What the malfouf?
When I first started dating my wife, I was super picky. When things got serious enough that I was invited to a family party, I was warned in advance that I might not be familiar with the food that was there. I was way outside of my comfort zone and ended up eating nothing but pita bread. Oh, how times have changed. Now when we have family dinners and parties, I’ll often be one of the first people to ask if there are going to be any of the Lebanese dishes that I was once too picky to eat.
One of my absolute favorites is called malfouf. Traditionally, the dish is meat and rice rolled in cabbage or grape leaves, but we tend to opt for the more casserole-like version.
Two specific things to note.
- Once you have meat spiced with cinnamon, you’ll wonder why you’ve never tried it.
- This is one of those dishes where the left overs are better (I promise).
The below recipe is provided courtesy of my wife and are her words!