I love these little green parcels that I first made using a Stephanie Alexander recipe. These have a different filling that bursts with the flavours of Cyprus.
Serves: 4–6
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Servings
Serves: 4–6
Prep time
Cook time
Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 large rainbow chard or silver beet leaves
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, peeled & diced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ cup basmati rice
- 1¼ cups water
- 2 pinches salt
- 1 tbsp capers
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- ¼ cup chopped dill
- ½ cup pine nuts or sunflower seeds
- ¾ cup passata or tinned tomatoes
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Slice stems from chard leaves, placing leaves aside for later.
- Slice stems into small pieces as for celery, and add to saucepan with oil, onion and garlic. Cook on low–medium heat until onion is soft.
- Add spices and cook for another min.
- Add rice and cook for 2 mins, stirring frequently. Add water and salt and bring to simmer.
- Turn heat to low, put lid on and cook for 12–15 mins.
- Once cooked, stir through capers, herbs and half of pine nuts or sunflower seeds.
- Bring large saucepan of water to boil, and using tongs, plunge each leaf into boiling water for 2–3 seconds, removing and laying out on dry clean tea towel, to make leaves easy to roll without breaking. (If chard is already beginning to soften, skip this step.)
- Take 1 leaf and place 2 tbsp of the rice mixture at one end. Roll up like sushi, gently but firmly, and place in baking dish.
- Continue with remaining leaves and rice mixture so that all rolls are nestled in dish together.
- Combine tomato and lemon juice and pour over rolls.
- Bake for 30 mins. Cover halfway through cooking if rolls are starting to look dry. Serve with reserved pine nuts or sunflower seeds.
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