Stuffed Collard Greens

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The recipe below is another of Martha Rose Shulman’s from her collection at nytimes.com/cooking with a few modifications. I prepared the stuffed leaves a day before I planned to cook them and did the “simmering” in the oven. Much easier, I think, than doing them stove-top.

• 1 large bunch of collard greens, stems removed
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, diced
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. sugar
• ¾ cup rice (I like brown or mixed grain)
• 2 Tbs. lightly toasted pine nuts
• 1 14oz can tomatoes, chopped with juice
• 2 Tbs raisins or currents
• ¾ tsp cinnamon
• ¾ tsp all spice
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 ¼ cups water
• ½ cup feta cheese (optional)
• 2 Tbs chopped fresh mint
• ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
• juice of one lemon
• 1 lemon thinly sliced

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you carefully remove the stems from the collards. Blanch the leaves in the hot water for 2 minutes and transfer to ice water bath. Drain and set aside
2. Heat 2 Tbs oil in a large, lidded skillet and add onion. Saute until tender, about 5 min. Add garlic, salt and sugar and cook about a minute. Add the rice and pine nuts. Stir until everything is coated with oil. Add tomatoes and spices and then add water. Cover and simmer until all water has been absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat covered and allow to sit for 10 min. Add mint and dill.
3. Place leaves one at a time on clean work surface. Place a small scoop of filling in the center of the leaf. Sprinkle with feta cheese (if using) and roll up, tucking in sides as you go. Place seam side down in a glass baking dish so that the rolls snuggly touch one another. When finished, drizzle rolls with olive oil. Cover leaves with lemon slices and drizzle with lemon juice and water.
4. Cover dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes in preheated oven, 350 degrees. Serve warm or cold.