Stuffed Grape Leaves Series: Part I

Stuffed grape leaves are a staple mezze in Syrian cuisine, and while assembling the stuffing isn't particularly difficult, I was somewhat intimidated by the rolling-of-the-leaves requirement. I worried that I couldn't roll the leaves sufficiently taut as not to fall apart in the boiling process, thereby creating a noxious soup of soggy leaves, vegetables, stray rice, and meats bits. Rather than potentially ruin some quality (and pricey) ground lamb on the first go, I decided to practice by making an unconventional version using some leftovers and this handy pictorial guide.

Rice, dill, garlic, and shrimp with rice made from lobster stock.

Among these leftovers were pre-cooked shrimp and lobster stock, the latter of which, I should be clear, is not a regular in my fridge but rather a special guest that appeared to due me making lobster rolls on a very expensive whim the week earlier. Boiling the shit out of two lobster shells produced about 2 cups of fragrant, slightly sweet stock that I used to cook about 1 cup of rice. I combined the cooked rice with about 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh dill and 2 tablespoons of minced garlic along with 1 cup of chopped (cooked) shrimp.

After some finagling and only a few duds, I had assembled a small pyramid of rolled grape leaves. I arranged them in a single layer in a saucepan and added what remaining lobster stock I had such that the liquid just barely covered the leaves. Most recipes will then instruct you to simmer on very low heat for about 1 hour but I found 45 minutes was sufficient.

The result: Me Not Fail. The rolls kept their shape and the grape leaves lost any residual bitterness via the infusion of lobster stock, taking on a slightly sweet flavor, as did the tender rice. Dill threads and garlic added an earthy twang that contrasted nicely with the briny shrimp. I would definitely make them again ASAP, but I'm confident enough now in my rolling skills to go on to a more traditional style with lamb, cumin, rice, sultanas, and nuts.

Recipe: Simple Syrian Roast Chicken

While driving to work this week, I was compiling a list of ingredients in my head I needed to buy to make this Syrian roast chicken and potatoes dish when suddenly I found myself behind an SUV with a single, ominous bumper sticker: "Eat Rice. Not Potatoes. Today!" So random, so weird, but I took it as a sign from God and decided to just make the chicken. And make rice, maybe.

Most recipes for this dish involve just roasting parts (usually legs or thighs) of the bird, but I like the presentation of a whole chicken. Plus, I found a large one on sale for $3 at Randall's. 

My general advice with roasting a chicken is 1) Make sure that birdie is patted as dry as possible to ensure a crispy crust and 2) Be aggressive and thorough in your application of oil and spices and 3) A meat thermometer is very, very helpful and may prevent you from making you and your guests sick.

Ingredients

• 1 medium-to-large chicken

• 3 tablespoons good olive oil

• 1/2 cup chopped garlic

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 3 tablespoons (or more) ground cumin

• salt

• pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line roasting pan large enough for chicken with foil; spritz well with vegetable oil spray.

2. Using paper towels, pat chicken completely dry. Trim any excess nubbies of fat if you like from butt. The chicken's butt, not yours.

3. Dust chicken generously with salt.

4. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice.

5. Massage (yes, get those hands dirty) entire chicken with oil mixture, making sure to coat all surfaces.

6. Sprinkle ground cumin over chicken, then a wee bit more salt, and as much pepper as desired.

7. Roast in oven for at least 1 hour if not 1 hour and 25 minutes. To test progress of chicken, insert meat thermometer in thickest part of the thigh. When it clocks in at 165 degrees Fahrenheit, you should be good to go.

A roast chicken is useful in so many ways in addition to providing fodder for multiple meals. I like to keep the bones for stock and any rendered fat for chopped liver.

Thatsa Sesame Syrian Meatball!

On top of some pita/All covered with ghee/I lost my poor meatball/When somebody sneezed

                                                              -Old Syrian Boy Scout Song

In an attempt to roll with the punches last week at work, I decided to embrace spherical foods, my savory favorite of which is the meatball. I like 'em big, juicy, and slightly rare. Again, I'm talking about meatballs.

I found a recipe on SyrianCooking.com for "Dawood Basha", which by the parenthetical that followed implied can be roughly translated as "meatball." But I wouldn't know because I don't speak Arabic. YET. Below is a slightly modified version.

Uncooked meatballs ready for their close-up.

Ingredients

• 1 pound beef or lamb

• 2 cups your husband's homemade spaghetti sauce

• 1/2 cup chopped onion

• 1 cup chopped parsley

• 1/2 tablespoon Baharat (Syrian Spice Mix)*

• 1/2 cup sesame seeds

• Olive oil or ghee

*Baharat can be bought online or at most foreign food markets. You can make it yourself by combining spices that might just be already in your pantry (what I did).

Directions

1. Combine ground meat, onion, parsley, and baharat. 

2. Form meat mixture into balls, any size of your choosing.

3. Coat with sesame seeds.

4. Brown balls in oil or ghee over medium heat until there's thin cooked exterior crust.

5. Finish in oven at 350 degrees until interior is of desired brownness (or pinkness in my case).

6. Served balls bathing in warm tomato sauce over rice, not spaghetti, duh.