Lamb Stuffed Chard Leaves Recipes

CHARD-STUFFED ROAST LAMB

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Shred the chard leaves, cut the stalks into batons and set the stalks aside. Heat half the oil in a frying pan, add the leaves and cook for 2 mins until completely wilted, then tip into a bowl. Add the pine nuts, raisins and olives, a tiny drizzle of olive oil, a small splash of the wine and some seasoning. Mix well.
• Place the lamb on a board and push as much of the stuffing as you can into the cavity along the meat. Don't worry if any of the stuffing falls out, but make sure you keep it. Scatter the stalks over the bottom of a shallow roasting tin and add any stray stuffing. Nestle the lamb among the stalks and pour the remaining wine over everything. Rub the lamb with the remaining olive oil, season with sea salt and ground black pepper, and put in the oven for 1 hr. Remove and leave to rest for 15 mins, then serve in thick slices with the braised stalks, and potatoes cooked the way you like them.

LAMB STUFFED CHARD LEAVES

Steps:

• Place a large pot of water on the stove to boil. About 2 gallons of water will do.
• Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
• Being careful not to tear the chard leaves, cut the rib from the center of each leaf.
• Once the water begins to boil, add a nice sprinkle of salt to the water. Organize a large bowl filled with ice water and set it close by. Add the chard leaves to the boiling water. Allow them to boil until soft and pliable, about 45 to 60 seconds. Remove them from the boiling water (with a slotted spoon, or simply by pouring it into a strainer). Quickly plunge the leaves into the bowl of ice water and move them around until the leaves are sufficiently chilled. Dry the leaves on paper towels. They don't need to be super dry, but they shouldn't be water logged, either. Just "dry enough".
• Mix together the tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger and olive oil with half of each: cinnamon, coriander and cayenne. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Mix well.
• Place about one-fourth of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a standard casserole dish (13"x9").
• In a bowl, mix the ground lamb, eggs, pine nuts, raisins and half of each: cinnamon, coriander and cayenne. Blend well with a little salt and pepper.
• Place a chard leaf on the counter top and form a nice big sheet. Usually this means overlapping the two halves, forming a bit of a seam where the large rib used to be. Place a nice sized log of the ground lamb mixture about 2/3rds of the way down from the top of the sheet. Fold the bottom portion of the leaf over the meat, then fold the two side flaps over the meat. Finally, roll the whole meat log towards the tip of the remaining flap, leaving the tip of the flap on the bottom of the roll. Place the stuffed chard in the bottom of the casserole pan. Repeat this process until all 16 stuffed leaves are in the pan.
• Cover the chard leaves with the remaining sauce and spread it evenly.
• Cover the pan (with a lid or foil) and bake for about 50 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the stuffed chard reaches 155 F. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes.
• Serve!

LAMB AND RICE STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES

Steps:

• Place ground lamb, rice, 1/4 cups olive oil, mint, currants, pine nuts, salt, pepper, cumin, cinnamon, oregano, and egg in a bowl. Mix together thoroughly with a fork. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Gently unroll and separate grape leaves. Rinse in cold water to remove brine. Drain. Reserve broken or less-than-perfect leaves to line pot.
• Place grape leaves on work surface with smooth side down (ribs of leaves up). Place a rounded tablespoon of lamb-rice filling near bottom-center of grape leaf. Fold bottom sections of leaf over mixture, fold over sides, and roll toward the top of the leaf into a firm cylinder. Don't roll too tightly or leaves may burst when rice cooks.
• Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil into pot; line bottom of pot with 1 or 2 layers of reserved grape leaves. Place dolmas in pot by arranging them along the sides, then working toward the center to cover the bottom. Leave enough space between dolmas to allow for expansion, but close enough to hold their shapes when cooking. If necessary, stack another layer on top of the first so they all fit. Pour in lemon juice and 2 teaspoons olive oil.
• Invert a small plate and then a larger plate over the dolmas to weigh them down while they cook and prevent them from shifting. Pour in hot chicken broth. Bring to a simmer, uncovered, over medium-high heat. As soon as liquid is heated through and starting to bubble (2 to 4 minutes), reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and cook 35 minutes. Remove plates and check for doneness. Dolmas should look a bit puffed up, and a fork should pierce them easily. If not quite done, continue cooking without the weights: cover the pot and simmer until rice is tender, 10 to 15 minutes longer.
• Serve warm or chilled. Garnish with curls of lemon zest, if desired.

