This version with tamarind is from Aleppo. Serve hot or cold, as a first course or part of a buffet meal.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 22

　　4 very fat leeks

　　Salt and pepper

　　1 pound ground beef

　　1 teaspoon cinnamon

　　1/4 teaspoon allspice

　　1/3 cup vegetable oil

　　1 1/2 tablespoons tamarind paste (see page 46)

　　1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

　　

Step 1

Cut the hard green ends off the leeks, so that you have white cylinders about 6 inches long. With a sharp knife, make a slit very carefully along one side of each leek, through to the center but no farther. Boil the leeks in salted water till softened. Drain and cut a slice off the root end, freeing the layers from each other. You will have wide rectangular strips.

　　

Step 2

Season the ground meat with salt, pepper, cinnamon, and allspice and work to a soft paste with your hands. Put about 1 heaping tablespoon filling in a line along the larger side of a rectangle, leaving about 1 inch at each end, and roll up like a long thin cigar. Continue with all the leaves. When they get too narrow, put 2 together to make a roll.

　　

Step 3

Heat the oil in 2 large skillets. Put in the rolls, side by side, and sauté gently for a few minutes, until lightly colored all over, turning them over once. Dilute the tamarind paste and sugar in a little hot water and pour over the rolls. Add more water—enough to cover them.

　　

Step 4

Cook, covered, over very low heat for 1/2–3/4 hour. Remove the lids towards the end to reduce the sauce if necessary.

　　The New Book of Middle Eastern Food Copyright © 2000Knopf