Link Love: Mike Geno on Cheese and Bacon

20 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by in Art, Link Love

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The New York Times ran an awesome piece on Mike Geno, a Philadelphia-based painter who’s current favorite subject is cheese (and bacon and other gorgeous meats, as well as Tastykake Butterscotch Krimpets)  Many painters have endeavored to paint a still life every day, the painting-a-day phenomenon that has remained popular for several years.  Geno’s painting’s remind me of those… they’re relatively small and inexpensive and many are available for sale on his website: http://mikegeno.com/.  Main difference here is that rather than painting bowls of flowers or random house objects, Geno’s main subject is cheese.  They’re mouth-watering-ly awesome to smile at.  I couldn’t help myself from craving them.

Mike Geno

Tartine’s Seeded Whole Grain Bread

18 Wednesday Apr 2012

Posted by in Breads and Baking

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I’ve never pretended to be a baker.  For one reason, I don’t have much of a sweet tooth.  Second reason is normally baking recipes serve an army: dozens of cookies, three layer cake, etc.  And with 2 people in my household, that’s too much for us.  Making bread, however, is different.  You can easily freeze extra loaves and/or slices.  With recent media featuring recipes from San Francisco’s Tartine and New York’s Jim Lahey, I couldn’t help but be inspired, and I felt that maybe, just maybe, I could try my hand at being a non-sweet, more savory baker.

This particular recipe comes from Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP, courtesy of Tartine baker and co-owner Chad Roberston.  I followed the instructions exactly for the poolish pre-ferment (packaged yeast) version–including weighing all measurements.  I did not have linen-lined baskets for the last rise, so I simply lined a few wide, short ceramic bowls with clean kitchen towels–worked just fine.  This bread was so amazingly good.  The crust was crisp and dark and the inside was perfectly moist and chewy.  No joking here… this bread tasted like it easily walked out of Balthazar or any other first class bakery in the city.  It felt refreshing knowing that something so healthy and void of preservatives could be so soul-warming and gratifying.  The full process started Friday night and ended Sunday afternoon, so I encourage you to have a weekend at home to take this on.  I had 3 loaves: 1 for me, and 2 meant for giveaway.  Yeah right.  One loaf was eaten in about 18 hours, and the other two froze beautifully and were eaten over the next 2 weeks.

Tartine’s Seeded Whole Grain Bread

from GOOP Newsletter

Yield: 2-3 loaves

Chad’s Note: This is a basic light whole grain dough made using a poolish style pre-ferment and a long rise. The seed mixture adds a certain flavor profile I like, but the plain whole grain dough, without the seeds added, makes a good basic light whole wheat bread. At Tartine, we use natural leaven to make this bread, and I’ve provided that option as well. You’ll find more detailed instructions on making and maintaining your own natural leaven in our new book, Tartine Bread.

Poolish Pre-ferment:

The overnight poolish pre-ferment is prepared a day ahead of the dough as the flavorful leaven. After the dough is mixed, it is fermented slowly overnight in the fridge to develop even more flavor.

  • 200 grams all-purpose flour: 100 grams white / 100 grams whole wheat (both all-purpose)
  • 200 grams water (70 deg ℉)
  • 1 gram active dry yeast

Prepare this pre-ferment the day before you will mix your dough. To make the poolish in a bowl, mix the flour, water, and yeast. Let stand at cool room temperature overnight (10-12 hours). If you are not ready to mix your dough after the 10-12 hours at room temperature, put the poolish in the fridge and use within 8 hours.

Natural Leaven:

If you’d like to make this dough with a natural leaven instead of a poolish pre-ferment, start by mixing together 1 cup of flour (half white, half whole wheat) in a small bowl with enough warm water to make a loose batter. Cover with cheesecloth and let sit at moderately warm room temperature (70-75 degrees ℉) for about 3 days. Uncover, and discard half of the mixture. Add another measure of your flour blend with additional water to refresh. Cover again and let sit for about 2 days. Repeat this process again—feeding once per day until the starter is rising and falling in a predictable manner. Once the starter has reached this stage, you can feed it at night before bedtime and use it to mix your dough in the morning. If using this natural starter to leaven your dough, decrease the amount to 200 grams (per kilo of flour total) and increase the water to 750 grams.

Dough:

  • 85 grams seed mixture: flax, poppy, and toasted sesame
  • 650 grams whole grain wheat flour
  • 350 grams sifted white wheat flour
  • 700 grams water (70 deg ℉) (750 grams if using natural leaven)
  • 400 grams poolish pre-ferment – recipe above (200 grams if using natural leaven)
  • 30 grams salt

At least one hour prior to mixing dough, soak the seed mixture with 85 grams of hot water to absorb water and cool to room temperature.

