1 jar grape leaves
4 lbs. chopped meat (22% fat)
1/2 c. uncooked, washed rice
1 lg. onion, thinly sliced
2 med. onions, chopped finely
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped finely
2 cans Del Monte tomato sauce
2 handfuls of uncooked oatmeal
12 dried & pitted prunes
6 dried apricots
Salt & pepper to taste

Take grape leaves and soak for 1/2 hour in a pot of boiled water. While leaves are soaking mix meat, rice, chopped onions, parsley, and oatmeal, salt and pepper with 1/2 can of tomato sauce. Remove leaves from pot and cut off stems.

Line the bottom of the pot you are going to use with one layer of grape leaves. Using the grape leaf with the vine or rough side facing up, place a small handful of meat mixture (approximately the size of a walnut) on the leaf at the top where the stem was. Fold down top of leaf over meat once and then fold in the sides of the leaf and continue to roll.

Place rolled Dolma (grape leaves) with the ends underneath in the pot. After you have completed one layer of Dolma, put on top one layer of the thinly slice onions that have been separated into rings. You will probably be putting approximately 10 or 12 onion rings per layer. Also put 4 prunes and 2 apricots per layer. Continue rolling the leaves until you have finished using all the meat mixture. You should have approximately 3 layers.

After all the layers have been completed add enough water to completely cover the leaves then add the remaining tomato sauce. Salt and pepper to taste. Place a saucer, inside facing downward on top of the grape leaves so that during cooking the leaves do not unroll.

Cook on a medium heat until it starts to boil, then turn down heat so that it continues to simmer for approximately 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. Check pot occasionally to make sure that there is enough liquid covering the leaves at all times. If the liquid becomes low during cooking just add enough water to cover the top layer. When it is finished cooking the grape leaves will be soft enough to cut with a fork.

Dolma is usually served with rice pilaf and plain yogurt that crushed garlic has been added to it.