Stuffed Grape Leaves

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WARAH ENAB --STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES(Makes about 40 leaves)

These are absolutly delicious and worth the effort. I love to take these to work for lunch. My grocery store now carries the jars of stuffed grape leaves in the specialty isle.

1 cup uncooked basmati brown or traditional white rice(traditionally prepared with white)2 large tomatoes, chopped1 medium onion, chopped1/4 cup chopped parsley1 Tablespoon vegetable oilJuice of 1 lemon1/2 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon pepper1/4 teaspoon allspiceOne 16 oz jar of grape leaves1 cup tomato sauce2 cups waterRound sliced carrots, frozen or fresh (enough to cover the bottom of a 3 quart pot,approximately 15 carrot slices, depending on their size)

Mix all ingredients except grape leaves, tomato sauce, water, and carrots in a bowl. Remove grape leaves from jar, unfold, and rinse with water. Place grape leaves with the rough side up, one at a time, on a large, flat plate. Be sure that the pointy parts of the leaf are directed away from you and the flatter edges and stem are towards you. Place one teaspoon of the mixture on the bottom of the leaf, near the stem, and arrange it lengthwise using your fingers. First roll the flat edges near the stem upwards and tuck them slightly under the filling. Then applying pressure to keep the leaves rolled tightly, tuck one side at a time of the two parts of the leaf pointing outwards. Now, roll the rest of the way upwards still applying pressure to keep the leaf tight.

Cook sliced carrots in water until tender. Cover the bottom layer of a large pot with these carrots. Begin layering the stuffed leaves above the carrots and be sure that they are packed tightly together; otherwise they may fall apart during cooking. Each layer of leaves should be in varying directions across the pot. Pour the tomato sauce and water over the leaves and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and place a flat plate (glass or stoneware) upside down over the top layer of leaves, and press down as hard as you can. Leave the plate in place during cooking. Cover the pot with its cover as well, and cook for 40-45 minutes. Check one leaf to see if rice has cooked fully. Serve warm.