23 November, 2014
Mehshe Seleq
Posted in : Cold Meza (Mezze Appetizers), Recipes, Vegan only, Vegetarian & Vegan main Dishes on by : el Meza Tags: best lebanese vegan cuisine, cigares a la bette a charde, cigares vegetariens libanais, cuisine libanaise vegetalienne, lebanese swiss chard cigars, lebanese swiss chard dolmades, lebanese swiss chard rolls, mehshe wara2 sel2, mehshi sele2 b zeyt, mehshi seleq bi zeyt, mehshi waraq seleq, plat vegetalien roules de feuilles de bette a carde, stuffed swiss chard, stuffed vegan lebanese swiss chard, swiss chard dolmades, vegan lebanese recipes, wara2 sele2
Mehshe Seleq – Stuffed Swiss Chard Leaves
This authentic vegan lebanese dish is similar to the vegetarian stuffed vine leaves. It is usually eaten cold or at room temperature.
Ingredients
-3 Ibs. of swiss chard leaves
-1 1/4 cups of short rice
-1/2 cup of chickpeas (which have been soaked overnight,cracked and peeled*)
-3/4 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley
-1/2 cup of finely chopped fresh mint
-1/2 cup of minced scallions (or onions)
-1 cup of chopped tomatoes
-1 tomato, sliced
-Extra virgin olive oil to taste
-Sea salt to taste
-1/2 tsp. of pepper
-1/4 tsp. of cinnamon
-1 1/2 cups of water
-1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
-Several garlic cloves, peeled
-Several onions, sliced
* Crack chickpeas with a rolling pin after covering them with a clothe. Discard skins which come off during rolling.
Preparation
Remove chard stems. Soften leaves by dipping one at a time in boiling, salted water for a minute or so. Drain. Wash and drain rice. Mix rice, chickpeas, parsley, mint, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper, cinnamon, a bit of oil and most of the lemon juice (reserve a small amount of lemon juice till the end of cooking). Stuffing is ready.
In a large pot, layer the sliced tomatoes, onions and whole garlic.
Stuff one leaf at a time using a heaping teaspoonful of stuffing. Fold up from bottom over stuffing and fold in from each side to center, then roll up like a cigar. Place in layers with open end down over the sliced tomatoes , onions and garlic. Sprinkle lemon juice and half a teaspoon of salt over top layer. Pour in the water to cover. Cover with a heat resistant plate if you wish, so the rolls won’t open while cooking. Cook under pressure 15 minutes or if in a regular pot, cook until rice is tender, probably about 45 minutes. If cooked under pressure, after 15 mn, uncover and simmer to reduce sauce. Turn out onto serving platter.