Vegetarian Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Lebanese Garlic Sauce

Makhloutah (Mixed Pulses Soup)

March 14, 2010 in Soups, Vegan, Vegetarian | Permalink

The name of the soup derives from the verb khalata which means, mix things together. In this instance, it refers to the mixing of different pulses or beans together to produce an earthy nourishing soup, great for vegans. The amount given in this recipe is a suggestion, you can vary it according to your liking, you can even omit one of them if you don’t like it and increase the amount of the one you like or substitute it with lentils. Before mixing the beans, I tend to boil them separately because each type takes a different time to soften, especially haricot beans. Alternatively, you can speed up this recipe by using tinned beans, they work well.

The dried broad beans I use here are the Lebanese ones which I believe have more flavour than others. They have a brownish colour and tend to be plumper but smaller in size than the ones that are usually available in general supermarkets. Tinned broad beans (or Foul Medammas) are also available in Lebanese grocers.

Serves: 4 – 6

Ingredients:

75 g / 3oz chickpeas soaked overnight in water which is three times their volume, stir into that ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
75 g / 3 oz haricot beans soaked overnight in water with ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
75 g / 3 oz dried broad beans soaked overnight in water with ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2.25 litres / 4 pints stock made up from the juices of the beans and added water.
75 g / 3 oz green or brown lentils (optional)
20 g / ¾ oz rice
1 large or 2 medium onions thinly sliced
85 ml / 3 fl oz good brand olive oil
Salt to taste and freshly milled black pepper
1tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp allspice
30 g / 1oz fresh coriander chopped, you could also substitute it with parsley, chives or freshly chopped spring onions
Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle (optional)

Method:

Rinse chickpeas, haricot beans and broad beans then place in separate saucepans with three times their volume of water, add 1 tsp salt and bring to boil. Remove the scum, then cover and let them simmer until they begin to feel tender.
When they are ready, drain them but reserve the liquid in a measuring jug, you may need to top it up with water to make up the quantity required.
Heat up the oil in a deep saucepan (preferably non-stick), wide enough to mix all the ingredients, fry the onions for about three minutes, then add the three beans, sauté for a couple of minutes to give them a good coating, season. If you want lentils, you could add them to the mixture at this stage, do likewise if using tinned beans. Pour in the stock (or water if using tinned beans) and bring to the boil then reduce the heat, cover and let the whole mixture simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, the beans should be really soft, otherwise cook for longer.
Next, stir in the rice, check again whether you need topping up with hot water. Give the whole thing a good stir, simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the rice is cooked, taste again and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Serve hot with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, scatter generously with chopped coriander or parsley or any herbs of your choice. Delicious with freshly baked crusty bread!

Yakhnet Bazella maa Jazar (Fresh Peas and Carrot stew)

February 17, 2010 in Main Courses, Meat Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian | Permalink

It is one of my favourite dishes for the sweetness of fresh peas and carrots mixed with the juices from the meat and flavoured with orange peel, gives this wintery dish a distinguished taste. If you can’t find fresh peas, substitute with frozen ones. The other good thing is that this dish works well for vegetarians and vegans, simply, omit the meat and for more flavour add garlic. This dish is usually served with plain rice, another tip is that it shouldn’t come out too ‘saucy’, the amount of water I recommend is fine, however, if using tinned tomatoes which tend to be more watery, reduce the amount.

If you are interested to know more about peas and carrots, here are 2 suggested websites:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=55

http://www.great-workout.com/nutrition/vegetables/carrot-nutrition-facts.cfm

Serves 4

Ingredients.

1tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion finely chopped
300g / 11oz lean lamb meat cut into small cubes
300g / 11oz carrots peeled and diced into small cubes
4 cloves of garlic peeled and smashed (optional)
Peel of 1 small orange
150ml / 5fl oz water (or vegetable stock if omitting meat)
450g / 1lb fresh ripe tomatoes skinned or the equivalent of tinned chopped tomatoes,
Seasoning: salt to taste, freshly milled black pepper plus ½ tsp ground allspice
500g / 1lb 2oz fresh or frozen peas

Method.

To skin the fresh tomatoes, simply drop them in boiling water, leave them for one minute for the large ones, and 30 seconds for the smaller ones, then remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate, to cool slightly. Slip off the skin and chop.

