Description
This particular dish always reminds me of the late Auntie Julia may she rest in peace. Our long-time neighbor back in Ramallah. And when I think of our neighbors
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 4 Swiss chard bunches
- 1 cup hot water (for cooking) and about 4-5 cups for boiling
- 1/4 cup of lemon juice
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt
For the stuffing
- 1 cup bulgur, washed and rinsed
- 1 small sweet onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 2-3 tomatoes finely chopped
- 1/2 bunch parsley finely chopped
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas (about 1 can)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- salt
- juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Take out the bottom edge of each leaf, cut the long stem out, and set it aside.
- Fill up a large pot with water and let it boil about 4-5 cups.
- Dip all the leaves in the boiled water for 1 minute only, take out and place in a strainer.
- Prepare the stuffing: In a bowl add bulgur, onions, garlic, tomatoes, parsley, chickpeas, olive oil, allspice, cumin, salt, and lemon and mix everything well together.
- Lay flat the leaves on a cutting board and cut into small pieces, about fist size.
- With a spoon take some of the stuffing and spread length-wise on each leaf, then roll, similar to how you stuff rolled cabbage. Continue until all leaves are done.
- Place all rolled swiss chard in a pot, layer them on top of each other, long stems can also be layered.
- Once all done, place the pot on high heat, pour 1 cup of hot water over the leaves, or fill up ¾ of the pot. Sprinkle some salt, pour in ¼ cup of olive oil. Once it starts boiling, turn the heat on low cover the pot, and let it simmer for about an hour. Halfway cooking pour ¼ cup of lemon juice.
Notes
Serve warm or room temperature. Squeeze more lemon if needed.
Cooking tips:
- Leaves are so fine, so dip them in water for up to 1 minute only, otherwise, they'll be too soft and hard to roll.
- The long stems can also be cooked, once cut layer them with rolled leaves.
- When cutting the leaves, if the middle stem is thick, cut it out.
- Make sure not to overstuff them, they can easily break during cooking. Stuff with about a finger size.