Waiting for the rain

Now that the weather is changing slowly and it;s getting cooler, I start to long for autumnal dishes.The fisrt thing that came to my mind, while I was looking at the grapes at the super market, was stuffed vine leaves, which I adore!

Here are two recipes:

Stuffed vine leaves with rice (Dolmadakia yialantzi)

1 lb fresh or preserved vine leaves
1 lb short grain rice
3 cups finely chopped spring onions
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped parsley
1 cup chopped fresh dill
1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
Salt & pepper for seasoning

Wash the vine leaves and trim off the stems. Blanch them, a few at a time, in boiling water. Drain and let them cool. Mix the rice with the onions, the herbs, half of the oil, and the seasoning. Lay the vine leaves one by one on your left hand, put a tablespoon of the rice mixture in the middle of the leaf, fold the sides over and roll it up into a neat parcel. Continue stuffing the vine leaves, until all the filling is used. Cover the base of a large pan with plain vine leaves. Arrange the stuffed vine leaves on top packing them in, with the folded side down, in more than one layer if necessary. Pour on the remaining oil, boiling water to cover the layers and the lemon juice. Put a heave plate upside down on the top of the stuffed vine leaves, to keep them in shape while cooking. Cover the pan and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until all the water is absorbed (30-40 min). Let them cool and serve them. They are delicious with yogurt and can be served warm or cold.
Alternative: You can add ¼ cup pine nuts to the mixture if you like.

Stuffed vine leaves with meat (Dolmadakia me kima)

1 lb fresh or preserved vine leaves
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 large onion finely chopped
½ cup finely chopped parsley
½ cup finely chopped fresh dill
½ cup short grain rice
1 cup olive oil
1 cup boiling water
2 eggs
Salt & pepper for seasoning
1/3 cup lemon juice

Wash the vine leaves and trim off the stems. Blanch them, a few at a time, in boiling water. Drain and let them cool. Mix the meat with the rice, the onions, the herbs, half of the oil, and the seasoning. Lay the vine leaves one by one on your left hand, put a tablespoon of the rice mixture in the middle of the leaf, fold the sides over and roll it up into a neat parcel. Continue stuffing the vine leaves, until all the filling is used. Cover the base of a large pan with plain vine leaves. Arrange the stuffed vine leaves on top packing them in, with the folded side down, in more than one layer if necessary. Pour on the remaining oil, boiling water to cover the layers and the lemon juice. Put a heave plate upside down on the top of the stuffed vine leaves, to keep them in shape while cooking. Cover the pan and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the water is reduced by one third and the meat is cooked (30-40 min). Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl, add the lemon juice gradually and continue beating. Drain a cup of hot liquid from the vine leaves and slowly pour the egg-lemon sauce over the stuffed vine leaves, shaking the pan gently to spread all over. Remove from the heat. Allow to stand for 15 minutes before serving.