Heat up the oil in a deep medium sized pan. Stir fry the chopped onion for 1 minute then add meat, season with and cook until it is lightly browned. Mix in the carrots, garlic if using, orange peel and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. After that, add chopped tomatoes followed by the water or vegetable stock (if omitting the meat), and bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, after which you mix in the peas. If you are cooking frozen peas, you may need to increase the heat to boiling point before dropping them in. Simmer for another 15 minutes or until the peas are cooked. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Discard orange peel and serve hot with plain rice.

Falafel (Bean Patties)

January 28, 2010 in Starters, Vegan, Vegetarian | Permalink

Falafel is eaten throughout the Middle East usually wrapped in bread as a sandwich. It makes an ideal meal for vegetarians and vegans, it can also be served as a starter. The main ingredients are dried broad beans and chickpeas, the rest can be varied to suit your taste, for instance, if you don’t like coriander, you could substitute it with parsley or if you like your Falafel spicier you could add chillies. In the end, we will be looking for is a tasty mixture that binds well when you shape it.

Makes about 23 patties

Ingredients

150g skinless dried split broad beans soaked overnight in water.
100g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in water.
1 medium onion peeled.
4 cloves of garlic peeled and smashed to a paste.
30g fresh coriander, rough stalks discarded, washed and dried.
20 g fresh parsley, rough stalks discarded, washed and dried.
3 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda.
Lemon juice if the mixture is too dry.

Seasoning

Salt to taste.
1 tsp ground black pepper.
2 generous tsp cumin
1tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ginger
1tsp chilli flakes (optional)

To serve

Lebanese bread, allow 1 bread per person.
Mixture of sliced radishes, chopped parsley, tomatoes, lettuce, and pickled turnips.
Tahini sauce (See recipe in Sauces)

Method

Soak broad beans and chickpeas separately in water, leave it for several hours, ideally overnight.
When you are ready to cook, rinse the broad beans, drain then rub them on a tea towel to dry. Do the same with the chickpeas.
Cut the onion into quarters, then whizz in the food processor until fine.
Now, tip in broad beans, chickpeas, along with the rest of the ingredients adding 1tsp bicarbonate of soda. Process until you reach a mixture that binds together firmly. What you’ll be looking for is that the consistency shouldn’t be too coarse or too smooth. Taste and adjust taste if necessary, then cover and leave it to rest for an hour.
If it is too moist, which is very unlikely add 1tbsp of flour. If it is dry add 1tbsp lemon juice. To test it, take a small amount with your hand, if you can bind it together, it is ready, if not add more lemon juice or water until the consistency seems right to you.
To shape the falafel, you can use Falafel mould which is widely available. Or you can use the ice cream scoop. Take a small amount of the mixture, and fill the mould or the ice cream scoop, try to give the falafel the shape of a dome. Place each shaped falafel on a plate, continue likewise with the rest until the mixture is finished. Let the falafel patties rest while heating the oil.
Heat the oil to about 190 C, if you like sesame seeds, roll out each patty in the sesame seeds before dropping it into the hot oil, do likewise with the rest. Deep fry for about 3 minutes turning them once or twice until they reach a deep golden brown colour. Drain on a kitchen paper, keep warm.
To serve: Open up the bread, leaving the other half attached, put the patties creating one row in the middle, top it with the salad of your choice then toss with the tahini sauce, flip the other half of the bread, roll it up, wrap the bottom side with paper parchment (to catch the excess juice) and enjoy. Alternatively, serve the falafel on a plate with a little salad, bread and sauce on the side.
Falafel freeze well. Defrost before use and warm in a preheated oven 180 for about 4-5minutes.
You can also freeze the mixture uncooked but you don’t add the bicarbonate, until you’re ready to use.

O’wwamat (Lebanese Doughnuts)

January 5, 2010 in Desserts, Festive Dishes, Vegetarian | Permalink

Although Owwamat or Lebanese Doughnuts are available all year round, it is traditional for the Christians in Lebanon to eat them on 6 January to commemorate Jesus’ baptism, the Feast of Epiphany. As a child, I used to compare Owwamat to ping-pong balls because their rounded shape looked so perfect, it is not easy to achieve that at home, however the home-made ones are much tastier than the ones sold in shops.

