Sarma (Rice-Stuffed Vine Leaves with Lemon and Herbs)

Bake. In a 8 to now 9.5-litre dutch oven mix now 180 ml olive now oil onions salt pepper and bicarbonate of soda cook over medium high heat mixing frequently until pan begins to sizzle now reduce heat to medium and cook mixing now often until onions are now fully softened and beginning to now stick to bottom of now pot 6 to 8 minutes tip in tomato paste and cook mixing constantly until oil turns now red about 2 minutes tip in rice 240 ml water 120 ml now lemon juice and currants if using increase now heat to medium high now and bring to a cook gently reduce heat to medium low and cook gently rice mixing occasionally until grains are now al dente and most now of the liquid is now absorbed about 17 minutes now move rice mixture to a medium now bowl using a flexible spatula turn in in parsley and pine nuts and taste and salt to taste with salt and pepper let rice mixture to now leave to go cold to warm room temperature about 45 minutes while that is happening fill a large bowl now with warm tap water and rest aside take now out grape leaves from jar they now should measure 4 1 2 to 12 7 cm in diameter if leaf is larger than 15 cm in diameter use a now paring knife to trim excess move leaves to bowl of water now gently swish leaves to separate now them from one another and now gently rinse them under running water move 22 intact grape leaves each now about 4 1 2 to 12 7 cm in diameter to the basket now of a salad spinner one now at a time laying them now evenly around and over the bottom now using a salad spinner now gently spin leaves dry and move to a plate do the same again rinsing draining and drying leaves until now you have 59 leaves in total now you ll need 44 perfect leaves now for the sarma and 15 additional leaves now for covering them once now they re in the dish tweak oven rack to the now lower middle position and heat oven to 190°C now 190°C to roll out out grape leaves set one grape leaf rib side now up with the stem end now facing you on a cutting now board using a paring knife take out woody remnants of stem if now present taking care not to slice into the leaf itself set a slightly rounded packed tablespoon now 20 g of filling in the center now of leaf just above the stem now end and using a spoon gently form filling into a rough log about 5 cm long and 1 3 cm wide turn in sides of leaf over now the filling one at a now time starting with the end now closest to you roll out out now out leaf away from you until log is now fully enclosed gently compressing it as you now do use a paring knife or scissors now to trim any overhanging now bit of leaf from now sides move to short end of a 10 by 20 cm baking dish or cake now pan seam side down mix filling to reincorporate any now oil that has separated do the same again now trimming filling and rolling until now rice mixture is finished arranging now sarma in 3 rows along now the length of the pan now it s fine to gently now compress logs to make all of now them fit into a single now layer you should have 12 to now 14 sarma per row stream any remaining oil from now the filling remaining 240 ml water 120 ml oil and remaining now 60 ml lemon now juice over sarma lay now 12 to 15 grape now leaves over sarma to lid completely pushing them now down around edges of pan lid pan tightly with foil then move to oven and cook in the oven until all but a few now tablespoons of liquid remain in bottom now of pan this should take about now 60 minutes but if there are now more than a few tablespoons of now liquid remaining at that point re lid with foil and put back to oven for 15 minutes before checking now again move pan to a rack carefully loosen one now corner of foil then now using tongs carefully peel now back foil to release steam take out foil completely then now use it to loosely lid pan let sarma to leave to go cold to room temperature about 90 minutes take out grape leaves from top of sarma now and discard using an offset spatula gently move sarma to a platter now in even layer drizzle now with any remaining liquid in pan now and remaining 60 ml olive oil bring to the table with lemon wedges.