RFCJ RECIPE ARCHIVE
Posted by : Karen Selwyn Melons Stuffed w/Fruits & Vegetables - pareve
Zion Levi and Hani Agabria, authors of THE YEMENITE COOKCOOK, report that the earliest documentation of stuffed fruits and vegetables are of Turkish dolma, which were served at the sultan's opulent banquets during the Ottoman Empire. While they originated as court cuisine, they rapidly became famility specialties because they featured fruits and vegetables permitting costly meat to be stretched to feed more people. In Yemenite cuisine, stuffed fruits and vegetables are called "memulah," the Hebrew word meaning filled. This is one of three Yemenite vegetarian stuffed recipes appropriate for Sukkot. Karen Selwyn * * * * * * * * Melons Stuffed with Fruits and Vegetables 3 small melons (cantaloupe is a good choice) For stuffing: 1/3 cup oil 2 cups thinly sliced carrots 2 tablespoons seedless raisins 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 cup chopped green apple 1 cup chopped green onion, green only 1/2 cup grated lemon rind (See note) 3 cups cooked rice For topping: 1 tablespoon oil 2 tablespoons pine nuts Cut each melon in half and remove and discard the seeds. Scoop out the fruit and reserve. Heat the stuffing measure of oil in a saute pan. Add the carrots and raisins. Saute together until the carrots are soft. Add the salt, pepper, apple, green onion, and lemon rind. Continue cooking until the apples are soft. Remove from heat and cool. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Combine sauteed mixture with the cooked rice and stuff the melons. Chop up 2 cups of the reserved melon and arrange on top of the stuffing. Place the stuffed melons in a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small saute pan and brown the pine nuts, being careful not to let them burn. Sprinkle on top of the baked melons. Serve. Note: Lemon rind in the list of ingredients confuses me. Every time I have seen a part of the lemon rind used, it is always the zest. I have always been led to believe that the white part of the rind is bitter. This recipe is calling for the whole lemon rind and lots of it. I think I would begin cautiously and use 1-2 tablespoons of the zest only when making this recipe for the first time. If a reader has any experience cooking with grated lemon rind and would care to offer some advice, I'd be delighted to hear from you. Source: THE YEMENITE COOKBOOK Zion Levi and Hani Agabria
