Grape Leaves Stuffed with Lamb Rib Meat

Ingredients

• 1/2 kg green grape leaves
• 1 kg lamb rib meat or bone-in lamb
• 2 small cups Egyptian rice
• 400 g ground veal
• Vegetable oil
• Black pepper
• Seven spices
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• 1 small dry onion
• Juice of two lemons

Method

1. Boil the lamb ribs with aromatics — bay leaves, dried lime (loomi), cinnamon sticks, and cardamom pods. Leave them until they reach only half-cooked. After that, spread the ribs across the bottom of the pot...
2. Prepare the grape-leaf filling: add the washed and drained Egyptian rice to the ground meat, spices, salt, a drizzle of oil, and a finely chopped onion. Mix well. Roll the grape leaves, then arrange them in the pot on top of the lamb ribs.
3. Add plain water over the grape leaves until they are submerged. Put the pot on high heat until the water just boils, then leave it on low heat for at least two hours. Half an hour before removing the pot from the heat, add lemon juice to taste.
4. Strain the remaining liquid from the pot, then place a large serving plate over the pot and invert the stuffed grape leaves with lamb ribs.