Last week, during our cool, rainy spell, I was in search of winter comfort food.

The garden, of course, was producing summer food.

We compromised.

As I mentioned in my post on Mushroom Stuffed Chard, I was inspired by Taste of Beirut.

Chard leaves are a little more delicate than cabbage leaves – the only other leaves I've stuffed.

I made a firm stuffing, thinking it would be easier to work with….

I was right.

In the past I've used cooked ingredients.  For this I used raw rice and uncooked sausage.

I formed it into small logs to make it easier to roll up.

I planted Rainbow Chard, so most of it has narrow stems, rather than the thick, wide stems common here in France.

If the stems were thick, I cut them out, overlapping the leaves to make a proper bundle.

I chopped up the stems and added them to the sauce.

I made lots of small bundles, 20 – 25, and layered then into a deep skillet, just large enough to hold them easily.  I covered them with chicken stock, knowing the rice would be absorbing a lot.

The sauce is yellow tomatoes, red onions and chopped chard stems.

Chard Leaves stuffed with Rice and Sausage

10oz (300gr) sausage
1.2 cup Basmati rice
3 tbs crumbled feta
2 tbs dry-cured Greek olives
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
20 – 25 chard leaves
2 cups chicken stock
1 red onion, chopped
2 large, tomatoes, peeled, roughly chopped
1 tbs olive oil

Mix all sausage, rice, cumin, chili powder and oregano, thoroughly.  Add feta, olives, mix lightly.  Form into 1" balls, then each ball into a fat log.
Blanch chard leaves for 30 seconds, remove and rinse cool water. Cut off all stems, cut out any thick stems, chop and set aside.
Place logs on leaves and roll into bundles. Place in a deep skillet and add 2 cups chicken stock.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Sauce: Sauté red onion and chard stems in oil until onion is tended.  Add tomatoes and simmer 15 minutes.  Keep warm until needed.
To serve:  Spread tomatoes on platter, top with Chard Leaves.

I'll definitely by making these again, even in hot weather…. my favorite chard recipe to date.