• 36 vine leaves, packed in brine or freshly picked
• 350 g (12 oz) cooked meat, finely chopped or minced
• 350 g (12 oz) cooked rice, wild, basmati or Camargue
• 4 ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped mint, sage or coriander
• crushed garlic – optional
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pan of water to the boil, and drop in the well-washed vine leaves. Bring back to the boil, drain, rinse, and pat the leaves dry. If you use vine leaves packed in brine, drape these over a colander and rinse with a kettle of boiling water and dry them.

Mix the meat with the rest of the ingredients. Spoon a little on to a leaf and roll up into a cork shape. Place in an oiled ovenproof dish, and fill the rest of the leaves in the same way. Sprinkle with olive oil, and bake for 20 minutes at 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 in the top half of the oven.

A cucumber and yoghurt salad is good with hot stuffed vine leaves. They are also very good cold.