dock leaves

[demi]

we've just picked loads of dock leaves that are growing all over our land and sold them at the market.
people here use them like vine leaves, stuffing them with rice, or a meat and rice mixture. like for stuffed peppers or whatever.
i had no idea they were edible. i always thought they were just what you rub on when you get stung by nettles, which you can also eat ( i knew about that one ).

has anyone eaten dock leaves before?
i havent yet but im going to make some.
anyone got any good recipes for stuffed dock leaves?

[demi]

iv just been having a look online and it seems the leaves can be bitter.
apparently picking the leaves after it has rained when its cloudy and the ground it wet makes for less bitter leaves.
also boiling the leaves first for 10 minuets before you use them is supposed to help.

[chickenchargrill]

What variety are they? Some dock, especially broad leaf, just too bitter for me. I've heard curly dock is supposed to be quite nice when the leaves are young.

[demi]

not sure but they just look like the common ones, broad leaf.

[demi]

i picked some dock leaves today and made 'sarma' or stuffed dock leaves and it was delicious.
the leaves themselves didnt have much of a flavour but the were not in any way bitter.
its been cloudy and raining the past week or so and the ground is still damp which iv read is when your supposed to pick them so they're not bitter. i also blanches them for 15 min which is also supposed to reduce the bitterness and soften them so you can roll them up.
i made a mixture of dry rice, spring onions, garlic, finely chopped cooked chicken breast, finely chopped kulen ( kind of spicy smoked pepperoni ), a few glugs of pasatta just to coat everything, some crumbled feta-like cheese, oregano, parsley and lots of pepper.
i washed the leaves and trimmed off the central vein on each one and then blanched them for 15 min.
i then laied out the leaves with the side i trimmed facing up, and put a spoonful for the rice mixture onto the leaf at the widest part of the leaf. i then wrappedthe end round the rice and tucked in the ends then rolled it up to the other end, tucking the sides in.
i put all the sarmi into an oiled oven proof pan with a lid. covered them in chicken stock, pepper, oregano, parsley and a couple of broken up bay leaves. put the lid on and cooked in the oven at 200 degrees for about 40 min until the water was gone and the rice was cooked.
served with thick greek yoghurt and fresh crusty bread. yummm!

you should be able to see pictures here:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... =1&theater

[Zech]

Sounds delicious

I'm going to have to try that, though possibly with a simpler recipe for the filling - I'm just a simple soul

[welshmum]

sounds great. I may pinch your recipe and add alittle basil. The kids are hooked on it at the moment!