There are also other fritters served on this occasion such as M’shabbak where confectioners pride themselves in displaying these colourful laced discs, Ma’croon and Zellabiya, the latter is rarely found in patisseries, it is usually homemade more specifically by countrywomen. These fritters are best served hot and fresh, they won’t keep well for long.

Makes about 16 doughnuts

Ingredients

150 g / 5 oz plain flour
¼ tsp yeast
A generous pinch of salt
65 ml / 2 ½ fl oz plain yoghurt
About 150 ml / 5 fl oz tepid water
1 quantity of Sugar Syrup/ Ater (See recipe)
Enough vegetable oil to deep fry

Method

Sift the flour into a Pyrex or non-metallic bowl, stir in yeast and salt, then mix in the yoghurt. Mix well all the ingredients adding gradually the tepid water, to achieve a smooth batter that has a dropping consistency. Cover and set aside in a warmish place for roughly one hour after which the batter should rise a little with some bubbling on the surface. Meanwhile, prepare the sugar syrup.
When the batter is ready, heat up the oil until it is hot, (you can test it by dropping a tiny amount of batter, if it floats and the oil is bubbling, it means it is the right temperature). Lightly grease a dessert spoon with oil and take a spoonful of batter then drop it into the hot oil, do as many as you can fit easily in the deep fryer. Fry the doughnuts, turning them until they look fluffy and reach a golden colour on all sides, this should take about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent kitchen papers, before dipping them into the syrup, swirl the doughnuts around for a minute or so then transfer into a serving dish, do likewise with the remaining batches. This is how it is usually done, however, I prefer not to dip the doughnuts into the syrup, I like them fluffy with a bit of crispiness, I simply let people add the amount of syrup they like.
Serve while they are warm.

NB: Home-made doughnuts do not keep well for the next day.

Ameh Masslou’ (Boiled Wheat)

December 2, 2009 in Festive Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian | Permalink

Probably each country has its own folk stories that symbolise a tradition they have carried over centuries and sometimes across continents, like Halloween. While the West celebrates Halloween on 31st October, we, Lebanese and the Levant have our own that we call Eid el Barbara, the feast of Saint Barbara on the 4^th December. Venerated by the Church, Barbara is traditionally the patron saint of artillerymen, armourers and those who fear lightning. She lived in Asia Minor in the 3^rd century AD and was beheaded by her wealthy father Dioscorus for rejecting paganism and converting to Christianity. If you want to read more about Saint Barbara, here are 2 useful websites.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Barbara

www.saintbarbara.org/about/frp_stbarb.cfm

Despite its religious root, the celebration of Saint Barbara has become more of a Halloween-like occasion. Children are allowed to disguise themselves and have fun playing tricks or scaring others. A bowl of boiled wheat is served to mark the occasion.

There are different versions explaining what has become a legend to tell the children on that day. One of them is that when the young Barbara confessed her new faith to her father, he decided to bring her before the Roman prefect of the town. In an attempt to avoid capture, she disguised herself as a poor woman and fled through the fields. She reached a hut where shepherds gathered eating boiled wheat, tired and hungry, Barbara accepted their invitation. However, one of them recognised her, he informed the Romans and eventually she met her fate.

Eating wheat on its own may sound plain, especially when we consider that perhaps, the root of the recipe goes back to the 3^rd Century AD. Although, this dish has retained its essence, other simple ingredients are added to simply create a warm tasty dish that anyone can enjoy, especially on a cold spooky night.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

300 g / 11 oz wheat (some cooks use pearl barley, though it does not taste the same)
1½ litre / 2½ pints water
1 tbsp anise seeds wrapped in a muslin linen
Bowl of sugar to sweeten (optional)
75 g / 3 oz raisins
Orange blossom and Rose water
60 g / 2 ½ oz of each pine nuts, walnuts, and blanched almonds.

Method

Put the wheat, aniseeds in a medium saucepan, cover with the water and bring to boil using medium to high setting. Boil for about 10 minutes, remove scum then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 40 minutes or until the wheat grain is soft to eat but not dry. It should be left enough of its own juice to serve it with.
Discard the anise seeds and serve the wheat hot with a little juice in small bowls, sprinkle few drops of each orange blossom and rose water. If you like to sweeten it, sugar should be mixed at this stage so it dilutes better. Divide the raisins and nuts equally and serve at once.

