Lamb Meatballs and Collard Dolmades

Lamb Meatballs and Collard Dolmades

1/4 cup medium-grind bulgur

1 pound ground lamb

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Salt and ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil, more as needed

16 to 20 untorn collard leaves

Lemon wedges, for garnish.
Method of Preparation
1. Soak bulgur in hot water to cover until tender, 15 to 30 minutes. Drain bulgur, then squeeze out as much water as possible. Combine bulgur with lamb, onion, garlic, cumin, mint, salt and pepper. Shape into 1-inch meatballs, handling mixture as little as possible.

2. Put olive oil in a large skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat; when hot, add meatballs and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, turning every couple of minutes. Serve immediately or cool and proceed with recipe.

3. Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt it. Trim stem ends of collard leaves and discard. Put half the leaves in the boiling water and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until they are just pliable. Use a slotted spoon to remove leaves from water and transfer to a colander; run leaves under cool water; drain and gently squeeze to remove most of the excess water, leaving them just damp enough so they will stick together when rolled. Repeat with other leaves.

4. Cut leaves in half by running a sharp knife along each side of stem, removing stem in process; trim top and bottom, making a large, rectangular-shaped leaf. Lay one leaf down with widest part facing you. Put a meatball in middle of leaf, bring two sides of leaves together and roll like a burrito to seal it. Put each stuffed leaf, seam side down, on a serving plate. Repeat, cooking and stuffing remaining leaves. Serve with lemon wedges.

Yield: 4 main-course or 8 appetizer serving

Dolmades

Dolmades

If you are cooking the rice from scratch, you'll need about 200g uncooked weight.

Serves 4
Ingredients
230g packet vine leaves in brine
2 tbs olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
400g cooked white rice, preferably long-grain
100g pine nuts, toasted
100g sultanas
¼ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground cinnamon
a pinch of caster sugar
2 ripe tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and chopped
a small handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
a small handful of mint, chopped
sea salt and black pepper
about 300ml vegetable stock
juice of ½ lemon, plus extra to drizzle
extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle
Method of Preparation
To remove excess salt from the vine leaves, put them into a large bowl and pour on boiling water to cover. Leave to soak for a few minutes, then drain off the liquid. Rinse under cold water and drain again. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion and garlic for a few minutes, stirring, until softened. Tip into a bowl and add the cooked rice, pine nuts, sultanas, allspice, cinnamon, sugar, tomatoes, herbs and seasoning.

Now stuff the vine leaves with the rice filling. Lay a vine leaf, shiny side down, on a clean surface. Place a heaped teaspoonful of the filling in the middle of the leaf, nearer to the stem edge. Fold over the stem end to cover the filling, then tuck in both sides of the vine leaf and roll up like a cigar. Repeat with the remaining vine leaves and filling. Drape a clean, wet tea towel in a wide pan to lie flat on the base, with the sides overhanging the edge of the pan. Pack the vine leaves on top in tight, neat layers. Add the stock, lemon juice and a drizzle of oil. Cover the dolmades with a piece of baking parchment, then place a small heatproof plate that just fits inside the pan on top. (This is to prevent the dolmades from unwrapping during cooking.) Cover the pan with a lid and simmer gently for an hour. Remove the plate and then carefully take the dolmades out of the pan by lifting the tea towel. Transfer to a tray and leave to cool. Chill for a few hours, or overnight if preparing ahead. Take the dolmades out of the fridge 10 minutes before serving. Drizzle with lemon juice and a little extra-virgin olive oil to serve.