pantry permitting

Mmm-mmm Mujuddra

This recipe comes from my friend, ex-roommate and vegetablog author, Christine. I was inspired to make this recipe after chatting with one of my new mom friends about the fact that it makes great baby food.

Not the most photogenic of dishes but definitely a yummy, hearty and easy one. Mujuddra is a dish dish made of lentils and rice found in many different iterations around the middle east and Mediterranean. Christine used to make this when we were roommates and I was a vegetarian. Christine also taught me how to make my own hummos, recipe to be found on her blog.
........................

Christine's Mujuddra

Serves 4 as side dish, 2 as a meal. 20 minutes active time, 40 minutes cooking time.

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked lentils, rinsed and picked over (sometimes tiny pebbles get in there)
4 cups water
1 large chopped onion
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cumin (+/- depending on taste)
salt, pepper (note: if you are making as baby food, you may want to omit or limit spices)
1/2 cup uncooked rice

1) Put the water and lentils in a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, and boil 20 minutes.

2) In a skillet, saute the chopped onion in the oil while the lentils are cooking. They will need to cook down.

3) After the 20 minutes have passed, add the rice, onions, oil and seasonings to the lentils.

4) Cover the pot and cook 20 more minutes, stirring occasionally. (Note that the mixture has a tendency to stick to the bottom of the pan.) The rice should cook thoroughly, if the mixture seems dry or rice uncooked, you may add more water. The texture should be somewhere between porridge and mashed potatoes.

5) Serve with hummos, yogurt and pita bread. You may garnish with a drizzle of yogurt and a pinch of chopped herbs.

For baby food, you may wish to mash or put in a blender or add a bit of water for your child. Unblended mixture is quite soft, but use your judgment on whether your child is ready for its unblended or unmashed texture.

Roasted Tomato, Garlic and Chevre Frittata

Roasted Tomato, Garlic and Chevre Frittatata, originally uploaded by tikolish.

This is a a stripped down version of a recipe of the Brown Rice and Tomato Tart from the Essential Rice Cookbook. I find the original recipe delicious, just time too consuming for the everyday.

6 roma/plum tomatoes
6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 T. olive oil
1.75 oz chevre (goat's cheese)
1/4 cup milk
6 eggs
salt, pepper to taste
dried or fresh thyme

*************

1. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise.
2. Place tomatoes and whole unpeeled garlic cloves on baking sheet.
3. Cover with garlic oil, salt and pepper.
4. Roast tomatoes and garlic in oven for 30 minutes at 400º
5. Beat together eggs, milk, and salt.
6. Lightly cover 9 inch baking dish or quiche pan in olive oil, flour lightly as you would a cake.
7. Chop or divide up garlic in smaller pieces.
8. Once tomatoes and garlic have cooled slightly, add to baking dish, arrange tomatoes, garlic and chevre  in dish.
9. Add egg and milk mixture.
10. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes or when center forks come out clean.
11. When frittata is cooling, sprinkle dried thyme over the top.

Serve warm. Serves 4-6.

*************
Cooks notes: I often roast the tomatoes and garlic the night before if I am serving it for brunch the next day. Also, I may add some roasted baby carrots to the dish for variety.

Image: ©M. Brugos

Scallion and Avocado Fried Rice

Leftover takeout rice, scallions and avocados... too easy! This recipe was a happy accident that had delicious results. I would serve this again in a heartbeat with a light fish.

2 cups jasmine/white rice
1 small ripe but firm hass avocado, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
2 scallions
1/4 cup frozen (thawed) green peas
1 tsp vegetable oil
a few shakes soy sauce

In a separate bowl gently combine rice, peas, avocados, and scallions.
Heat oil in pan to sizzling.
Add rice mixture.
Stir occassionally, allowing for mixture to crisp up at sides.
Add a few dashes soy sauce before serving.

...............
Cooks Notes: Make sure that the avocado is not overripe or too soft. A soft avocado will start to fall apart while cooking.

Image: ©M. Brugos

Baked French Toast with Cardamom and Marmalade

This baked french toast recipe is always a big hit at our brunch parties. It's essentially a rich bread pudding with citrus syrup that you can make the night before, and bake the morning of. I make it with Challah, since we don't have egg bread, usually cut back on the cream a bit, and up the citrus to sugar ratio on the syrup. But, I suggest trying the recipe as is, because it is really good as-is.

The recipe is on epicurious.com. Link here.

