the bottom of a very large saucepan, big enough to accommodate comfortably all the stuffed aubergines and courgettes half standing in one layer, with the bones (if using) and sliced tomatoes.
Drain and rinse the aubergines and courgettes under cold water. Take hold of a courgette or aubergine and hold it upright, cupping your hand around it. Scoop up a little of the stuffing with your other hand and gently push it inside the cored vegetable, using your finger to force it down. Every now and then, shake the vegetable in a downward motion to make sure the filling is well inside it (or push the filling in further with your little finger). Fill up to three-quarters, to leave enough room for the rice to expand, and place in the pan with the open end slightly raised – use the bones or tomato pulp to prop it up.
Continue filling and arranging both the aubergines and the courgettes, first lining them around the side of the pan, then filling up the inside, until you have used up both vegetables and stuffing. (If you have a little stuffing left over, cook it separately in double its volume of water and serve it on the side.)
Pour a little water in the empty stuffing bowl, swirl it around to extract the last bits of flavouring and pour over the vegetables to barely cover them. (The level of the water should come to about 2cm/¾in below the tops of the vegetables.) Add a little salt, bearing in mind that the stuffing is already seasoned. Cover the pan with a lid and place over a high heat. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to medium and let the stuffed vegetables bubble gently for 45 minutes or until it is done. Two-thirds of the way through, taste the broth and add more salt if necessary.
Once done, let the courgettes and aubergines sit, covered, for about 10 minutes before transferring to a serving dish. The best way to lift the soft, cooked vegetables intact is to carefully lever them out using your hand and a spoon. Cool the fingers of one hand in cold water and gently pull away one stuffed vegetable while sliding the spoon underneath it. Lift the vegetable, holding it against the spoon with your fingers, and place on a serving platter. Repeat with the remaining vegetables, arranging them on the plate. Ladle the sauce into a sauceboat and spoon the yoghurt into a bowl and serve with the hot stuffed vegetables, along with some pita bread.
Stuffed Swiss Chard
MEHSHI SILQ BIL-ZEYT
Traditionally this vegetarian stuffing includes chickpeas, which are soaked overnight, skinned and split. I don’t like their crunchy bite, finding it an unpleasant contrast to the melting rice and velvety leaves, and so I always make mine without chickpeas. I even made my mother stop using them! In the south of Lebanon, they leave out the lemon juice and olive oil and increase the amount of sumac to 3 tablespoons. I have never tried it that way, but I can’t imagine it to be an improvement, as this recipe, which is my mother’s, is perfect as it is.
Serves 4
1kg (2lb 2oz) Swiss chard (about 2 bunches, as sold in Middle Eastern shops)
1 large ripe tomato, sliced
For the stuffing
150g (5oz) short-grain white rice (bomba, Calasparra or Egyptian), rinsed under cold water and drained
300g (11oz) firm ripe tomatoes, diced into 5mm (½in) cubes
50g (2oz) spring onions (about ½ bunch), trimmed and finely chopped
100g (3½oz) flat-leaf parsley (about ½ bunch), most of the stalk discarded, chopped medium-fine
50g (2oz) mint (about ¼ bunch), leaves picked from the stalks and chopped medium-fine
2 tbsp ground sumac
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice or Lebanese seven-spice mixture
¼ tsp finely ground black pepper
Sea salt
Juice of 1 large lemon or to taste
150ml (5fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil
First prepare the Swiss chard. Cut off the stalks and then cut each leaf into three pieces: first cut across the top third of the leaf, taking where the spine becomes thin and pliable as a dividing line, then slice off and remove the thick spine, leaving two more pieces of chard leaf. The cut pieces should make rolls 8–15cm (3–6in) long. Some leaves may be too small to cut in three, in which case simply cut them in two, again taking where the spine becomes thin as a dividing line. Slice off the back of the thick spine of the bottom parts without breaking the leaf and reserve the stems and stalks to line the bottom of the pan (or save the stalks, if in good condition, to make a salad).
Arrange the cut leaves, smooth side down, in neat layers inside a colander. Then run boiling water over them to soften them. Allow the leaves to drain while you line the bottom of a large saucepan – big enough to hold the stuffed leaves – with the tomato slices and stems and stalks from the chard leaves.
Next make the stuffing. Place the rice in a mixing bowl and add the diced tomatoes, spring onions, parsley and mint. Season with the sumac, cinnamon, allspice (or seven-spice mixture) and pepper, adding salt to taste. Add the lemon juice and olive oil and mix well – the stuffing should look like a salad. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
To stuff the chard leaves, first remove any damaged leaves from the colander and lay them over the stalks and tomato slices in the pan. Next take one of the undamaged leaves and lay it, smooth side down, on your work surface with the cut side nearest to you and the veins running away from you. Spread 1 teaspoon of stuffing (or more depending on the size of the leaf) in a long, thin and slightly raised line, the thickness of your little finger, along the side facing you, about 1cm (½in) from the edge (leaving a narrow strip) and from the end of the leaf on either side.
Fold the narrow strip of leaf over the stuffing and roll into a flat and loosely packed roll so that the rice has enough room to expand. Flatten the empty edges, then carefully lift the rolled leaf and lay over the tomatoes with the loose flap facing down. Continue stuffing, rolling and arranging the stuffed leaves side by side, forming one layer at a time, until you have used up the leaves and/or the stuffing. If you have any stuffing left over, put it in a small pan, cover with water and cook over a low heat to serve on the side. Use any leftover leaves to cover the rolled ones.
Pour enough water into the pan to just cover the stuffed leaves and add a little salt, bearing in mind that the stuffing is already seasoned. Cover the leaves with an overturned heatproof plate to stop them from unrolling during cooking. Then cover the pan with a lid and place over a high heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium and let the pot bubble gently for 45 minutes or until the stuffing is done (see here). Two-thirds of the way through cooking, taste the broth to check the salt content, adding more if necessary.
When the 45 minutes are up, it is a good idea to taste a filled leaf to make sure the rice is done. If it is cooked through, turn off the heat and allow to cool before transferring the leaves delicately to a serving dish. I usually pick them up with my fingers to keep them intact; if you don’t like using your fingers, you could use a spoon instead – you may need two spoons for the longest leaves. Serve at room temperature.
Stuffed Vine Leaves on a Bed of Lamb Chops
MEHSHI WARAQ ’ENAB BIL-KASTALETTAH
Stuffed vine leaves are best when prepared with fresh leaves, but the season (late spring/early summer) is short. Frozen leaves are the next best option, although these are normally prepared at home and not available to buy. Failing that, you need to resort to preserved vine leaves. I prefer those that are vacuum packed because they are less salty than those preserved in brine. Often both are widely available, however, and can be bought all year round. Preserved leaves are bigger than fresh ones. When using those preserved in brine, be sparing with the salt. They remain quite salty even after rinsing under cold water. You need to allow a fair amount of time to prepare this dish, although this will depend largely on the speed at which