Stuffed Wine Leaves

"Dolmas" with minced meat... In Romania it's made with mixed pork and beef meat, or just plain minced pork, though originally, I think the meat of choice  was lamb. As usual, I adapted it for chicken. It's great served with cornmeal and sour cream. It's fairly easy to make, although a little time consuming. Great for guests, as it can be made ahead, you only need to reheat it in the oven when the guests arrive.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

1 lb minced chicken breasts

1/2 cup white rice (any kind is good)

1 large yellow onion, or 2-3 shallots, very finely chopped

1/2 can (8-10 oz) tomato sauce (next time I'll add 2-3 tablespoons tomato paste as well)

1 jar wine leaves (last time I used Mezzeta, and I used all 27 leaves up for stuffing. But it's better to have a few spare leaves for covering the stuffed  rolls)

1 bunch fresh dill, finely chopped

4-5 fresh bay leaves

1/2 cup white wine

2 tbs olive oil or  sunflower oil

water, salt  and pepper to taste.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Thoroughly wash the wine leaves, cut the stems,  and put them aside while making the meat mixture: mix the minced meat with the finely chopped onion, rice, dill, half of the tomato sauce and 1-2 tbs tomato paste, then season with salt and pepper. Work everything well together with your hands. Stuff the wine leaves with the meat mixture. In an oiled ovenproof casserole layer some wine leaves if you have leftovers (I didn't, so I skipped this step) then place the little rolls in one layer. Put some bay leaves between the rolls, then cover with spare leaves (again, I skipped this step), and cover the the rolls with water mixed with the remaining tomato sauce and paste. Bake covered at 425 degrees for about an hour, checking occasionally and adding more water if necessary. Then pour over the wine and cook uncovered for another 30-45 minutes, reducing the heat to 350 degrees. Serve hot with cornmeal and sour cream and a glass of nice dry white wine.