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Grains: Barley & Mint Stuffed Lettuce Leaves

Source of Recipe

LilJulie


List of Ingredients

24 lettuce leaves, thoroughly rinsed in cold water
2 1/2 cups cooked barley, drained but not rinsed, so it remains slightly sticky
1/3 cup very finely chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 T chopped fresh mint (or to taste)
2 T lemon juice (or to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper
Approximately 1 1/2 cups homemade vegetable stock or water


Recipe

Soak the lettuce leaves in a bowl with cold water to cover for 30 minutes, changing the water 2 or 3 times. Cook the barley, drain it, and cool it, but do not rinse. You want the barley to be a little sticky. Combine the barley, onion, garlic, mint, lemon juice, and pepper in a mixing bowl and mix well. Correct the seasoning, adding lemon juice to taste: the mixture should be highly seasoned.

Rinse the lettuce leaves in a colander. Blanch the leaves, a few at a time, in a shallow pan of boiling water for 1 minute. Drain the leaves in a colander, rinse with cold water, and let cool. Blot dry. Lay a lettuce leaf on your work surface, place a heaping tablespoon of filling in a row along the bottom third of the leaf. Roll up the leaf to form a tight cylinder, folding in the side flaps halfway up, as you would to form an egg roll or a blintz. The idea is to form a compact roll about 3 inches / 7.5 cm long and 1 inch / 2.5 cm thick.

Assemble the remaining leaves the same way. The lettuce leaves can be assembled several hours ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator. Place the stuffed lettuce leaves in a nonreactive baking dish with 1/2 inch / 1.3 cm vegetable stock or water. Cover the pan with foil. Bake the lettuce leaves for 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain off any extra cooking liquid before serving. Serve hot with dipping sauce below.
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To cook barley: Soak the barley in 4 cups cold water for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Drain the barley. Bring 4 quarts / 4 L water to a boil. Add the barley and boil, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until soft. Drain the barley well before serving.

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Dipping Sauce
1/2 small onion
1 clove garlic, minced
28 oz can NSA tomatoes
2T minced basil
1T minced flat-leaf parsley
freshly ground black pepper

Saute onion and garlic over medium-low heat until just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Puree the onion, garlic, and tomatoes with their juices in a food processor or blender until smooth. Strain the mixture through a strainer or sieve back into the saucepan (alternatively, the vegetables can be pursed through a vegetable mill). Simmer the sauce, uncovered, over medium-high heat until thick and well flavored, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the basil, the parsley, and pepper to taste. Simmer for 2 minutes and serve. Makes a little less than 2 cups.