Koupepia
STUFFED VINE LEAVES
This is the classic and Greek Cypriot recipe that we grew up with. They are meaty and delicious. You can use beef or pork but here, we’ve used both.
We do also have a punchy vegan version that’s well worth trying.
KOUPEPIA
SERVES: MAKES APPROX 25
PREP TIME: 30-40 MINS
COOKING TIME: 35-45 MINS
INGREDIENTS:
Medium Onion, chopped
6 fresh Tomatoes, skinned and chopped
Oil, 1 tablespoon
Minced beef or pork, 1lb
Uncle Ben’s long grain rice, 200g
Dried Mint, 1 heaped teaspoonful
Fresh Parsley, 1good tablespoon, chopped
Juice of half a Lemon
Mixed Spice, 1 good pinch
Vine Leaves
Salt and pepper
METHOD:
Heat oil in saucepan and fry the chopped onion until soft then add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes until mushy
Put all the other ingredients except the vine leaves into a large bowl
When tomato and onion mixture is cooked, put a couple of tablespoonfuls into the bottom of a roasting tin and put the rest into the bowl with the other ingredients
Mix all the ingredients together until evenly blended
Take a vine leaf, place it in front of you, shiny side down and the stalk end facing you (cut the stalks off)
Place a spoonful of the mixture at the stalk end and wrap into a parcel. The amount of mixture will depend on the size of each leaf
Line the roasting tin with the stuffed vine leaves making sure they are packed quite firmly together (cosy) *
Continue in this way until all mixture is used up. When the bottom of the roasting tin is full up, you can just place another layer on top
Save a few vine leaves to cover the parcels on top
Add some water to the roasting tin to just cover the parcels
Cover completely with foil and cook in the oven, Gas mark 6-7 for approximately 35-45 minutes
Don’t allow them to dry out too much otherwise they’ll stick to the tin
When you think they are ready, unwrap one to check the rice and meat are cooked.
Adjust the recipe according to the amount you wish to make.
* These can also be put into a saucepan instead of a roasting tin. Line the bottom of the pan, first with slices of raw potato then loose vine leaves. This is to stop the lower level of koupepia from sticking. When you finish loading the stuffed vine leaves, place an upturned plate on the top to weigh them down. Top up with water and cook on the hob.