There’s a whole head of garlic up in these cyber pages. By now you should be able to smell it through the screen. I know. You have boys to kiss. Important business meetings and no Altoids. You don’t have time to smell like garlic. But indulge me for a moment, please. We’ve eaten a whole head of garlic on this Adventure before, as with our Lebanese garlic sauce Toum, but this time our garlic is making friends with lentils and Swiss chard. They bubble and steam up together, considerably mellowing out the flavor. To round out the flavor, there’s a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a splash of pomegranate syrup, and a pile of cilantro. (To my cilantro haters: don’t worry, the offending leaves get waaay cooked down. If you can eat Salsa, you can eat these lentils). The result is a lovely warm lentil side dish or dip (best enjoyed with homemade pita bread). I even like it cold, with salad. And it’s definitely better the next day, although you might want to “refresh …
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If we can’t open our hearts to the “weird” things in life, we’re not living fully. The girl who wears rain boots in the snow. The man that studies a bustling ant hill for an hour. The child that dips her scrambled eggs in molasses (Ava did this yesterday). These people all have one thing in common: they see the world through a different lens. Their world has no limitations. Wouldn’t it be glorious if a salad could change how you see the world? If one bite could take away all your preconceived notions and open your mind to the new, the exciting, and – let’s just be honest – the weird? Today we’re going beyond watery diner salads, sporting browning lettuce, one measly crouton, a white-washed tomato, and a solitary red onion ring. (Thank goodness) Instead we’re loading our chopsticks with fresh, spicy ginger, salty fish sauce, fried lentils and chickpeas, chickpea flour, peanuts cabbage… and… and… so much happy goodness. This is a bouquet of flavor that sounds more … quirky.. than it really is. This Burmese salad is extremely …
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Serves 6 Generosity. When people give it freely you feel loved. Taken care of. Your spirit smiles from the inside out. Your day is instantly better. It’s one of the most splendid qualities a person can have. In Jordan, as in many of the region’s countries, generosity to strangers is an honored mealtime practice. In times of plenty, the best part of the meal goes to the stranger. Even in poverty the last crumb goes to the hungry stranger. Today we explore Mujaddara – a splendid vegan dish that will fill a large platter and then some. Perfect for practicing generosity. Sometimes made with bulgur and sometimes with rice, Mujaddara is always made with lentils and caramelized onions. Get ready for fantastic twist on pilaf. Recipe inspired by the post at HabeasBrulee.com Ingredients: Garnish: 4 extra-large onions, sliced in half moons 1/2 cup olive oil pine nuts & raisins (optional) For the pilaf: 2 cups lentils 1 cup bulgur 5 cups water salt pepper Method: Let’s make a loving gift from a simple meal. In the spirit of …
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Serves 4 Let’s thank Eritrea for this giant, vegan bowl of deliciousness – a happy mixture of spicy lentils, offset by sweet carrots and tomatoes. The heat comes from berberé, the regional spice blend that should be added with a heavy hand. You know, for authenticity purposes. And lots of sweating. Edited to add: One of our readers posted a great tip in the comments section of our Ethiopian menu which also applies to Eritrean cooking: When I watch Ethiopian cooks in Ethiopia they chop up red onion very tiny (I use a food processor and stop short of pulverizing as it helps it cook down faster) and then dry cook it in the pan — no oil. They dry cook it stirring constantly until it turns almost into a paste — imagine the consistency of a good roux. It takes a lot of onion to get the right amount of this paste. Then add the oil/lentils, sauce stuff, etc. The onion paste is actually the thickener for the wat — if you don’t do …
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Serves 6 In Egypt, there are entire restaurants devoted soley to the production of Kushary. Giant vats are filled with the necessary ingredients and kept warm over low heat. With each order, a quick-moving server walks their ladle through the vats, filling the customer’s bowl up to the brim with pasta, rice, lentils, spicy tomato sauce, and fried onions. While it is difficult to reproduce this type of assembly at home, it is possible to layer all the ingredients in a casserole and keep warm. This is how we’ve approached this mega popular Egyptian dish. NOTE: If it seems a bit overwhelming, think about breaking this recipe up over a few days (make the pasta and sauce one day, the rice and lentils anther day…) just keep everything refrigerated until you’re ready to assemble. Ingredients: 1 cup dry macaroni 1/4 lb angel hair pasta, broken into 1-2″ pieces 1/8 cup olive oil 1 1/2 cups long grain rice 1/2 cup dry lentils Garnish: 1-2 onions, sliced thinly and pan-fried in olive oil 1 batch Spicy Egyptian …
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