out core of vegetables and stuff rice mixture up to ¾ full. Top the peppers with a cherry tomato. Line the vegetables in a pot with the opening on top and packed tightly. Add water to the pot until the water level is about ¾ of the height of the vegetables. Cover pot and bring to boil. Then reduce heat and continue to steam for 30 to 40 mins until rice is cooked. Cool and drizzle olive oil and serve.