I served this yesterday at the mother's day brunch I hosted at our house, with both grandmothers, an auntie and me (yeay, I am finally a mom!) I snapped this quick picture along with a few others to share (The recipe really is this gorgeous!). Hope to post the images of some of the other courses. It was a fun afternoon.

Image: Maja Brugos

Woman on the Verge of Gazpacho

Thusday I was at the Health/Vitamin store and totally lucked out to find some sale bags of organic veggies-- eight medium-small organic tomatoes and an organic red bell pepper for only $2.50! After an oddly cold spell last week, we are now in the midst of a heat wave here in the Bay Area. The weather was right, the tomatoes were ripe, and yes, as I clutched my sale bags of produce in the checkout line I knew then and there that I was on the verge of gazpacho, another one of my seasonal favorites.

I'd had gazpacho before visiting Spain, but I clearly remember my first glass at a café in Madrid in 1993. My friend Lauren and I sat down to take a break and write postcards on that hot autumn day. We ordered gazpacho, and perhaps some tapas. When the gazpacho came, I was surprised to see it arrive in a tall glass, rather than the bowl I was accustomed to. The color was also lighter than I had seen in the States, presumably because the Spanish recipe does not call for the addition of tomato juice. In any case, it was cool, delicious and refreshing as good gazpacho should be. I could not go back to the American version.

In the spirit of that afternoon in Madrid, I got out my blender at home Thursday evening. Fresh, ripe tomatoes are my favorite food, so I am a bit of purist when it comes to gazpacho. Here is my off the cuff recipe from that night:

8 small to medium sized organic tomatoes, peeled and seeded
1 red bell pepper, peeled and seeded
1/2 large cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 lemon, juiced
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 T olive olive oil
a couple dashes tobasco sauce (to taste)
salt, pepper to taste

Put it all in a blender. If necessary, blend in batches. If the mix is a little thick, you may add a bit of water. Refrigerate at least one hour, as immediately after blending the flavors may be too sharp to enjoy.

Notes:
Organic, local or home grown tomatoes have the most flavor. If you use conventionally grown super-market tomatoes you may need to add tomato juice/canned tomatoes to improve flavor.

Image © Maja Brugos 2006

Roast Chicken Dinner with Zucchini

I love this roast chicken dinner recipe from Gourmet Magazine, and made it for dinner tonight. I came across it last year and it is now in regular rotation. It is easy, simple and delicious. The lemon and chicken flavors the zucchini in a way that is both rich and fresh at the same time. This is also great to serve for a casual dinner with friends.

For something a little more special, I might try it with fingerling or yukon gold potatoes.

Here is the recipe from the epicurious.com website:

Makes 4 servings.
Active time: 15 min   Start to finish: 50 min

INGREDIENTS
1 (3- to 3 1/2-lb) chicken, quartered (see cooks' note, below) and wing tips discarded
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 teaspoons black pepper
1 lb boiling potatoes, cut into 1-inch wedges
2 zucchini (1 lb total), quartered lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 2 1/2- to 3-inch lengths
1 medium onion, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Special equipment:  a large roasting pan (17 by 12 inches)
Garnish:  lemon wedges

PREPARATION
Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 500°F.

Pat chicken dry, then toss with 1 tablespoon oil, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Arrange chicken, skin sides up, without pieces touching, in roasting pan, leaving a 2-inch border around edges of pan.

Toss potatoes, zucchini, and onion with remaining tablespoon oil, remaining teaspoon salt, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper in same bowl, then spread in 1 layer around chicken, arranging zucchini skin sides up. Stir together broth and lemon juice and pour into pan around chicken and vegetables.

Roast, uncovered, until chicken is pale golden and cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and preheat broiler. Broil chicken and vegetables 3 inches from heat until chicken is golden brown, about 6 minutes. Serve chicken and vegetables with pan juices.

Cooks' note:
If you don't want to quarter a whole chicken, you can buy precut chicken quarters.

Image by Maja Brugos.

Lentil Soup with Carmelized Onions, Carrots and Ginger

I made my lentil soup the other day. I know, it's totally the wrong time of year, but lentil soup is a year round standby for me. It's a staple at our house that I vary a number of ways. And the great thing is that you can nearly always pull together the ingredients. I was quite pleased with this photo, so I thought I would share it. I'll include the recipe soon, but since I make it by feel, I'll need to actually pay attention next time!

Image by Maja Brugos.