Pleasantly tangy beet leaves, left over perhaps from a batch ofborscht, serve as wrappers for meat rolls in this Russian recipe. Youget the most from your beets (closely related to Swiss chard) when youuser their leaves sas well as the fleshy root. Mischa’s StuffedBeet Leaves About 25 medium to large beet leaves, each 4 to 5 incheslong from tip to start of stem Boiling water 1 pound ground lean beef 1medium-size onion, chopped 1 cup cocked white or brown rice, or bulgur 1tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill or 1-1/2 teaspoons dill weed 3 cupsregular-strength chicken broth 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed 1teaspoon lemon juice Unflavored yogurt or sour cream Cut off and discard stems from beet leaves.
Rinse leaves well,then pour boiling water over them to cover. Let stand until limp, 3 to5 minutes. Drain well. Combine beef, onion, rice, and dill. Shape meat into about 25cylinders, each about 1-1/2 inches long and 3/4 inch in diameter. Placeeach cylinder on the stem end of a beet leaf. Fold stem end of leafover meat, fold in sides, and roll or enclose. Arrange, seam side downand side by side, in a 12-inch frying pan.
Add broth, garlic, and lemonjuice. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, rduce heat, and simmeruntil meat is no longer pink in the center (cut to test), about 20minutes. With a slotted spoon, lift stuffed leaves to a platter. Reservebroth for soup if desired. Offer yogurt to spoon onto individualportions. Make 4 to 6 servings.
