Dolmathes Recipe

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup raw rice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, flat leaf if available
1/4 teaspoon dried mint, crumbled
1 egg
1/4 cup beef broth or water
2 tablespoons margarine, melted
Salt and pepper
1 jar preserved grape leaves
Egg & Lemon Sauce (Avgolemono)
2 eggs
Juice of one lemon

Combine meat, rice, onion, parsley, mint, egg, and broth or water, margarine and a little satl and pepper. Rinse grape leaves well to remove brine. Pick out the best leaves to stuff. Any broken leaves should be used to line the bottom of the pan. Place about 1 teaspoon filling in the center of a grape leaf, shiny side down. (If using as part of a main coarse, use about 1 tablespoon filling.) Roll up, tucking sides in. (Should look rather like a cigar.) Continue rolling until all filling is used up. Arrange the dolmathes side by side, close together in a heavy 2 quart saucepan, (not aluminum) making more than one layer if necessary. Cover with a heavy heat-proof plate. This is important, if you skip the plate, the dolmathes tend to fall apart, Pour in water to barely cover dolmathes. Cover pan; bring to boil; lower heat and simmer for 1 hour. May be served as is or with Egg & Lemon Sauce.

For Sauce: Beat eggs well; gradually beat in lemon juice. Pour off about 1 cup of hot broth from dolmathes. Beat the broth into the egg mixture. Remove plate from top of dolmathes. Gradually pour the egg mixture into pan; tipping pan to blend the egg mixture with remaining broth in pan. Cover pan; remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature