Collard Greens Stuffed With Raisins, Nuts and Rice
- Total Time
- 2 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1large bunch collard greens (about 1½ pounds), stemmed
- ¼cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1large red or yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4garlic cloves, green shoots removed, minced
- Salt to taste
- 1teaspoon sugar
- ¾cup rice, either medium-grain or basmati, rinsed well in several changes of water
- 2tablespoons to ¼ cup lightly toasted pine nuts (to taste)
- 114-ounce can chopped tomatoes, drained (retain juice)
- 2tablespoons to ¼ cup currants or dark raisins (to taste)
- ¾teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾teaspoon freshly ground allspice berries
- ½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1¼cups water
- 2tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- ¼cup chopped fresh dill
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1lemon, sliced thin (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)
65 calories; 3 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 183 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you carefully stem the collard greens, trying to keep the leaves intact. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the collard leaves in batches. Blanch two minutes and transfer to the ice water. Drain, gently squeeze out excess water and set aside.
- Step 2
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat in a large lidded skillet, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, salt and sugar, and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about a minute. Add the rice and pine nuts, and stir together until the rice is coated with oil. Stir in the tomatoes, currants, cinnamon, allspice and salt and pepper to taste. Stir together, and add 1 cup water or enough to barely cover the rice. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer until all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Allow to sit for 10 minutes without disturbing. Stir in the mint and dill.
- Step 3
Oil a wide, deep, lidded sauté pan or saucepan with olive oil. To fill the leaves, place one on your work surface, vein side up and with the stem end facing you. The leaf may have a big space in the middle where you stemmed it; if so, pull the two sides of the leaf in towards each other and overlap them slightly. Place about 1 level tablespoon of filling on the bottom center of each leaf. Fold the sides over, then roll up tightly, tucking in the sides as you go. Place seam side down in the pan, fitting the stuffed leaves in snug layers. Drizzle on the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and pour on the lemon juice. Barely cover with water, and top with a layer of lemon slices.
- Step 4
Cover the stuffed leaves with a round of parchment paper, and place a plate over the paper to weight them during cooking. This will keep them from opening. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes to an hour until the leaves are tender. Remove from the heat, and carefully remove the dolmades from the water with a slotted spoon or tongs. Allow to drain on a rack set over a sheet pan. Serve warm or cold.
- Advance preparation: These keep well for three or four days in the refrigerator. Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com.
Private Notes
Comments
Unnecessarily complex instructions. No need for parchment paper and a plate. The leaves stay where they are with just a cover on the pan. And entirely too much liquid is called for. Just enough to come up maybe half way is plenty.
I’ve made these now twice after swearing I’d never make them again after the lengthy process I experienced the first time. But, kudos to Martha Rose for hitting all the dietary restrictions. These are vegan, gluten and soy-free so perfect for my friends. The collard greens work well but the leaves are huge so I cut mine in half length wise. I made bite sized rolls so more than two dozen. Also took more than two hours for prepare for half a day. I served them with tzatziki sauce.
I sweat the veggies, onions and peppers, tossed with quinoa and mixed with ground lamp. I stuffed and rolled the leaves, then baked dry in the oven instead. DELICIOUS.
Very good!
You can completely skip the first rice cook. After sautéing the onion etc. add uncooked basmati rice to the mixture then rest of ingredients. Scoop 2T into each collard. Cover with 1 cup liquid total (tomato juice leftovers, water) and simmer as per instructions.
I wound up with too much filling which I had to discard. I agree that the instructions are too complex and too much liquid is called for.