BONELESS LEG OF LAMB STUFFED WITH SWISS CHARD AND FETA

Steps:

• Wash the Swiss chard well, drain it, and in a heavy saucepan steam it in the water clinging to the leaves, covered, over moderate heat for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it is wilted. Drain the chard in a colander, refresh it under cold water, and squeeze it dry in a kitchen towel. In a skillet cook the garlic in 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until it is pale golden and transfer it with a slotted spoon to a bowl. To the skillet add the chard, cook it, stirring, for 1 minute, or until any excess liquid is evaporated, and transfer it to the bowl. Let the chard mixture cool and stir in the Feta.
• Pat the lamb dry, arrange it, boned side up, on a work surface, and season it with salt and pepper. Spread the lamb evenly with the chard mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges, beginning with a short side roll it up jelly-roll fashion, and tie it tightly with kitchen string. (The rolled and tied roast may look ungainly, but it will improve in appearance when cooked.)
• Transfer the lamb to a roasting pan and rub it all over with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon of the rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste. Roast the lamb in the middle of a preheated 325°F. oven for 30 minutes, scatter the onion around it in the pan, and roast the lamb for 1 to 1 1/4 hours more (a total of 20 minutes cooking time for each pound of boneless meat), or until a meat thermometer registers 140°F. for medium-rare meat. Transfer the lamb to a cutting board and let it stand for 20 minutes.
• While the lamb is standing, skim the fat from the pan drippings, and set the roasting pan over moderately high heat. Add the wine, deglaze the pan, scraping up the brown bits, and boil the mixture until it is reduced by half. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a saucepan, add the broth, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, the water, and any juices that have accumulated on the cutting board, and boil the mixture until it is reduced to about 2 cups. Stir the cornstarch mixture, add it to the wine mixture, whisking, and simmer the sauce for 2 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and keep it warm.
• Discard the strings from the lamb, arrange the lamb on a heated platter, and surround it with the quinoa timbales and clusters of the carrots. Strain the sauce into a heated sauceboat and serve it with the lamb, sliced.

SWISS CHARD AND LAMB TORTE WITH FENNEL-POMEGRANATE RELISH

Steps:

• Prepare the torte: Place rice in a heat-proof bowl. Bring 3 cups water to a boil, pour over rice, and let stand uncovered for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, and prepare an ice bath in a large bowl with ice cubes and cold water. Separate the bottom stems from the leaves of the Swiss chard, dicing the stems and setting aside. Blanch the leaves, in batches if necessary, by placing them in the boiling water for 20 seconds, then use tongs to transfer them to the ice bath. Drain the leaves and spread them out to dry in a single layer on paper towels.
• Heat a large pan over medium-high heat, add 1/4 cup olive oil and sauté onions and chopped chard stems, about 10 minutes, until soft and starting to brown. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
• Drain the rice and pour it into a large bowl. Add lamb, sautéed onion and chard stalks, pistachios, salt, pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, fennel seeds, mint leaves and 1/4 cup olive oil and mix thoroughly.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Take a round Dutch oven or other heavy 10-inch round pot with a lid and coat it with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Line the pot with a layer of the Swiss chard leaves, with the bottom ends of the leaves protruding from the pot. (Ideally you'd have at least a 3-inch overhang.) Place the rice-meat stuffing in the pot and fold the overhanging leaves over the top of the filling. If necessary, layer additional leaves on top to completely enclose the filling.
• Place chicken stock in a small pan over high heat; when it's hot, pour it over the torte. Cover the pot and transfer to oven. Let torte bake for 30 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 275 degrees and continue cooking for about 1 hour more, or until rice is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed. (You can carefully peel away a leaf to check the rice, replacing it after you've tasted.)
• Meanwhile, prepare the relish: Using a food processor, pulse fennel bulbs and Serrano pepper until finely chopped, being careful not to overprocess. Turn fennel and chile mixture out into a medium bowl and add lemon juice, pomegranate syrup, pomegranate seeds and salt and mix to combine. Stir in olive oil and adjust salt to taste. Just before serving, mix in the mint leaves.
• When torte is done baking, remove it from the oven and let it sit for a few minutes, covered. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the torte; cover with a flat, round serving platter; and invert the pot to remove the torte. Serve decorated with fennel fronds and garnished with fennel, pomegranate and mint relish.

