Stuffed Swiss chard

Step 1

Soak the short grain rice in water half an hour before

Step 2

Finely chop the parsley, tomatoes, mint and onions. Add to a bowl

Step 3

Add the rice, salt, 7 spice, tomato concentrate, olive oil and the juice of 1 lemon to the bowl and stir well

Step 4

Wash and separate the swiss chard leaves, then blanche in a pot of boiling water for no more than five minutes. Stack onto a plate to cool

Step 5

Prepare your work area with one tray to roll the chard leaves beside the stuffing and cooking pot

Step 6

Lay out one swiss chard leaf on the tray and remove the thickest part of the stem. If the leaf is very large you can split it into two longways

Step 7

Add 1-2 tablespoons of stuffing near the base of the chard leaf. Bring the leaves in from the side and roll upwards firmly. Adjust the mixture amount depending on the size of the leaf

Step 8

Stack the rolled chard leaves neatly in the pot in layers If you have too much liquid in the mixture drain some onto the stacked leaves using a fine sieve

Step 9

Leave around 10cm clear at the top of the pot as the chard leaves will expand when cooked

Step 10

When you finish stacking the pot, add half a tablespoon each of salt and 7 spice to 1 cup of water to cover

Step 11

Press down the chard leaves with a sturdy plate or lid one size smaller than your pot. Pour on the brine and turn the heat on to medium high

Step 12

After 15 minutes, reduce the heat to low and remove the plate/lid. Taste the brine that has come to the surface and adjust the salt/lemon levels as necessary. Cook for another 45 minutes on the lowest heat setting.

Step 13

Taste one chard roll before you turn the heat off to make sure the rice is cooked properly