4.10.14 ~ Curried Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Swiss Chard

Curried Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Swiss Chard
melissa clark, the new york times

A little bit of DIY for tonight. Reheat and just before serving, stir in cilantro, lime zest and juice. Spoon into a large, shallow serving dish. Garnish with almonds if desired and scallions.



2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded if desired, then minced
4 to 5 cups vegetable broth as needed
2 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into
1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 cups dried lentils
1 bay leaf
1 pound Swiss chard, center ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/3 cup finely chopped tamari almonds, for garnish (optional), available in health food stores
1/4 cup chopped scallions, for garnish.


1. In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, garam masala, curry powder and jalapeño. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

2. Stir in 4 cups broth, sweet potatoes, lentils and bay leaf. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, partially cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. (If lentils seem dry, add up to 1 cup stock, as needed.) Stir in chard and salt and pepper, and continue cooking until lentils are tender and chard is cooked, about 30 to 45 minutes total.

3. Just before serving, stir in cilantro, lime zest and juice. Spoon into a large, shallow serving dish. Garnish with almonds if desired and scallions.

Yield: 8 to 10 side-dish servings; 6 main-course servings.

4.3.14 ~ Carrot Soup with Cilantro and Chile

1.13.14 Easy Dinner - Pasta & Salad

Pasta:
BowTie Noodles
Chard, Tomatoes & Onion sautéed.
Oregano, Rosemary, Garlic & Infused Garlic.

Salad:
Spinach
Beets
Peppers
Goat Cheese

12.10.13 ~ Chermoula Eggplant with Bulgur and Yogurt

More from Jerusalem.

Chermoula Eggplant with Bulgur and Yogurt
Sami Tamimi and Yotam Ottolenghi

Eggplant + Bulgur + Yogurt (and maybe a little more olive oil and cilantro). Serve warm or room temp.
Backup noodles for kidlets.



“Jerusalem”
Chermoula Eggplant With Bulgur and Yogurt

Chermoula is a mixture of spices used in North African cooking, often to season fish. Here it’s rubbed over eggplant, which is then roasted and topped with a Middle Eastern salad of bulgur wheat and herbs, something like tabbouleh. “It’s a hybrid that could only happen in Jerusalem,” said Yotam Ottolenghi, an author of the new “Jerusalem” cookbook.
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 tablespoons finely chopped preserved lemon peel (available in stores)
2/3 cup olive oil, plus extra to finish
2 medium eggplants
1 cup fine bulgur
2/3 cup boiling water
1/3 cup golden raisins
3 1/2 tablespoons warm water
1/3 ounce (2 teaspoons) cilantro, chopped, plus extra to finish
1/3 ounce (2 teaspoons) mint, chopped
1/3 cup pitted green olives, halved
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
3 green onions, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
Salt
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. To make the chermoula, mix together in a small bowl the garlic, cumin, coriander, chili, paprika, preserved lemon, two-thirds of the olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. Score the flesh of each half with deep, diagonal crisscross cuts, making sure not to pierce the skin. Spoon the chermoula over each half, spreading it evenly, and place the eggplant halves on a baking sheet, cut side up. Put in the oven and roast for 40 minutes, or until the eggplants are completely soft.
4. Meanwhile, place the bulgur in a large bowl and cover with the boiling water.
5. Soak the raisins in the warm water. After 10 minutes, drain the raisins and add them to the bulgur, along with the remaining oil. Add the herbs, olives, almonds, green onions, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
6. Serve the eggplants warm or at room temperature. Place 1/2 eggplant, cut side up, on each individual plate. Spoon the bulgur on top, allowing some to fall from both sides. Spoon over some yogurt, sprinkle with cilantro and finish with a drizzle of oil.
Yield: 4 servings

12.5.13 ~ Back to the Blog

Here's trying again to post recipes for description and posterity. Tonight's dinner needs a little explanation, so here goes.

This meal is courtesy of  Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi as my hold number for their cookbook, Jerusalem, recently came up and I want to make the most of my 3 weeks. So here comes either a tasty dinner or a Mediterranean mishap. Recipes reprised courtesy of the internet.

Barley risotto with marinated feta -- books says "everybody loves this, especially the children." Wouldn't that be lovely!

Baby spinach salad with dates and almonds -- dressing is under the spinach. Add pita chips/almonds and toss it all up.