Salatit Shmandar (Beetroot Salad)

November 29, 2009 in Salads, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian | Permalink

This is a simple salad that works well as a side dish or as a starter, the beetroot itself, especially when it is freshly boiled, has a full sweetish flavour that is fulfilling, with no fat content. It has many other benefits, for example, it is a rich source of fibres and carbohydrates. In fact the pigment that gives the beetroot its red colour, possesses antioxidant properties which can help to fight some diseases. If you can, try to buy small bunches that have small tender leaves, because the leaves are also edible, in addition, they provide iron, foliate and beta-carotene.

At home, we used to combine vinegar with olive oil to make the dressing. In this recipe, I substituted the vinegar with the balsamic one and added a ½ tsp of sugar.

If you like to know more about beetroot, here are two useful websites:

http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/benefits-of-beetroot-851827.html http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/benefits-of-beetroot-851827.html

http://www.elements4health.com/the-bloody-beet.html

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 small bunches of beetroot with leaves
A pinch of salt

For the dressing

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp sugar (optional)

Method

Cut off the beetroot leaves, discarding any that are discoloured or tough, then wash thoroughly, drain excess water and dry.

Wash beetroots then transfer to a pan, wide enough to fit them, cover with plenty of water, add a pinch of salt and boil for about 30 minutes or until tender.

Once cooked, peel off the skin in a bowl of cool water, placing them as you finish on the cutting board. Slice the way you like, I normally quarter them, tip in a large salad bowl, then thinly shred the leaves. Add to the beetroot.

Whisk thoroughly all the dressing ingredients and mix well with the beetroot mixture. Serve at once.

NB. If you think that the leaves are not as tender as you would like them to be, and you still want to add them to the beetroot, this is my suggestion: heat up about 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan, add the leaves as whole tossing frequently until they have just wilted. Divide between four serving plates and top with the dressed beetroot.

Kibbet La’teen (Pumpkin Kibbeh)

September 22, 2009 in Main Courses, Vegan, Vegetarian | Permalink

Do pumpkins symbolise Autumn? Every time I look at the different colourful varieties, I visualise the glorious changing colours of leaves in Autumn. I also think of Halloween and associated traditional Western dishes, such as pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup and so forth but there is one which you may not have heard of and that is Pumpkin Kibbeh.

Kibbet La’teen or Pumpkin Kibbeh is one of the multiple variety of vegetarian Lebanese kibbeh. It is in fact suitable for both vegetarians and vegans as well as meat eaters for the mingling of flavours makes it quite tempting. Another advantage is that it keeps and freezes well. Although, it is called pumpkin kibbeh, I normally go for butternut squash because it is part of the pumpkin family and it is easy to handle.

However, if you prefer pumpkins, go for the smaller ones because they retain more intense flavours. For both pumpkins and squash, always choose those with smooth, unblemished flesh, when you hold one, it should feel firm and heavy.

Here are 2 websites which you might find useful:

http://home.howstuffworks.com/pumpkins3.htm

http://www.kew.org/plants/cucurbits/index.html

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

For the filling:

50 g / 2 oz chickpeas soaked overnight in 3x times their volume of water, add ¼ tsp of bicarbonate of soda, alternatively, you could use the same amount of tinned chickpeas
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 medium onions thinly sliced
35 g/ 1¼ oz shelled walnuts broken into chunky pieces
35 g/ 1¼ oz pine nuts
1 tbsp of pomegranate syrup

For the kibbeh

550 g / 1¼ lb pumpkin or butternut squash (skin on)
1 medium onion finely chopped
225 g / 8 oz fine burghul
50 g / 2 oz plain flour

Seasoning:

Salt and freshly milled black pepper
½ tsp ground allspice
½tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Utensils: you need also a deep baking dish rectangle one measuring 20 x 30 cm and 5cm deep ( 8 x12 x 2 inches), or any shape that has the same approximate surface area.

Method

For the kibbeh

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F.
Wash the pumpkin or butternut squash. The easiest way to cook pumpkin is to cut it in half, remove seeds put the halves in a lightly greased baking tray, drizzle over some olive oil, season with nutmeg, cover with aluminium foil and pop it in the oven for roughly 50 minutes (it depends on the size). It is cooked when you can easily run the fork through.
While the pumpkin or butternut squash is baking, rinse thoroughly and squeeze dry the burghul. Finely chop the onion and season it with salt and pepper.
When it becomes easy to handle, scoop out the flesh of the cooked pumpkin or butternut squash and put it in a large mixing bowl. Mash it with a fork and season with a little pepper.
Add the onions, burghul and flour to the pumpkin or butternut squash and mix everything with your hands until you obtain a dough-like consistency, it should hold together so you could spread it easily, if necessary, add more burghul. Taste and adjust if needed. Let it rest in the fridge while preparing the filling.

