Russian Meat Stuffed Blinchiki

Blinchiki... Blini are Russian "pancakes" that really resemble French crepes.  Blinchiki are the same thing but they sound cuter.  I like the Russian language's ability to make words sound "cuter" or "harsher" depending on your mood.  There are at least 4 ways to just say my name, depending on your relation to me and how  you feel about me.

Anyway, these blini are stuffed with beef and rice and served with sour cream.  They are definitely a favorite in our house.  They take less than an hour to make, so great for a weeknight meal.

For the blini, I found this recipe blog post that is pretty close to the one I make.  Though I like mine really thin: http://www.russianbites.com/blini-russian-crepes.

For the filling: 

1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground beef
1 cup uncooked rice
1/2 onion
garlic
salt/pepper to taste

Cook rice according to standard instructions with salted water.  Chop onion finely and add in a few cloves of crushed garlic - saute in olive oil on medium heat until translucent.  Add in beef and brown, adding salt and pepper to taste.  Drain any excess oil.  Add in cooked rice and mix together with beef mixture.

Once blini are ready, add in about 2-3 tbsp of the mixture into the middle of the crepe, and fold like an envelope.  Same as a burrito! (original link here).  Then fry with a little bit of olive oil, seam side down for a few minute until browned and crispy.  Flip carefully and fry a few minutes more.  Repeat with remaining blini.