Butternut squash and tahini spread -- full disclosure, we made this for Thanksgiving. Since it's basically hummus all ingredients should be equally delicious a week later...but if not, feel free to skip (it's the lucky strike extra)






Barley Risotto with Marinated Feta
Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi
(Serves 4)
1 cup / 200 g pearl barley 2 Tbsp / 30 g unsalted butter 6 Tbsp / 90 ml olive oil (separated) 2 small celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch / 0.5 cm dice 2 small shallots, cut into 1/4-inch / 0.5 cm dice 4 cloves garlic, minced 4 thyme sprigs 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 1 bay leaf 4 strips lemon peel 1/4 tsp chile flakes one (14 oz / 400 g) can chopped tomatoes scant 3 cups / 700 ml vegetable stock 1 1/4 cups / 300 ml passata*** (sieved crushed tomatoes) 1 Tbsp caraway seeds 10 1/2 oz / 300 g feta cheese broken into roughly 3/4-inch / 2 cm pieces 1 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves salt and black pepper to taste
Rinse the pearl barley well under cold water and leave to drain.
Melt the butter and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a very large frying pan and cook the celery, shallots, and garlic over gentle heat for 5 minutes until soft. Add the barley, thyme, paprika, bay leaf, lemon peel, chile flakes, tomatoes, stock, passata, and salt. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a very gentle simmer and cook for 45 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure the risotto does not catch on the bottom of the pan. When ready, the barley should be tender and most of the liquid absorbed.
Meanwhile, toast the caraway seeds in a dry pan for a couple of minutes. Then lightly crush them so that some whole seeds remain. Add them to the feta with the remaining 4 tablespoons /60 ml olive oil and gently mix to combine.
Once the risotto is ready, check the seasoning and then divide it among four shallow bowls. Top each with the marinated feta, including the oil, and a sprinkling of oregano leaves.  

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Baby Spinach Salad with Dates and Almonds

1 tablespoon wine vinegar
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
3 1/2 ounces dates (100 grams), preferably Medjool, pitted and quartered lengthwise
Salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (30 grams)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 small pitas (about 3 1/2 ounces, or 100 grams), roughly torn into 1 1/2 -inch pieces
1/2 cup whole unsalted almonds (75 grams), coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons sumac
1/2 teaspoon chile flakes
5 to 6 ounces baby spinach leaves (150 grams)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Put vinegar, onion and dates in a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt and mix well with your hands. Leave to marinate for 20 minutes, then drain any residual vinegar and discard.
 

Meanwhile, heat butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add pita and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring all the time, until pita is golden. Add almonds and continue cooking until pita is crunchy and browned and almonds are toasted and fragrant, about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and mix in sumac, chile flakes and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside to cool.
 

When ready to serve, toss spinach leaves with pita mix in a large mixing bowl. Add dates and red onion, remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, the lemon juice and another pinch of salt. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.

 

4 to 6 servings 

 

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Butternut squash and tahini spread

1 very large butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks (net weight 970g)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
70g tahini paste
120g Greek yoghurt
2 small garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tsp mixed black and white sesame seeds (or just white, if you don't have black)
1½ tsp date syrup
2 tbsp chopped coriander

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Spread the squash out on a medium-sized baking tray, pour over the olive oil and sprinkle on the cinnamon and salt. Mix well, cover the tray tightly with tinfoil and roast for 70 minutes, stirring once during the cooking. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Transfer the cooled squash to the bowl of a food processor, along with the tahini, yoghurt and garlic. Roughly pulse so that everything is combined into a coarse paste – you don't want it too smooth (you can also do this by hand using a fork or masher).

To serve, spread the butternut in a wavy pattern over a flat plate and sprinkle with sesame seeds, a drizzle of syrup and finish with chopped coriander.

10.07.13 Supper Enchiladas, Fajita Veggies & Spanish Rice

Supper Enchiladas
Made these once before and we liked them here!

Fajita Veggies
These got a little burned... well, not all of them, but some of them. And there are fresh veggies in case the kiddos are more inclined to eat them fresh.

Spanish Rice
This is a bit of a disappointment. Doesn't taste as good as it could, but with additional cheese and maybe some cumin and cayenne, it'll be decent. It'd be good inside a burrito for leftovers! Maybe with a few of those burnt veggies :)

9.30.13 Baked pasta with broccoli rabe and chicken of the woods

That's right.  Chicken of the woods.  If you don't know what it is (we didn't) google it.  Bake the goodness at 350 for approx 30 minutes.  Also - make your own bruschetta.
Am feeling like this will be the week, Thomas'.  Cant wait to meet this new baby!

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/09/baked-pasta-with-broccoli-rabe-and-sausage/#more-10779