beet leaf bundles

Directions

1. preheat oven to 350 prepare quinoa as per pkg direction. we might have used vegetable broth but really dont recall for sure. set aside to cool seperate the beets from the leaves and set the stems aside. so three piles - beets, leaves and then the stems
2. steam stems ...add water to the stems in a container micro safe and long enough to accomodate the stems. steam just long enough so the stems will bend easy without breaking...but not mushy or overdone
3. while quinoa is cooling (we used a rice cooker and used a little less liquid than pkg directions) chop onions and add them to lrg bowl with quinoa. add garlic and spices panko and egg and the cooked bacon chopped up. mix everything up the only ingredients remaining should be the sprigs of dill, cream, leaves, stems...and the mixture should reek of garlic
4. before the bundles are assembled open some wine and pour big glasses for the group of assemblers
5. you will need a glass lasagna pan or cake pan with high sides ....the largest one you have
6. either use an ice cream scoop a cookie scoop or a tablespoon for the filling to transfer to the leaves. whatever works depending on size of the leaves. but do not make large bundles..about two bites size give or take
7. spead out the leaf (some will need to be cut to a manageable size) on a cutting board and place about 1/4 cup og mixture in the middle of the leaf and fold the corners in then place a stem flat next to the bundle...transfer the stuffed leaf folded side down on top of the middle of the stem and use stem to tie up the bundle. transfer this tied up bundle to glass pan. dont doddle this step must be done quickly so it stays intact. layer them up and pile the bundles in. there will prob be about 80-100 of them. compress them when you think theres enough. try to keep bundles from breaking. you will run out of stems before the leaves...dont worry they should all be compacted to ensure the bundles stay intact
8. pour cream generously over them and compress again keep adding cream so the bundles appear swimming in cream....very well coated. dont overfill pan as the creaam will just boil out all over your oven.
9. add the sprigs of dill over the bundles once the cream has been added and compress the whole thing down before covering with foil
10. this went in the oven when the turkey was done. with just one oven, when the bird was done it was deboned and the meat was put into one of those aluminum foil dispisable roaster pans.and then a container of turkey broth was poured over the meat,it was sealed up with sheet of foil and kept warm in the bbq out of the way on the patio..the moisted and best bird you will ever eat...just ensure the flame is low or only one burner is on if your bbq has multiple burners....after all the work it would be a shame to burn the turkey now at this late stage
11. the beet leaf bundles, were put into the oven for about an hour and the yam casserole was added to oven the loaded mashed and anything else on the menu. just cook the bundles first so they cook up while preparing everything else. you might want to put the glass container on a sheet pan to prevent oven mess and flare up
12. its time consuming but soooo worth it. this addition to our thanksgiving menu got raves and everyone was very depressed when it was all gone