To mix the dough, add the water to a large bowl. Add the pre-ferment and stir to disperse. Add the blend of white and whole wheat flours. Using your hands, mix thoroughly until no bits of dry flour remain. Let the dough rest for 20 – 40 minutes.

After the rest, add the 30 grams of salt with the mixture of seeds and incorporate into the dough. Dipping your hands in water, continue to fold the dough on top of itself to develop the dough and dissolve the salt. You can add a splash of water to help dissolve the salt. Let the dough rise for about 3-4 hours at moderately warm room temperature (78 deg ℉) giving a dozen turns in the bowl every half-hour to continue to develop. After this initial (bulk) rise, you are ready to portion and weigh your dough into individual pieces for loaves and, after the final shaping, retard the rising for another day in the fridge to develop more flavor.

If you’d like to use the dough on the same day: portion into 2-3 pieces and shape into rounds. Place each round into a linen-lined basket and let rise at the same moderate warm room temperature for another 3-4 hours before baking.

If retarding the rising for another 12+ hours: cover and place in the fridge for up to 16 hours.

When you are ready to bake, pre-heat your oven along with a heavy Dutch oven and a tight-fitting lid to 500 deg ℉. Remove the loaves from the fridge. Carefully flip the loaf into the pre-heated Dutch oven. Place the lid on top to seal completely, and put back into the oven. Immediately turn the oven down to 470 deg ℉ and bake for about 20 minutes. Carefully remove the lid and bake out for another 20-25 minutes until deep golden brown. Remove bread to wire rack to cool.

If you’re baking multiple loaves, carefully wipe the Dutch oven clean with a dry kitchen towel and repeat the process beginning with pre-heating the oven.

Cacio e Pepe with Fresh Whole Wheat Fettuccine

04 Wednesday Apr 2012

Posted by in Main Dishes, Pasta

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Fresh pasta is one of my greatest pleasures in life.  So many of us are carb junkies, and pasta is my drug of choice.  As much as I love eating it, I always love making it.  This time around, I kept it simple.  On a recent weeknight, the craving hit hard.  I could have made something fancy, but I’ve been trying to challenge myself to cook with what I have on hand.  Living in the city, it’s so easy to run out for this or go pick up that.  But not this time–I created this dish with only what I had on hand.  I also didn’t want to be a slave to cooking for the night (it WAS a school night.)  Start to finish, this took about 2 hours.  The result was pure comfort.  I didn’t have to grocery shop for anything in this recipe, and with the whole wheat flour mixed in, I didn’t even feel guilty about eating it.  After all, a little butter and cheese never hurt anyone, right?

For all of you pasta lovers out there, I encourage you to try making pasta on a weeknight too.  I’ve made pasta the authentic way before… building a flour mountain on the counter top, digging a well, dropping the eggs and oil in the middle and slowly swirling the whole combo together until the dough comes together.  After a rest, I would then use a hand-crank pasta machine, or even, gasp, slice strands with a knife.  But that’s not me anymore.  Now I rely on my trusty food processor and stand mixer with pasta cutting attachment to do the work.  I assure you, both methods give the same result!  I even gave away my hand-crank pasta machine a few years ago.  Here are my must-have kitchen staples for making fresh pasta:

You could definitely add to this recipe as you wish.  Ramps are now starting to pop up in farmers markets on the east coast–they would be awesome in this.  Fresh corn or sliced parsnips would be lovely too.  Give it a shot!

Cacio e Pepe with Fresh Whole Wheat Fettuccine

Pasta serves 6-8.  Sauce serves 2 (double as necessary.)

Ingredients

Pasta

1 1/2 cups all purpose white flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

4 eggs

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

Water

Sauce

2 tbsp. salted butter

1/4 cup grated pecorino romano

1/4 cup grated parmesan

Fresh ground black pepper and salt to taste

Directions:

1.  Add the flour and salt to a food processor.  Pulse until mixed.  Add eggs and olive oil to the food processor and pulse until combined.  Drizzle in water, 1 tsp. at a time, just until a ball forms.  Remove ball from the food processor, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rest for 1 hour.

2.  Once rested, cut the dough into eighths, working 1/8 at a time.  When working with 1/8 of the dough, leave the rest covered so that it doesn’t dry out.  Set pasta machine to widest setting. Flatten 1 dough piece into rectangle; run through machine. Fold in half crosswise (end to end) and run through again. Continue, adjusting machine to narrower settings after every 2 passes and dusting with flour as needed to keep from sticking, until pasta sheet passes twice through the 2nd thinnest setting. Place sheet on lightly floured work surface; cover with plastic. Repeat with remaining pasta pieces.

