- 4
Ingredients
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 8 ounces), split
- 1 1/2 cups cooked white rice
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons, plus 2 teaspoons pitted and chopped imported black olives
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced very small
- 2 ribs celery, diced very small
- 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
- 6 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 12 large romaine lettuce leaves
- 4 scallions, green part only, leaves separated and halved or quartered if large
- Roasted-lemon-and-garlic steaming liquid
Preparation
Step 1
Place the chicken in a food processor and process until chicken forms a smooth paste. Scrape it into a medium-size mixing bowl and stir in the rice, thyme, olives, red pepper, celery, parsley, garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper.
Steam the lettuce leaves and the scallions over the lemon garlic liquid just until wilted; this will only take a few seconds. Remove the steaming liquid from the heat. Cut the tapered ends off of the lettuce leaves, leaving a large circle of leaf. Cut out the heavy center stems and overlap the lettuce where the stems were.
Place a scant 3 tablespoons of the filling in the center of each leaf. Lift the lettuce up around the filling and tie each one with a scallion leaf; they should look like little drawstring bags.
Place the bundles in a steamer, cover and steam over the liquid for 15 minutes. Divide among 4 plates and serve immediately.
Roasted-Lemon-and-Garlic Steaming Liquid
2 small heads garlic, smashed
2 lemons, cut across into 1/8-inch slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
3 cups water
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the garlic on a large sheet of aluminum foil and surround with the lemon slices. Drizzle with the olive oil. Wrap the foil into a package and roast until the garlic is soft, about 1 hour.
Place the garlic, lemon slices and accumulated juices into the desired steaming equipment with the bay leaf, peppercorns and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 minute. Begin steaming. Add boiling water if too much of the liquid evaporates before cooking is complete.
YIELD About 3 1/2 cups