One of the most popular Cypriot dishes cooked in tomato sauce is kolokasi me koupepia (stuffed vine leaves and taro), either on its own or with pork meat. Kolokasi (Taro) is a root vegetable that grows in Cyprus during winter time!
You will need:
1kg of pork meat cut in pieces (preferably shoulder)
2 large taro
2 onions chopped
1 cup of celery
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 cups of tomato juice (canned will do)
Lemon juice from 2 lemons
¾ of a cup olive oil
Salt
Pepper
For the ‘koupepia’:
Vine leaves (about 50-60)*
½ kg ground pork
1 cups tomato juice (fresh or canned tomato will do)
1 large onions chopped finely
1/2 cup of lemon juice
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of dry wine (red or white)
1/4 cup of rice
½ cup of fresh parsley
Cinnamon
Dried Mint
Salt
Pepper
Instructions:
First, prepare the koupepia:
How to prepare the vine leafs
If fresh:
Soak the vine leaves in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain and roll
If bottled in brine:
Wash the leaves with fresh water, drain and roll
Preparation of the ground pork mixture
Chop the onions and parsley finely and place them in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
…and now roll
Place the vine leaf in a dish (‘vein side’ facing up) a place a large spoonful of the mixture in the center of the leaf and fold the right and left side of the leaf over the meat.
Now the taro:
Use a sharp knife to peel and cut the taro in pieces. Note that the taro must not be washed! Use kitchen paper if you need to wipe the taro.
Place a large pot over high heat and heat the olive oil. Sauté the meat until all sides have a light brown color. Remove from the pot in a dish.
Add some olive oil if necessary, let it heat and add the taro pieces. Sauté for about 10 minutes and remove from the pot in a dish.
Add the onion in the pot, sauté until golden, add back the meat, taro and all other ingredients except the lemon and stir. Add the kupepia on top of the taro (place each kupepi close to each other). Add a plate about the size of the pot, facing down on top of the ‘koupepia’ Fill the pot with hot water at the same level with all ingredients and bake over low heat.
If necessary, add extra water whole the food cooks. When the pork and the koupepia are ready, add the lemon juice and allow to cook for another 5-10 minutes.
Serve hot with a cool green salad.
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