Ukrainian beet leaf rolls, stuffed with cornmeal and dill.
1 large bunch of beets with leaves
1 cup cornmeal
3 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup onion (1/2 medium), chopped
1 Tablespoon oil
1 Tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
Sour cream (omit to make Vegan)
Remove leaves from beets, saving beets and stems for another use. Dip each leaf into boiling water 3-5 minutes to clean and soften, or cook stacked wet leaves covered with a lid in the microwave about 2 minutes. Spread on a platter.
Bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Stir cornmeal and salt into remaining 1 cup of cold water. Stir mixture into boiling water. Stir constantly until thickened. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, sauté onions in oil until soft and lightly browned. Mix onions and dill into cornmeal. Place about 2 tablespoons cornmeal mixture (depending on size of leaves) at the wide end of a beet leaf. Roll up (no need to tuck in sides) and place in a buttered or oiled casserole. The casserole should be shallow and just big enough to hold the rolls in 2 layers. Spread any extra beet leaves on top and cover casserole tightly with a lid or foil.
Bake in a 350 F oven for 30 minutes. Serve immediately with sour cream (or omit for Vegan).
OPTIONAL, but much easier: Layer like lasagna and bake as above.