Vegetable And Ricotta Stuffed Collard Rolls With Tomato Sauce Recipes

STUFFED COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you carefully stem the collard greens, trying to keep the leaves intact. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the collard leaves, in batches. Blanch for 2 minutes and transfer to the ice water. Drain, gently squeeze out excess water and set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large nonstick skillet and add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until the onion is tender but not browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the pine nuts and garlic, stir together and add the drained rinsed rice. Stir for a minute or two, until you hear the rice begin to crackle, then remove from the heat. Toss with the herbs, salt and pepper, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. To gauge how much salt you will need, use the amount that you would use when cooking 1 1/4 cups of rice.
• Oil a wide, deep lidded sauté pan or saucepan with olive oil. To fill the leaves, place one on your work surface, vein side up and with the stem end facing you. The leaf may have a big space in the middle where you stemmed it; if it does, pull the two sides of the leaf in toward each other and overlap them slightly. Place about 1 level tablespoon of filling on the bottom center of each leaf. Fold the sides over, then roll up tightly, tucking in the sides as you go. Place in the pan, seam side down, fitting the stuffed leaves in snug layers.
• Whisk together the lemon juice, remaining oil, and tomato paste with 2 tablespoons water. Season to taste with salt. Pour over the rolls. Add enough water to barely cover the rolls and top with a layer of lemon slices if desired. They will add some bitterness to the dish because of the bitter oils in the lemon skin. Invert a plate over the rolls to keep them wrapped and in position, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover the pan, turn the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, at which point the leaves will be tender and the rice cooked. Remove from the heat and carefully remove the stuffed leaves from the water to a platter or to plates with a slotted spoon or tongs. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes. Taste the liquid left in the pot and adjust seasonings. Serve the rolls warm or at room temperature with the liquid from the pot as a sauce.

DIRTY RICE STUFFED COLLARDS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Sauce:
• Saute the onion in oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, until softened. Stir in the tomato sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Let simmer for 15 minutes.
• Filling:
• Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the pork and brown. Once browned, add the garlic, onion, celery, and green bell pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the chicken broth and cayenne. Stir in the cooked rice and parsley, mixing thoroughly and letting the broth reduce until there is no moisture left in the pan. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
• In a large pot of boiling salted water, over medium heat, add the collard leaves and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
• Lay a collard leaf out on a flat surface and add 1/4 cup of the dirty rice into the center. Fold both the sides into the center and the top and bottom over the center. Roll into a cylinder and repeat with the remaining leaves. If there are any remaining leaves you can chop them up and add to the sauce.
• Pour a 1/2-inch layer of sauce into a 13 by 9-inch casserole dish. Arrange the collard rolls, seam sides down, on top of the sauce. Pour the remaining sauce over the stuffed collards and cover with foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

VEGETABLE-AND RICOTTA- STUFFED COLLARD ROLLS WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the sauce:
• In a saucepan cook the onion in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until it is softened, add the wine, and simmer the mixture for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, the sugar, the rosemary, the orégano, the red pepper flakes, and salt to taste, simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, until it is very thick and the liquid is almost evaporated, and spread it in the bottom of a large shallow casserole or baking dish.
• Make the rolls:
• In a kettle of boiling water boil the collards for 10 minutes, or until they are crisp-tender, drain them, and refresh them in a large bowl of cold water. In another large bowl combine well the ricotta, the mozzarella, the egg, the bell peppers, the corn, the scallion, and salt and pepper to taste. Cut out the tough center rib and stem one third of the way up one of the collard leaves and pat the leaf dry. Mound 2 heaping tablespoons of the cheese mixture at the top end of the leaf and roll up the leaf, tucking in the ends to form a roll. Make rolls with the remaining collard leaves and cheese mixture in the same manner.
• Arrange the rolls in one layer on the sauce in the casserole and bake the rolls, covered, in the middle of a preheated 375°F. oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the rolls are cooked through. Transfer the rolls carefully with tongs to a platter and keep them warm, covered. Transfer the sauce to a saucepan and boil it until it is thickened. Stir in the parsley and pour the sauce over the rolls.