Malfouf Mahshi

A whole cabbage is boiled, the leaves peeled off one by one, the thick rib cut away and each leaf cut into strips. Rice, mince and clarified butter go inside, and the roll is turned as thin as a finger. The pot is packed tight, with whole garlic cloves pushed between the layers and scattered on top. The water is sharpened with lemon, and dried mint goes over it by the handful. It cooks slowly with a plate weighing the rolls down.

Why it belongs to winter

Cabbage is a cold-weather vegetable, and only then is the leaf pliable enough to roll this thin. Summer leaves stiffen and the rolls come apart. The smell gives the season away as well: garlic and mint carry out to the stairwell, and a building knows who is rolling cabbage today.

How it differs from yabrak and mahshi

Yabrak is rolled in vine leaves, and its meatless version turns up cold in olive oil as a mezze. Malfouf is always hot and always a pot dish. Mahshi is not rolled at all: courgettes, aubergines and peppers are hollowed out and filled. The three can share a filling, but they hold different places at the table.

Where to eat it

At home, and at the lunchtime places that cook from a pot. It rarely reaches a tourist menu, because it takes a long morning to prepare and is awkward to sell by portion. Plain yoghurt and pickles come with it. One plate is filling; few people ask for a second.