For the filling

Wash the soaked chickpeas and transfer to a pan, add fresh water and ½ tsp salt. Using a high heat setting, bring to the boil and remove any scum, then reduce the setting to a medium heat, cover and keep checking once or twice if needed toping with hot water. It takes about 45 minutes to cook, afterwards leave it on the side to cool. You can do that well ahead of time, even a day or two before cooking the whole dish.
Using a medium setting, heat up the oil in a large frying pan then add onions and fry until golden.
Drain chickpeas and stir them into the mixture for another 3 minutes.

Add pine nuts and walnuts to the onions-chickpeas mixture and cook for further 3 minutes.
Season with salt and freshly milled black pepper, allspice, ground nutmeg and cinnamon, taste and adjust if necessary.
Finish off by stirring in the pomegranate syrup, mix thoroughly, switch off the heat. Let it cool.

Assembling

Prepare a small bowl of iced water to dip your hands in if necessary.

Grease generously the baking dish with olive oil and divide the kibbeh dough in halves. Take the first half and divide it into 4 balls. Spread them within an equal distance from each other in the baking dish. Flatten each ball to about ½ cm / ¼ inch thickness, so at the end it is one piece that covers the bottom of the baking dish. If your hands become sticky, dip them in the water and smooth the dough, so in the end you have one uniform piece that covers the bottom of the baking dish. Now spread the filling all over.

For the top part. Divide as before the remaining half. Now because you need to cover the filling, it becomes a little trickier. Dampen your hands in the iced water, take one ball at a time and flatten it between your palms to the same thickness as before and lay it on top of the filling. If it is a rectangular or square baking dish, start from one corner, repeat the same process with all of them until you cover the filling including the edges. Again, smooth it together so it is uniform.

Cover and chill in the fridge for ½ an hour before cutting it into squares, then make a hole in the middle of the baking dish. Drizzle the top with 1 tbsp of olive oil.

Bake in a pre-heated oven 190°C / 375°F for 30-35 minutes. The top should be golden.

Serve hot or cold with any lemony salad such as rocket, cabbage or simply Tabbouleh (See recipe in Salads)

Salatit Batinjan (Aubergine or Eggplant Salad)

July 24, 2009 in Salads, Starters, Vegan, Vegetarian | Permalink

When it comes to aubergines or eggplants, Lebanese cuisine does not restrict itself to the famous Baba Ghannouge or Moutabbal, we do several dishes ranging from salads to main courses, with or without meat. This one is a healthy salad starter for the summer. The addition of fresh tomatoes, spring onions and fresh mint to the grilled aubergines, makes this dish colourful and tasty. You can prepare the aubergines ahead of time and keep in the fridge until you are ready to eat.

There are different varieties of aubergines that come in different sizes, shapes and colours like purple (most commonly available in the Western supermarkets), green, or white, there are even orange varieties. You can read more on the subject and look at photos of the different varieties by visiting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggplant

http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?dbid=22&tname=foodspice

For this salad, you need large plump aubergines (purple) because they are meatier and grill better. As for the herbs, go for fresh ones if you can, they give a better taste and you can vary: fresh parsley or basil for example make a good alternative to the mint I use for this recipe.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

2 large aubergines or eggplants about 1½ kg / 3¼ lb
300 g / 11 oz tomatoes washed
3 spring onions trimmed and washed, alternatively use one medium red onion
Leaves of 3 sprigs of fresh mint, rinsed and patted dry on kitchen paper
The seeds of half of a sour pomegranate or 1 tsp paprika.

Dressing

2 or 3 fat cloves of garlic peeled.
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt & freshly milled black pepper

You also need a large shallow baking tray, lined with aluminium foil to catch the juices later, and prevent them from sticking directly onto the baking tray.

