Recipes from the Holy Land

I was warned about this dish by one of my friends. He said his wife rarely makes this dish because it's just too much work. So, I don't think that I'll make it in my kitchen But, I was so touched when my friend Amina created it for me. It was her way to show appreciation for the work I did with the children in her community.

Dawali (Stuffed Grape Leaves)
from Amina's kitchen in Um-El-Fahem

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rice

1 bunch fresh parsley
2 medium onions
4 or 5 medium tomatoes
2 Tbs (pomegranate) molasses
1 Tbs ground allspice
1 Tbs ground sumac

dash of cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup olive oil
2 - 3 lemons (for juice)
5 - 6 potatoes
1/2 jar of grape leaves
(or 50 fresh leaves)

Rinse your rice and then dice up your parsley, onions, and tomatoes. Then, in a large bowl, mix together the rice, parsley, onions, tomatoes, molasses, and spices. At this point, you can also add a few tablespoons of both olive oil and lemon juice.

Peel, rinse, and slice up the potatoes into thin discs. Oil the bottom of a pan and then line the pan with the potatoes.

You can use grape leaves from a jar or gather up 50 fresh leaves. If you use fresh leaves, cut the leaf in half and remove the stem and heavy central vein. Put a teaspoon or less of the filling into each leaf and roll it up like a little cigar. The rice expands as it cooks, so don't over-stuff your cigar. As you roll your cigar, fold the sides in towards the center. It may take practice, but don't worry. If your cigars look ugly, they will still taste delicious.

Place the cigars in the cooking pot on top of the potatoes. You can put them in any way you like, but if you must cook as an artist, start from the center and fan your cigars out. Add just enough water to cover your little cigars. Place a plate on top of them to keep them pressed down. Seal the pot with a secure lid and cook over medium heat for thirty minutes. Bring it to a boil and add half of the lemon juice and oil. Lower the heat and let it cook for another two hours. About an hour into the process, add the rest of the olive oil and lemon juice.

Finally, remove the lid and turn up the heat to medium in order to boil away excess water and assure you that your potatoes are crisp. At this point you can serve it up with a spatula or place a plate over the dish and flip it so the potatoes are on top.

Serves 6