Lamb tomato and sweet spices

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4cm piece finely chopped ginger
• 2 cloves peeled and chopped garlic
• 800g peeled and chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 50 vine leaves
• 1 large fennel bulb
• 400g lamb mince
• 1 medium onion
• 1 small peeled and coarsely grated potatoes
• 2 tbsp basmati rice
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ tsp ground clove
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 medium tomatoes

Quantities are the original recipe’s. The cost is our own estimate — typical own-brand supermarket prices for these quantities, divided by 4 servings. TheMealDB does not state how many a dish serves, so 4 is our assumption, not theirs. Treat it as “about this much a head”, not a shopping bill.

Method

1. If using preserved vine leaves, drain them, plunge into boiling water for 10 minutes, then lay them out on a tea towel to dry before you start.
2. For the filling, put the mince, onion, potato, rice, herbs, garlic, lemon juice and spices into a bowl.
3. Halve the fresh tomatoes, grate the flesh straight into the bowl and discard the skins, then season with salt and pepper and mix everything together.
4. Cover the filling and leave it to sit, in the fridge if convenient, for up to a day, then squeeze it firmly in your hands over the sink to press out any excess liquid.
5. For the sauce, warm the olive oil in a pan and soften the ginger and garlic for a minute or two without letting them catch.
6. Stir in the tinned tomatoes, lemon juice and sugar, season, and let the sauce simmer gently for 20 minutes.
7. Line the base of a wide, heavy pan with any torn or spare vine leaves, then cover this with fennel sliced into 0.5cm rounds.
8. Lay each vine leaf veiny-side up, place a small strip of filling near the base, fold in the sides and roll into a tight cigar shape.
9. Pack the rolls seam-side down into the pan in close rows or circles, stacking a second layer if they don't all fit in one.
10. Pour the sauce over the rolls, topping up with water to cover if needed, then weigh them down with a small plate and put the lid on.
11. Bring to the boil, turn the heat right down and let everything simmer very gently for 70 minutes, until most of the liquid has cooked away.
12. Take off the heat, let the pan sit for a few minutes to settle, then bring it to the table and serve with warm rice, spooning over the cooking juices and a scattering of coriander.

These steps were written by StreetOwl from the original recipe, in British English, with every oven temperature and cooking time checked against the source. They are not the original author’s words. If anything reads oddly, the original is linked below and it wins.