Aunt Mary's Grape Leaves

• 1 Jar grape leaves
  
• 1 pound very lean ground beef
  
• 1 pound ground white turkey meat
  
• 1 cup raw rice (rinse 3 times)
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
  
• 4 country style pork ribs, optional
  
• 2 tsp citric acid
  
• lemon wedges for garnish

Wash the leaves under running water to remove the brine, Snip stems off with scissors or a small knife. Prepare the filling by mixing both ground meats with the rice, salt and pepper. Remove ail visible fat from the pork ribs and place the ribs in the bottom of a 5 quart pot. Make a single layer of unfilled leaves across the bones.

Place the dried grape leaves, shiny side down on your counter and place a small amount of the filling, about 2 tablespoons, on the bottom third of each leaf. Roll and fold the leaves like an envelope. Place rolled leaves close together, seam side down on top of the bones. Turn the second layer of rolled leaves perpendicular to the first from the first.

Cover with water and place a heavy plate on top of the rolled leaves to prevent floating. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Mix 2 tea­spoons of citric acid with 1 cup of water and 1/2 tea­spoon of salt. Remove the plate and pour the citric acid over the grape leaves. Con­tinue to cook for 30 minutes.

Taste the broth to make sure it has enough lemon flavor. If you use fresh lemon juice instead of citric acid, use 1/2 cup. You want the grape leaves to have a full lemon flavor.

Serve the leaves with lemon wedges to garnish or for extra lemon flavoring. These freeze well.