עברית
Stuffed Grape Leaves & Zucchinis — GalilEAT
Ingredients:
2 cups medium-grained rice, rinsed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons Baharat spice mix
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tomatoes
1/2 cup olive oil
40 grape leaves and 8 small zucchinis
Directions
Carefully hollow out zucchinis with a sharp knife or special rounded blade.
Grate 2 tomatoes into the rice. Mix in all remaining ingredients except 3rd tomato into the rice.
Hold 1 grape leaf flat on the palm of your hand or on a chopping board. The shiny side should be placed downwards and the veined side up, to be filled. Add 1/2 teaspoon of rice mixture. Fold in the sides and roll up the vine leaf. Repeat with 35 vine leaves.
1/2 fill the cored zucchinis with the same rice mixture. Do not over-fill. The rice expands upon cooking.
Line the bottom of a pot with 5 reserved vine leaves or 1 tomato, sliced. Pack rolled grape leaves and stuffed zucchinis into the pot.
Slice the last remaining tomato and place it on top of the rolled vine leaves. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt over the sliced tomatoes.
Place an inverted plate over the vegetables so as to prevent them from floating to the top and becoming unraveled. Fill the pot with boiling water to cover stuffed vegetables., just to the bottom of the inverted plate. This is your watermark for any quantity or pot size. Cover pot. Bring to boil and reduce heat. Occasionally check if there is enough water. Cook for 30 minutes, until all the water, has evaporated.
** An interesting alternative: The zucchinis can be cooked separately in water until they just begin to soften, about 20 minutes. Remove half the water in the pot and add 2 cups of good quality, locally produced yogurt. Goat or sheep’s milk yogurt is best.