ROASTED LAMB SHOULDER STUFFED WITH MERGUEZ AND SWISS CHARD

Steps:

• Marinate the Lamb: Spread the lamb open on work surface. Score the inside of the meat with a paring knife, making incisions every 3/4 inch and taking care not to cut all the way through the meat. Rub inside of lamb with 1 tablespoon oregano and 1 tablespoon pepper. Turn and rub outside with remaining tablespoon of oregano and tablespoon pepper; drizzle outside with olive oil. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Make the Merguez Stuffing: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare an ice-water bath. Add chard leaves and cook for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, immediately transfer to ice-water bath. Cool, drain, and squeeze out excess water; coarsely chop. Chop enough of the chard stems so that you have 1 cup chopped; discard any remaining stems.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add garlic and chard stems; continue cooking until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to a medium bowl; set aside.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to skillet and increase heat to high. Crumble sausage into skillet and cook, stirring, until sausage is brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chard leaves, reserved onion mixture, rosemary, and thyme; stir to combine. Add panko, lemon zest, mint, and parsley; remove skillet from heat and season with salt and pepper. Spread stuffing on a rimmed baking sheet and let cool.
• Roast the Lamb: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season lamb with salt and bring to room temperature.
• Spread the cooled stuffing over the scored side of the lamb. Loosely roll, like a jelly roll; using 5 pieces of kitchen twine, tie lamb at even intervals to secure stuffing.
• Heat canola oil in a roasting pan over high heat. Add lamb to pan and cook, turning, until browned on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Turn lamb so it is seam-side down in roasting pan. Add lemons, shallots, garlic, thyme, and rosemary to pan and transfer to oven. Roast lamb for 20 minutes, turn, and continue roasting 10 minutes more for medium. Transfer lamb to a cutting board, reserving juices in pan, and loosely cover with parchment paper-lined aluminum foil; let stand for 10 minutes.
• Place the roasting pan on the stove over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup water and lemon juice and cook, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes.
• Remove twine from lamb and, using a sharp carving knife, cut lamb into 12 slices. Arrange on a platter and garnish with lemon, shallots, garlic, thyme, and rosemary from roasting pan. Spoon pan juice over lamb and serve immediately.

CHARD LEAVES STUFFED WITH RICE AND HERBS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the chard leaves and stems for 20 to 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, then drain and cut away the stems at the base. Next cut out the wide part of the stem remaining inside the leaf, cutting a V at the base where it connects with the leaf. Set aside the leaves and cut the stems into small dice (about 1/4 inch). Set aside 1/2 cup of the blanching water for the baking dish.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring until very soft, about 8 minutes. Add the diced chard stems and a generous pinch of salt and continue to cook until the stems are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Remove from the heat.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a baking dish that can accommodate all of the chard rolls. In a large bowl mix together the rice, onion mixture, herbs, Aleppo pepper and currants if using. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Place 2 tablespoons of the filling on each chard leaf. Tuck the sides over the filling and roll up the leaves. Place in the baking dish. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top and place 1/2 cup water in the baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes, until the chard rolls are hot and the leaves tender. They should retain their bright green color.

ROAST LAMB STUFFED WITH APRICOT & MINT

Steps:

• Lay the lamb, skin-side down, on a board - if the joint you bought is tied up, then snip the strings and unroll it. Cut several pieces of string long enough to tie around the lamb, then slide them under the joint so they're regularly spaced out. Mix the stuffing ingredients together, and season well. Spread the stuffing out along the middle of the lamb, then fold the meat over to form a roll. Tie the string so the roll stays together, but don't make it too tight or it will cut into the meat. Tie some string lengthways too, if necessary.
• Heat oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3. Season the lamb evenly all over. Heat a little oil in a large frying pan, then brown the lamb all over. Start with the side where the seam meets, as this will stop the lamb breaking up when you carve it.
• Tip the veg, garlic and rosemary into a roasting tin and put the lamb on top, seam-side down. Cook the lamb until the core temperature reaches 60C on a meat thermometer - this should take around 1 hr for a 2kg leg. As you rest the lamb, the temperature will continue to rise so don't overcook it.
• Lift the lamb out of the tin and, keeping it warm, rest for up to an hour. Put the roasting tin on the hob. Add the stock, bring to a simmer, then tip the lot into a saucepan, scraping up any bits. Add 500ml water and then simmer again until reduced by half. Pour through a fine sieve and serve with the lamb.

MOROCCAN CHARD & LAMB PAN-FRY

Steps:

• Strip the chard leaves from the stalk. Cut the stalk into batons and roughly shred the leaves. Set aside separately.
• Heat the oil in a sauté pan and fry the lamb for 5-6 mins over a high heat until browned. Add the onion, garlic, chard stalks and spices and continue to cook for 3-4 mins until softened. Pour over the stock and scatter in the raisins, then simmer for 4-5 mins to make a sauce. Wilt chard leaves through the stock, season and serve scattered with pine nuts.