If you’re anything like me, it would be the joy of your days to be in the wilds surrounded by nature. One can’t think of being away from nature would create a sense of anxiety that is only cured by total immersion.
This is one of the little things that one finds out about himself gradually as days go by. One goes from despising the idea of camping out there in the wild exposed to wild animals and insects to despising the idea of being in the middle of the concrete jungle exposed to wild humans and insects.
Whatever you do in the mountains feels purposeful. Sometimes you go for a walk in the neighborhood and that feels rewarding, sometimes it’s watering the garden, other times it’s the time take to remove the weeds, or climb up and pick the produce and pluck out the good ones. It feels that whatever you do is rewarding in a sense. Nature is rewarding and with some more time and patience, those rewards get more valuable.
It takes time. Good things come to those who wait. And I say good things come to those who persevere as well. It takes time, and like good things thst take time to accomplish, it gets hard to let go. Prepare the filling, lay the wrapper out, fill it and roll, and stuff in a jar. Fill with out and wait. Wait. Wait for around 3 weeks. Good things come to those who wait I said.
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Pickled Stuffed Vine Leaves
Makes Around 3 jars
Ingredients
- Around 200-250g fresh green vine leaves
- 500g Goat Labneh
- 1 medium ball Shanklish
- Fresh herbs (optional)
- Good quality Virgin Olive oil
Procedure
- Wash and dry the vine leaves.
If you’ll be picking your own vine leaves, read the note at the bottom
- In a bowl, mix the labneh and your favorite herb, for example zaatar or fresh thyme. Alternatively, you can add the herbs in the jar with the olive oil for flavor
- Crumble the shanklish in another bowl and set aside
- Lay the leaves out on a flat surface, shiny side down, add half a teaspoon of the filling in the middle, horizontally annd fold the shaggy edges inwards. Fold the bottom over the filling pushing the filling downwards and roll tightly and carefully to avoid tearing the leaf
- Set the rolled leaves aside and repeat the process until the labneh is done.
- Repeat the same process with the crumbled shanklish
- Start packing the rolled leaves in the jars as tightly as possible and insert the herbs in there. Use the handle of a spoon if needed to push leaves to one side while pushing in another. I figured that a shorter jar is easier to pack leaves in, but feel free to play around
- When all the leaves are packed tightly, pour the olive oil over to the neck of the jar making sure to cover the leaves entirely, then gently tap on the counter to release trapped air bubbles. Leave on the counter for a day and add more olive oil if needed then seal tightly and leave to cure for around 3 weeks
- After 3 weeks, open the jar carefully and taste. The rolled leaves should have softened and the creamy filling should burst in flavor. Seal and wait more if they’re still tough
- Make sure the leaves are always covered in oil after you consume some of the leaves. The oil acts as a barrier against mold by preventing air to go inside. Don’t worry, the oil can be used again
NOTE: If you’re picking your own leaves, try to get unsprayed leaves. Go for the medium-sized leaves and the ones with minimal zigzags going inwards. The more rounder the leaves are, the better they are for rolling becasue they have more surface area
Cook in Five Square Meters 
Being away from mother nature I know that I am way more anxious and stressed than I used to be . Too bad i live in the city .. But I know that my life will lead me back into nature someday . I try to get close to nature by making cherry jam , apple vinegar and tomato sauce !
Hope you are doing good
Lara xx
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Yes. Nature is a true healer.
I sound a bit like Mariam Nour 😂
Yalla go get yourself some produce and make preserves
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Hahaaa ma hek ? 😀 I remember our neighbours talking about her latest product … ” ate3 l chahiye 3a bezer la2tin” ..
Making melon jam tomorrow for the first time , so excited !!
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Wow. That’s awesome. Never heard of it and never tried it. Not a fan of melons
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My 81 year old neighbour told me that melon jam with a touch of ginger is a must 🙂
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Soooo thrilled to have stumbled across your blog today. I bought some flatbread and Halva on Amazon and they sent me a message saying I might also enjoy your Lebanese cookbook. I’ve got it in my cart! I am very sorry your beautiful country must struggle for justice, peace and happiness.
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Thank you so much for your message. I hope you enjoy cooking from the book and i hope my country gets better soon and I’d be able to show it off more and more ❤️
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