Meat Filling for Grape Leaves, Cabbage Leaves, Peppers, and Tomatoes
The more-or-less standard meat filling for stuffed vegetables, made with a lot of herbs and spices. It’s so delicious that you can bake the vegetables with no sauce around them, as in the recipe on page 492, or use one of the preparations on pages 445–447. You can add pine nuts and currants to this mixture if you like or make the vegetarian version that follows.
Recipe information
Yield
makes enough to fill 4 to 6 large tomatoes or peppers, 8 or more cabbage leaves, or up to 30 or so grape leaves
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Put the butter in a small saucepan or skillet with a lid and place over medium-high heat. When the butter melts, add the onion and a sprinkling of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft but not at all browned, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and spices and cook, stirring, until the rice is glossy, about a minute. Add 1/2 cup water, cover, and turn the heat to low; cook until all the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes; don’t worry if the rice isn’t quite tender.
Step 2
Combine the rice in a bowl with the lamb, some more salt and pepper, the herbs, and lemon zest. (If you are stuffing tomatoes with this mixture, include the tomato pulp here too.) Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to a day before stuffing tomatoes, peppers, or grape or cabbage leaves.
