Swiss Chard "Leaves"

Grape leaves have to be one of my all-time, favorite Middle Eastern snacks (and something I deemed impossible to make at home for many years). When I visited Turkey a few years back, I learned a nifty trick for how to make them using a more common green to the West, swiss chard. This would actually work with a number of different greens, but I do have to say the flavor of swiss chard works great – it’s mild and verdant and lets the flavor of the stuffing pop.

Grape leaves are often stuffed with ground meat and/or rice and flavored with mint and lemon. They are part of a group of stuffed vegetables made throughout the Middle East, Greece and Turkey called dolmas.

I kept these guys vegetarian – I feel like they are a bit more delicate that way. A few other things: in lieu of long-grain rice, I used a short-grain one, Egyptian rice, which is one of my favorites! It’s fluffy, rounder, has a great toothsome texture and absorbs flavor beautifully. Also, in lieu of steaming them the traditional way – I lay the leaves on top of stacked lemon slices and let the juice from the lemons steam and infuse them with even more flavor. These are not the most speedy hors d’oeuvres to make, but they are well worth it! And I guarantee by your 48th folding, you’ll be a lot faster…Enjoy!

Ingredients

24 Swiss chard leaves, washed and stems removed (approximately 3 bunches)

2 tbsps unsalted butter

1 small shallot, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

½ tsp dried mint

¼ tsp ground allspice

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground black pepper

pinch chili flakes

pinch ground cloves

¾ cup Egyptian rice

1 cup vegetable stock or water

2 tbsps pine nuts, toasted

1 tbsp lemon juice

½ tsp lemon zest

2 tbsps chives and parley, finely chopped

3 or 4 lemons, cut into ½ inch rounds

olive oil

salt

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Bring a large pot of water up to a boil and prepare a large bowl with ice and water. Add enough salt to make the boiling water taste like the sea. Place the chard leaves in the boiling water for 60 seconds and then shock them in the ice bath. Let dry on paper towels.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add shallot and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes until shallots are translucent. Add spices and then the Egyptian rice and toast for about 1 minute. Add stock or water and bring up to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook partially covered for 15 minutes. Let cool slightly and add pine nuts, lemon juice, lemon zest and herbs. Season to taste, though note that the rice will not yet be fully cooked.

Cut chard leaves down the middle on either side of the seam. Place one leaf rib-side up, vertically in front of you. Add about 2 teaspoons of the rice mixture about an inch up the leaf. Start by rolling the end closest to you away from you to cover the rice. Tuck each side of the chard leaf in and roll the entire parcel. If the leaf is too long, you can cut the other end a bit short. Repeat until you’ve finished the chard leaves and rice mixture.

Layer lemons in a dutch oven or pot with ¼ cup of water. Layer the dolmas on top and drizzle them with a little olive oil. Cover and bake for 30-40 minutes until the rice is fully cooked.

Serve warm or cold.

Squash Blossom Dolmas

What is a “dolma” you might be asking? A dolma is any number of stuffed vegetables – squash, onions, peppers, tomatoes, leafy greens or even eggplants. It’s a tradition of the Ottoman Empire found throughout Greece, Turkey, the rest of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Think grape leaves, which are one of the more recognizable forms, found at the late-night gyro spot (is that just me??). The stuffing is usually rice and/or lamb with nuts, dried fruits, spices and herbs. When in a small form like a grape leaf or like these, they are pretty snackable.

I picked up some beautiful, delicate squash blossoms from the farmer’s market and was debating what to do with them. They have a bit of that elusive, squash-like flavor and are visually captivating. I’ve seen squash blossoms everywhere fried – tempura-fried, stuffed and fried, lightly batter fried. And, yes, they do taste delicious fried. That said, I wanted a bit of crunch but without the headache (and fattiness) of frying. Making a squash blossom dolma, stuffed with a subtle, flavorful rice mixture and baked to lightly-crisped perfection, was the answer.

I must say the spices are pretty light here, which adds to the delicate nature of this dish. For that reason, I like to be generous with the herbs because they lend such brightness to the dolmas. These make a lovely (and conversation-provoking I can assure you) party appetizer, served alongside a dill-yogurt-dipping sauce. They taste best warm though – once they cool, they lose a bit of their edge. Also, this stuffing is pretty universal – if no squash blossoms are on hand, you could easily stuff peppers or blanched, swiss chard leaves with this. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Yields 4 servings as a side or an appetizer

16 Squash blossoms, stems trimmed and stamens removed

2 tbsps butter

1 shallot, minced

¼ fennel bulb, minced

½ tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of ground cloves

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ cup white rice (jasmine or basmati are both fantastic)

¾ cup water or vegetable stock

1 ½ tbsps chopped, toasted pine nuts

½ tsp lemon zest

a generous handful of mint & dill, finely chopped

salt & freshly ground pepper

melted butter for greasing

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Rinse the squash blossoms gently and leave to dry fully in a colander or over paper towels while preparing the stuffing.

In a small saucepan, heat butter. When foam subsides, add shallot, fennel, coriander, cinnamon and clove. Sauté for a few minutes until shallots are translucent (will happen quickly because of how finely chopped they are). Add garlic and sauté another 30 seconds or so until the garlic becomes fragrant.

Add rice and let toast with the butter and vegetables, stirring frequently. Add water or vegetable stock and increase temperature. Bring up to a boil, lower to a simmer, and cook covered for 20-25 minutes. When rice is cooked, fluff with a fork, add pine nuts, lemon zest, chopped herbs, and salt and pepper to taste.

Carefully, stuff the squash blossoms with the rice mixture using a small spoon or even a melon baller. Don’t overfill – allow the ends of the flowers to close. Transfer to a greased baking sheet and drizzle with a little melted butter. Season with a few pinches of salt, and bake for 15 minutes. The outside should brown and be a bit crispy. Serve warm!

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Swiss Chard "Leaves"

Squash Blossom Dolmas