The Twitchin Kitchen

This thread holds several recipes for the "stuffing" part of those lovely stuffed vegetables the Middle East enjoys so much.

Meat Filling
makes enough to fill 2 pounds of vegetables.
It is called sheikh el mahshi and also tatbila. *the word sheikh implies that it is the most equisite as it is all meat.

• 2 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil
  
• 1 onion, finely chopped
  
• 12 oz lean ground lamb (or beef if you can't get ground lamb)
  
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon OR 1/4 tsp ground allspice
  
• 1/3 cup pine nuts (optional but it really 'makes' the dish!)
  
• Salt and pepper
  

Heat the oil in a frying pan.
Add the onion and fry until soft and transparent.
Add the meat, season with salt & pepper to taste, cinnamon or the allspice and the pine nuts. Stir, chopping the meat with a fork and turning it over and over until it browns.
Moisten with a few tablespoons of water and cook gently for about 10 minutes until the meat is fully tender.
Gently roast the pine nuts in a pan with a drop of oil. Be careful not to burn them! Toss into the meat mixture and you're done.

This fills about 2 pounds of vegetables. This is the most common filling called "hashwa". If the vegetables are going to be stewed, the filling can be mixed raw and just let the stewing do all the cooking.
If the vegetables are going to be baked, the filling has to be cooked first because the rice needs liquid to cook where the stewing will be using a lot of water giving the rice the necessary liquid to expand.

Use short grain or round rice because it is "sticky" and binds the filling so it holds nicely.

Meat and Rice Filling

• 1 onion, finely chopped (optional)
  
• 2 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil
  
• 1/2 pound lean ground lamb (or beef if you can't get ground lamb)
  
• 1/3 cup short grain rice, washed and drained
  
• 1 tomato, peeled and chopped (optional)
  
• 3 Tbsp finely chopped parsley (optional)
  
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon OR 1/4 tsp ground allspice
  
• Salt & pepper
  

Stewed version:
put all ingredients together in a bowl and knead well by hand until thoroughly blended. Kind of like you do with meat loaf.
Do not fill the vegetables more than 3/4 full to allow for the expansion of the rice.

Baked version:
Fry the onion in 2 Tbsp oil until soft, adde the lamb, stir gently crushing and turning it over until it browns. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well and cover with 3/4 cup of water and simmer for about 15 minutes or so until the rice is done.

This fills about 2 pounds of vegetables.
This meatless filling is for vegetables to be eaten cold (like those Greek style grape leaves). These are usually cooked with olive oil. If the vegetables are to be stewed, again the rice is used raw. If they are baked, it has to be cooked.

Rice Filling

• 3/4 cup short or medium grain rice
  
• 1 tomato, peeled and chopped
  
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
  
• 1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
  
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon OR 1/4 tsp ground allspice
  
• Salt & pepper
  

Stewed version:
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, kneading by hand until thoroughly blended.
When filling the vegetables, again, allow room for the rice to expand, about 3/4 full is good.

Baked version:
Use boiled and pack the vegetables a little more tightly if they are going to be baked.

Variation: Usual additions are: 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh dill or mint (or 1 Tbsp dried mint) and 5 finely chopped scallions.

This fills about 2 pounds of vegetables.
This is for vegetables that are to be eaten cold.

Rice & Chickpea Filling

• 2/3 cup cooked chickpeas ( you can use canned )
  
• 1/2 cup short or medium grain rice
  
• 2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
  
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
  
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
  
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon OR 1/4 tsp ground allspice
  
• Salt & pepper
  

Crush and mash the chickpeas and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Work well with your hands to blend it all thoroughly.

Cook the rice if you are going to bake rather than stew the vegetables (like the rice filling above).