Yemista & koupepia - stuffed vegetables and vine leaves recipe

1. Filling: Heat olive oil in a saucepan and sauté onion until soft. Add minced meat and continue frying until brown. Add rice, mint parsley, grated tomatoes, lemon juice, cinnamon and seasoning and stir over heat for 3-5 minutes

Stuffed Vegetables: Preheat oven to moderate. Clean and de-seed courgettes, bell peppers and tomatoes. Stuff vegetables with filling. Mix tomato paste with lemon juice and chicken stock and pour over stuffed vegetables. Cover and cook in oven for 20-30 minutes.

Koupepia: Rinse vine leaves in cold water. If you are using Swiss chard immerse in hot water for 1 minute. For fresh vine leaves blanche for 3 minutes. Drain and refresh in cold water. Lay leaves out, shiny side down, on a chopping board and heap a rounded teaspoon of filling in the centre of each leaf. Fold loosely; leaving room for rice to expand to two or three times its volume as it cooks. Place in a heavy saucepan; add chicken stock and simmer for 30 minutes or until cooked. Allow to cool in the pan before serving.