RAINBOW CHARD & LAMB DOLMADES

These are beautiful, big dolmades, made with rainbow chard instead of vine leaves and filled with grass-fed lamb, spices and herbs. Delicious!

makes 12-14

2 bunches rainbow chard, stem base trimmed

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

Fine sea salt

350g grass-fed lamb mince

100g (1 cup) medium grain rice

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons chopped dill

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ jar (1 cup) Torello Farm Nonna’s chopped tomatoes

Cut the firm section of stem away from the middle of each rainbow chard leaf (about two-thirds length of stem from its base), leaving the rest of leaf intact. Set aside leaves. Chop the stems finely (similar size to onion).

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion, chard stalks and sprinkle over a teaspoon of salt and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to soften. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside to cool.

Add mince, rice, herbs, spices and ½ teaspoon salt to the onion mixture and using a fork mix to combine well. Taking about two tablespoonfuls of mixture for each portion, roll into 12-14 torpedo shapes. Set aside.

Place leaves (any badly damaged ones pop in first) in a large saucepan and pour over enough boiling water to completely cover and leave for a minute.  Carefully drain the leaves, taking care when handling to avoid tears.

To make rolls, lay a chard leaf vein-side down, on a clean work surface and overlap the cut stem section to seal the base area of leaf, then place a mince-rice portion on top, near the wider end. Fold in the sides of the chard leaf, then tightly roll up into a parcel. Repeat with remaining leaves and mince mixture making about 12-14 rolls. There’ll be some damaged leaves left over so spread these over the base of large saucepan. Transfer rolls to the saucepan fitting them in snugly side-by-side. Bring the tomatoes and 250ml water to the boil in a saucepan over high heat, then pour over the rolls to just cover. Cover with a plate to hold rolls in place, then a tight-fitting lid. Place over medium heat, bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 30 minutes until the rice is cooked through. Remove saucepan from heat and set aside for 5 minutes.

Carefully remove plate and transfer rolls to a serving plate and spoon over any remaining cooking juices. Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over, or with a dollop of yoghurt.

 Recipe by Fiona Hammond, May 26