1.   But the cool grape leaves that encase the rice like gift wrapping are fork tender.

2.   Armenians buy pita and grape leaves at Turkish stores, and Turks rent from Greek landlords and work at Greek gas stations.

3.   Asiemoula Papadopoulos said her table always includes stuffed grape leaves and a traditional salad of julienned romaine lettuce, parsley and dill dressed in lemon juice and olive oil.

4.   Compared with grape leaves sold in jars, usually imported from Greece, the fresh local ones have a citrusy, spicy flavor with a surprisingly herbal bite.

5.   Currants and gooseberries are medium-size shrubs with ornamental foliage resembling grape leaves.

6.   David Cunningham, at the Lenox Room, also on the Upper East Side, fills fresh grape leaves with an orzo and quail stuffing before braising them.

7.   Drop the grape leaves in the water and swish them around briefly.

8.   Drain brine from grape leaves, soak in fresh water until softened, about an hour.

9.   Gently encase the fillet and couscous with the grape leaves.

10.   Grape leaves are like escargots, a canned ingredient that seems too forbidding to use fresh in a home kitchen.