Stuffed grape leaves and zucchini (Lebanon)
Nadia and her children
Nadia’s childhood was spent between Lebanon and Sierra Leone. Her parents immigrated to the West African country to escape the ongoing conflict in the South of Lebanon, and it’s where Nadia was born. At 2 years old, she was sent to live with her grandparents who had remained in Lebanon, in order to learn Arabic. “There were 6 of us between my siblings and I and then there were my 5 cousins. We were brought up together, 11 children.”
When they were old enough, they were all sent to boarding school. Her first memories of Ramadan were there, waking up for Suhoor in the middle of the night with all her friends.
Nadia holding her baby sister in Sierra Leone
The outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975 forced her to return to Sierra Leone, where she continued her education before eventually moving to London and then back to Lebanon to complete her architectural studies. There she met her husband, a fellow architect.
“When I got married, I didn't know how to cook because I never grew up near my mother to learn from her...so I learned how to cook from my mother-in-law and over time, added my own touches”. She’s also established her Ramadan rituals. “You should always have soup on the table and dates to break your fast”.
Ramadan to her is not just about empathy with the poor, “It’s about being moral in everything you do. Helping others in every way.”
After 35 years working for the Lebanese government as an architect and raising her family, Nadia is now embarking on a new chapter. “ I decided to go back to school to follow my passion for art and improve my skills , learn the techniques, and how to critique art. I am really excited and happy to be creating art”.
Below, Nadia shares her recipe, improved over the years, for stuffed grape leaves and zucchini. you can also find her recipe for tabbouleh here.
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Stuffed grape leaves and zucchini
Ingredients (for 4 servings)
2 dozen grape leaves
8 small zucchini cored
5 small cinnamon barks
3-4 bay leaves
1 dried black lime
4-5 whole cloves
4 cardamon pods
5 garlic cloves
4 tbs tomato paste
6 tbs dried mint
3 lemons, juiced
For the stuffing:
1 cup of short grain white rice
2 lbs of ground beef
1 tsp 7 spices
2 tsp salt
1/2 vegetable oil
For the broth:
1-2 pieces of lamb meat with bone (for the broth)
7 Spice mix
1 cinnamon bark
salt as needed
Nadia picking grape leaves from her garden
Directions
1) Pick your fresh grape leaves (or buy them in a jar)- Nadia picks them from her garden and puts them in a plastic bag that she squeezes out of air before freezing them until needed.
2) Fill a pot with water and add the lamb meat bone, 7 spices and 1 cinnamon bark - cook for 15min in a pressure cooker.
3) Meanwhile, in a bowl mix the uncooked rice and beef, with the oil, spices, and salt, until combined.
4) Spoon about 1 tbsp of stuffing onto each leaf and carefully fold and roll it up.
5) Tie the rolled grape leaves in groups of 8-10 to ensure they don’t open up during cooking
6) Stuff zucchini leaving about 3/4 of the way to leave room for the rice to expand
7) Fill your zucchini and grape leaves with the raw meat and uncooked rice
8) In a large pot, carefully place the zucchini and grape leaves and add the water used to cook the lamb - this will add more flavor.
9) Add all thee remaining ingredients (bay leaves, black lime, cloves, cinnamon, cardamon, garlic, tomato paste, dried mint, and lemon juice).
10) Heat on high. Once it starts boiling, lower the hear, cover, and cook for 50min.
11) When ready, remove the vegetables from the soup so that they don’t break open.
12) Serve the stuffed grapes and zucchini with the soup.
Beauty tip from Nadia: “When I’m done with the squeezed lemons, I cut it up and rub it on my face and hands. It’s good to prevent wrinkles and keep out the age spots!”
