Ground Meat
Kofta Wrapped in Grape Leaves – Lahma ‘a Waraqa (la7ma 3ala waraqa)
This is my third kofta post. As you can see, these marvelous morsels of meat are very versatile and come in many variations. This particular variation is the standard kofta mix, formed into small patties, and wrapped in grape leaves. If I mention grape leaves, my husband automatically says, ” we should make kofta with them!”, he prefers them to the rice filled rolls. It is called Lahma ‘a Waraqa (la7ma 3ala waraqa -literally translates to “meat on a leaf”)
This dish is sometimes topped with a tomato-based sauce, but I prefer a simple squeeze of lemon. The grape leaves and lemon juice impart a lovely tanginess to the kofta.
This tray of kofta was made with leaves picked from our little grape vine, but you could use brined or dry preserved grape leaves the same way. Usually the jarred ones you find in the US are rather large, so you would probably want to make larger patties, or trim the leaves a bit.
Kofta Wrapped in Grape Leaves – Lahma ‘a Waraqa
~24 grape leaves
1 ½ lb ground beef or lamb (or a mixture of the two)
½ c onion. grated or finely minced
½ c parsley, finely chopped
1 ½ t allspice
½ t turmeric
½ t cumin
1 t coriander
1 T cooking oil
salt and pepper, to taste
½ onion, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced across in thick slices
1 large tomato, sliced or chopped
juice of ½ lemon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In large mixing bowl, combine meat, onions, parsley, spices, salt, pepper, and oil.
Knead with your hands to combine completely.
Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Add grape leaves and allow to blanch for about 5 minutes. Remove leaves, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
Shape meat into 24-small patties, about half dollar size in diameter. Place grape leaf on plate or tray, rough side up. Place one patty in the middle of the leaf, and wrap leaf around to cover the meat. (you can adjust sizes of meat patties according to how big or small your grape leaves are.
Spray a 9 x 13 baking tray with nonstick cooking spray or line with foil, and place koftas in tray.
Add tomatoes and onions to tray and drizzle with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and the juice of half a lemon.
Add 1 cup water. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 40 minutes.
Remove foil and return to oven. Bake 20-30 more minutes, uncovered.
Enjoy 🙂
Bolognese Sauce
This is my version of a Bolognese Sauce. My husband is not a fan of super tangy marinara sauce, so this is a better pasta sauce for him. The addition of carrots sweetens and mellows out the flavor of the tomato sauce. Bolognese sauce usually includes celery with the carrots, but I don’t like celery, so I substitute parsley.
Regarding the tomatoes, you can us whole, peeled tomatoes in juice, or else you can use the same amount of crushed tomatoes, tomato puree. You just want a plain tomato product that is not stewed and not concentrated. I like to use the whole tomatoes, and just break them up with a spoon in the pot as I stir, so that there is a bit of texture left to the sauce.
We served it over penne.
The penne was one of those that are made with vegetables, so it actually is reddish-orange, that is not a weird effect of the camera.
Bolognese Sauce
1 lb ground veal (or veal)
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, chopped,
6 cloves garlic, chopped
½ cup parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes (or crushed tomatoes, or tomato puree) in tomato juice
½ cup water
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil, add onions and cook on medium-high 1 minute, then add carrots, garlic, and parsley.
Cook on high 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium, add a dash of salt, and cover cook for a further 5 minutes to allow the sweat out the ingredients. The onions should be translucent and soft, and the carrots should start to soften.
Add veal, stirring over high heat for 2-3 minutes, then lower heat to medium and cook 10 minutes.
Add canned tomatoes and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil. Add tomato paste, water, and sugar. Allow to come to a boil again, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour.
And these are Little Miss’s fingers – she couldn’t wait until I got the food on the table 😀
Note – if you like a spicy pasta sauce, you could add crushed red pepper flakes with the tomato paste.
