Stuffed Mallow

The leaves go into boiling water for seconds only, because mallow is far more fragile than a vine leaf.

Lamb. Not vegetarian — contains lamb.

Ingredients

the leaves

• 60 large mallow leaves

the filling

• 250 g short-grain rice, rinsed
• 300 g minced lamb
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons salt
• black pepper

the pot

• 6 cloves garlic, whole
• lamb bones or a few ribs, to line the pot
• 600 ml hot water
• juice of 2 lemons
• 4 tablespoons olive oil

to serve

• 300 g thick yoghurt

Method

1. THE LEAVES GO INTO BOILING WATER FOR SECONDS ONLY, because mallow is far more fragile than a vine leaf. Ten or fifteen seconds, in small handfuls, then straight into cold water. A vine leaf will take two or three minutes and come out tough enough to roll firmly; a mallow leaf is thin and soft and at a minute it has disintegrated into green rags that cannot be picked up, let alone rolled. The water is kept at a full boil and the leaves go in and out almost at once -- they only need to go limp and darken.
2. THEY ARE ROLLED INTO CIGARS NO THICKER THAN A FINGER. A teaspoon of filling in a line near the stem end, the sides folded in, rolled up tight and snug. Thin rolls hold together where fat ones burst as the rice swells, and sixty of them for six people is the right order of effort.
3. THE POT IS LINED WITH BONES OR RIBS BEFORE ANY ROLLS GO IN. A layer across the base. Mallow rolls sitting directly on metal catch and tear when they are lifted out; the bones hold them clear and give the cooking liquid body at the same time.
4. THEY ARE PACKED IN TIGHT ROWS WITH A WEIGHTED PLATE ON TOP. Seam down, close together, alternating direction by layer, with an inverted plate and a weight. Loose rolls unwind.
5. THE WATER ONLY JUST REACHES THE TOP LAYER. Six hundred millilitres. They steam as much as they poach, and drowned they come apart.
6. THE LEMON GOES IN AT THE START HERE, WHICH IS UNUSUAL. Two lemons, in with the water. The acid helps the thin leaves hold their shape through the hour -- it firms them where a neutral liquid lets them soften further -- and it is also the dominant flavour of the finished dish.
7. The leaves blanched in small handfuls in FULLY BOILING water for 10 to 15 SECONDS ONLY, then straight into COLD water. Drained on cloths.
8. The RAW rice, RAW lamb, onion, olive oil, spices and seasoning mixed.
9. A heavy pot LINED with lamb bones or ribs, and the whole garlic cloves tucked among them.
10. Each leaf laid vein-side up, a teaspoon of filling near the stem end, the sides folded in and ROLLED TIGHT into a cigar NO THICKER THAN A FINGER.
11. Packed in tight rows, seam down, alternating direction between layers.
12. AN INVERTED PLATE set on top and WEIGHTED.
13. The hot water, lemon juice and olive oil poured in to JUST REACH the top layer.
14. Brought to a simmer, lid on, and cooked over a LOW heat 1 HOUR.
15. Rested off the heat 15 MINUTES before the plate is lifted.
16. TESTED: the rolls should be intact and the rice cooked. Green rags in the pot mean the leaves were blanched too long.
17. Served warm or at room temperature with yoghurt.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Lebanon · All recipes