Millet Bowl With Stuffed Grape Leaves And Yogurt Hummus Sauce Food

MEAT-STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES WITH YOGURT SAUCE (ADAPTED FROM NANCY HARMON JENKINS THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET COOKBOOK)

Steps:

• In a large saucepan of boiling water scald 36 grape leaves in batches. Use a slotted spoon to remove leaves, then plunge them into a bowl of ice-water. When cool enough to handle, cut off stems. Pat leaves dry and place shiny-side down on paper towels while you prepare filling.
• In a skillet, heat onion and oil over medium heat, stirring, until tender. Spoon onion and oil into a small bowl. In same skillet cook lamb, breaking apart clumps with a fork, until lamb is no longer pink. Pour lamb into a sieve to drain fat. In skillet combine lamb, onion and rice. Stir to coat rice with juices. Add tomatoes and 1/4 cup of the stock and cook 10 minutes, or until rice has absorbed liquids. Stir in allspice, herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and let sit 10 minutes.
• In center of grape leaf place 1 teaspoon of lamb mixture and fold sides over; roll up into a tight cylinder. Repeat with remaining leaves. In bottom of a large casserole, arrange 2 layers of stuffed leaves and sprinkle with lemon juice. Pour remaining broth over stuffed leaves to cover. (Add more water if necessary.) Top with a weighted heat-proof plate to submerge stuffed leaves. Bring casserole to a simmer over medium heat, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 35 minutes, or until rice is tender. Serve stuffed grape leaves hot with a spoonful of Yogurt sauce.
• Yogurt Sauce: In a cheesecloth-lined sieve set over a bowl let 1 1/2 cups yogurt drain overnight, refrigerated. Chop 2 garlic cloves with salt to taste until it forms a paste. In a small bowl, combine yogurt and garlic paste, stirring well to mix. Yield: About 1 cup.;

YOGURT-HUMMUS DIP

Steps:

• Whisk together the yogurt, hummus, lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt and hot sauce. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

20-MINUTE SHRIMP AND COUSCOUS WITH YOGURT-HUMMUS SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler to high. Combine the couscous, apricots and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a bowl. Add 1 1/4 cups very hot water, cover with plastic wrap and let sit until all of the water is absorbed and the couscous is tender, about 5 minutes.
• Stir together the yogurt, hummus, mint and 1 to 2 tablespoons water in another bowl. Season with salt and set aside.
• Toss the shrimp, tomatoes, the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and paprika together. Spread out on a baking sheet and broil until the shrimp is opaque and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Drizzle with the lemon juice.
• Fluff the couscous with a fork. Divide the shrimp and couscous among 4 plates. Scrape any of the drippings from the baking sheet into the yogurt-hummus sauce. Serve the shrimp and couscous with the sauce.

TURKISH HUMMUS WITH YOGURT

Steps:

• Drain the soaked chickpeas and place in a pot with 1 quart of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 1 hour. Add salt to taste and continue to simmer for another hour, or until chickpeas are thoroughly tender. Remove from the heat. Drain but retain about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. You should have 2 cups cooked chickpeas.
• Turn on a food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop in the garlic. When the garlic is chopped and adhering to the sides of the bowl, stop the food processor and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the chickpeas, salt and cumin, and turn on the machine for about 30 seconds. Stop the machine, scrape down the sides, and start the machine again. With the machine running, add the lemon juice, olive oil and yogurt, and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust salt. Thin out as desired with cooking broth from the chickpeas, or with more yogurt. Transfer to a wide bowl, and garnish if desired. Serve with warm pita bread.