Method

Pre-heat the grill to a medium to high setting.
Wash the aubergines as they are (you do not need to remove the stems) and pat dry the skin with kitchen paper. Laying the aubergines on the baking tray, make four evenly spaced longitudinal cuts to stop them from bursting during cooking.
Grill the aubergines for 40 minutes turning them every 10 minutes to cook all sides thoroughly. You should end up with a black charred skin with soft inside and some of their juices coming out. Let it cool down slightly so it is easy to handle.
Split each aubergine in half lengthways, remove the soft flesh and lay it in the salad dish. If you have too much excess juice, use a kitchen paper to absorb it because it can affect the taste. You can stop at this stage, if you are not eating immediately, cover the salad dish with cling film and pop it in the fridge.
When you are ready to serve, smash the garlic until smooth, then mix in all the dressing ingredients, season and adjust taste.
Chop finely tomatoes and spring onions, roughly shred the mint leaves, then scatter the whole lot over the prepared aubergines. Do likewise with the pomegranate seeds
Drizzle the dressing all over the aubergine mixture and serve at once with warmed Lebanese bread.

Maacaroni Bil-Laban (Spaghetti Cooked with Yoghurt)

June 25, 2009 in Main Courses, Vegetarian | Permalink

The addition of yoghurt gives this dish a kick of freshness, which is so appealing at the end of a hot summer day. We usually use spaghetti, though it is called macaroni in Lebanon. My mother preferred to cook with any left-over cooked plain spaghetti (few hours or one day old), she said that it better absorbs the mingling flavours of garlic and coriander, so this is another advantage if you have any left-overs.

Serves 4.

Ingredients.

400g / 14 oz dried spaghetti or the same amount of cooked left-over spaghetti
1 head of garlic, cloves peeled and crushed
3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
450g / 1 lb plain yoghurt, you could use either: full or half fat

Method.

If you are using dried spaghetti, cook according to manufacturer’s instructions then drain well. If using cooked old spaghetti, go straight to step 2.
A few minutes before the finishing cooking time, heat up the oil in a large deep saucepan and sauté the crushed garlic with 1 tbsp coriander for 1 or 2 minutes. Tip in the cooked spaghetti and toss together well, cook for about 3 minutes making sure that the spaghetti and garlic mixture are well combined, add the remaining coriander and mix well.
Finally, mix in the yoghurt and serve at once.

M’dardara (Lentils cooked with Rice)

May 20, 2009 in Side Dishes, Starters, Vegan, Vegetarian | Permalink

Traditionally, this dish is cooked with white short grain rice, but I put a twist on it and used wild rice. The nutty flavour of the wild rice simmering with the lentils makes a delicious combination. Either way, it’s a winner because it is versatile, you could have it as a starter, light lunch, or as a healthy vegan main course accompanied with bread salad (fattoush), you could also add it to the repertoire of your mezza dishes.

Wilde rice takes longer to cook than white rice, about 40 minutes, that is why I cook it with the lentils. If you choose to use white rice, then add it 15 minutes before the finishing cooking time of the lentils.

Serves 4

Ingredients.

150 g / 5 oz green lentils.
125 g / 4¾ oz wild rice or 75 g / 3 oz white rice.
750 ml / 1¼ pints water.
100 ml / 3½ fl oz extra virgin olive oil.
4 medium onions thinly sliced.
Seasoning: Salt & freshly milled black pepper + ½ tsp allspice.

Method.

1. Tip lentils & wild rice into a medium-large sized pan. Cover with water and add a pinch of salt. Using a high heat, bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and let it simmer for 40 minutes or a little over, checking occasionally to check if it needs toping up with hot water.
2. Meanwhile, heat up the oil in a large frying pan and add the onions. Fry stirring from time to time, until the onions reach a dark brown colour but not burnt. Remove half of the onions with a slotted spoon, and spread them on a kitchen paper, so they lose the excess fat and become crispy.
3. At that stage the lentils-rice mixture should be cooked. The grains should feel tender and the water is absorbed, it should be moist but not dry, season. Stir in the remaining onions with their oil, cook for 1 minute. Switch off the heat, remove the lid and cover with a tea towel, let it stand for 5 – 7minutes, before dishing out.
4. Sprinkle the crispy onions on top and serve with bread salad, cabbage salad, or pickled turnips. My favourite is my mother’s sauce: Lemon & Garlic Sauce, see recipe below.

Vegetarian

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