One of the things that fills me the most is the feedback from my clients and staff.
Before I opened Hiba, my new restaurant, one of the things I missed the most was the feedback I made.
I lacked the enthusiasm, discourse and criticism, which even if it was not good - gave me a drive to be better.
Even when I created for my family and for myself, I did not feel whole.
I was missing the feedback that drives me to change, to seek, to think, to create.
The feedback that gives me energies to look for inspirations, raw materials, people, stories, recipes, techniques and more.
Knowing how to fill an empty space is a gift.
We fill ourselves with doing, creating, family and content - and I have received this gift, knowing to constantly fill my space with people and doing to feel whole, like a package that is properly wrapped.
Stuffed, to me, are also a kind of package that is properly filled: vegetables, meat and carbs - all in one bite.
Stuffed food is very common in different kitchens, with the filling varying from place to place and from kitchen to kitchen, but is usually based on a vegetable stuffed with rice and minced meat.
The joke in our kitchen is that you can fill almost anything, except maybe sesame seeds.
If you think about it, then why do we like stuffed?
Not only because of the all-inclusive defeat, but also because we love surprises - and stuffed ones can surprise.
So, this week I took the classic and traditional stuffing, for example vine leaves, zucchini and cabbage, and as I like to do - I played with them.
The existing base has taken on a personal touch of mine, and something very traditional has been created, with plenty of room for innovation and creativity.
Thank you for filling me.
Lamb rib stew with beef tongue stuffed with friki and raisins
Lamb rib stew with beef tongue stuffed with friki and raisins, Photo: Assaf Carla
Materials:
6 lamb chops seasoned with salt and pepper
2 packs of bull tongue
1 tomato cut into slices
8 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup beef stock (if not, allow a glass of water)
To fill:
1 and 1/2 cups freaky
A handful of black raisins
1 large chopped onion
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
Rinse the friki well, cook in a pot with hot water (like pasta) for 35 minutes, strain and transfer to a bowl.
Fry the onion until golden, add the raisins, fry for another two minutes and transfer to the freaky bowl.
Add the spices and mix well.
Dip the leaves of the bull's tongue in warm water for a second, so that they soften and are comfortable to roll.
Slice each leaf on a work surface so that its veins are facing down, place a tablespoon of the filling in the center of the leaf and roll.
Arrange the tomato slices in a saucepan and top them densely with the stuffed bull's tongue leaves and garlic cloves.
Slightly fry the ribs to "close" in a pan and arrange them in a pot over the leaves of the bull's tongue.
Pour the beef or water stock over everything, seal the pot with baking paper and foil and place in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for two hours.
Zucchini boats stuffed with meat in pea and onion sauce
Zucchini boats stuffed with meat in pea and onion sauce, Photo: Assaf Carla
Materials:
10 small bloody zucchini
A little flour
2 handfuls of peas
1 grated tomato
3 cloves of garlic slices
2 sliced onions
1 flat teaspoon turmeric
1 flat teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
To fill:
1/2 kg ground beef
2 large tablespoons bread crumbs
1/2 packet finely chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
Cross each zucchini lengthwise, and with a spoon drain the face.
Mix all the fillings well into a soft and pleasant to work with, and fill each half of the zucchini with the filling so that a small mound of the filling is formed.
Flour the stuffed zucchini halves, and fry them slightly on each side in a pan.
In a large pot, fry the onion until soft.
Place the zucchini boats on top and sprinkle the peas, garlic, grated tomato and spices on top.
Pour water up to half the height of the zucchini, bring to a boil, lower the flame and cook for an hour.
Cabbage leaves stuffed with meat, burgundy and zest
Cabbage leaves stuffed with meat, burgul and zarshak, Photo: Assaf Carla
Materials:
1 large peace cabbage
1 cup beef stock (or water)
To fill:
1/2 kg of minced meat
1 chopped onion
1/2 cup rice
A handful of zest (possibly cranberries)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon Bhart
1 teaspoon black pepper
A handful of chopped parsley
Cook the cabbage whole in a pot with hot water for an hour, with the lid closed.
At the end of cooking, let the cabbage cool in the water, leaving the lid closed.
While the cabbage is cooling, mix all the fillings well, and when the cabbage has cooled, carefully disassemble the leaves (leaf after leaf, and try to maintain their integrity).
Line a leaf mold so that they protrude slightly from the sides (leaving residue for closing), sprinkle over the filling and then another layer of leaves, again filling and again cabbage, until you reach the height of the mold.
Cover with a top layer of cabbage, close everything with the leftover cabbage leaves we left from the first layer, and sprinkle some of the filling spices over the cabbage.
Pour the cup of beef stock or water over everything, seal the pan with foil and place in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for an hour and a half.
In the last ten minutes in the oven, remove the foil, until browned.
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