Classic Fillings for Vegetables

[Twitchin Kitten]

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.