3.  Once all of your sheets are made, run each through the fettuccine cutter.  If your sheets are more than a foot long, cut their length to your liking.  If you don’t have a fettuccine cutter, you can always cut with a knife.  Allow your cut fettuccine to dry on a drying rack until ready to be cooked.  Remember to keep each strand separate to avoid sticking.  If you don’t plan on cooking the pasta right away, once it’s dry, you can place in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze for 1 month.

Note: This pasta recipe feeds 6-8 people.  Since I was only cooking and saucing for 2, I boiled a third of the pasta and refrigerated the rest.  The saucing instructions that follow are to feed 2 people.

4.  Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, add the pasta and cook for approximately 3 minutes.  Once the pasta floats to the top, it’s usually ready.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining.

5.  While waiting for the water to boil, melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add a generous amount of black pepper (to your liking, of course.)  Cook the pepper for 1 minute.  Lower the heat to low until you add the pasta.

6.  Once the pasta is cooked and drained, add it directly to the saute pan with the butter and pepper and raise the heat back to medium.  Toss the pan to distribute the butter.  Add the two grated cheeses and toss again to start to melt the cheese. Stirring constantly, add the reserved cooking water, a splash at a time, until the cheese is really melty and a sauce emerges.  Taste for salt.  If needed, add some.  Serve hot.

Vegetarian Summer Rolls with Brown Sugar Tofu

09 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in Appetizers or Anytizers, Main Dishes, Vegetables

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Summer rolls are one of my favorite, healthy Asian restaurant options.  I usually see them prepared with shrimp, thin rice noodles, cilantro, cucumber, carrot, and lettuce.  I had a package of extra firm tofu in the fridge for a while and decided to experiment with it–thus vegetarian summer rolls were born.  These are incredibly healthy, low in fat, low in carbs, easy to make, and the best part… you can eat a lot of them.  While I really enjoyed my invention (recipe below,) I would encourage you to try any combination you like.

Vegetarian Summer Rolls with Brown Sugar Tofu

Servings vary based on spring roll wrapper size and how stuffed you like them.

Ingredients

1 package extra firm tofu

1 package of spring roll skins or wrappers

1 tbsp. granulated brown sugar

2 cloves garlic, minced and smashed

1 inch of peeled fresh ginger, grated on a microplane grater

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into matchsticks

1 large red bell pepper, sliced into matchsticks

4 scallions, thinly sliced

1 bunch of cilantro

1 package baby greens (or any small lettuce leaves)

optional sauces:

Mix peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar

Mix rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, sugar, thinly sliced thai chilis or red chili flakes

Mix soy sauce, sesame oil, mirin

Directions

  1. Remove tofu from package and gently squeeze to let out extra liquid.  Place tofu on a few paper towels, cover with a few more paper towels, and rest a heavy pan or brick on top.  Let rest for at least 10 minute to drain excess liquid.
  2. Slice drained tofu into ½ inch slices.  Then slice each slice into ¼ inch strips.  Whisk the brown sugar, garlic, garlic, soy sauce, and vegetable oil together in a medium size bowl.  If mixture is too thick or pasty, add a dash or two more of the soy sauce and/or vegetable oil.  Add the tofu strips to the mixture and toss around to coat evenly.
  3. Heat a frying pan to medium heat, spray with cooking spray or a trace amount of vegetable oil, and fry the tofu strips, turning frequently, until all sides are golden brown.  Once cooked, set tofu strips aside and allow to come to room temperature.
  4. Assemble the summer rolls: In wide bowl of warm water, dip each rice paper wrapper in the water, 2 seconds per side. Don’t soak for over that 4 seconds, even if the paper is still a bit hard, it will continue to absorb water as you assemble the summer roll. Place on a flat work surface and fold in half.  About one-third in from a side of the rice paper wrapper, layer a few small lettuce leaves, 3 tofu strips, 2 or 3 carrot and red pepper matchsticks, a sprinkle of scallions, and 2-3 sprigs of cilantro.  Now take the smaller third of the roll and fold it over the tofu and veggies.  Roll tightly until all comes together and the spring roll paper is sticking to itself.  Voila, that’s it!  Make lots of them and dip into sauces as you like.  These pack up great for work lunches too.

Apple and Cinnamon Brown Sugar Yogurt with Granola and Dried Cranberries

27 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by in Breakfast and Brunch

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When I tell you I eat this all of the time, I mean ALL of the time.  Like 5 times a week.  Every time I eat it, my body thanks me.  It’s easy and delicious to buy packaged yogurt with added sweetened fruit.  I’ve found from tirelessly reading yogurt nutritional labels that for a real protein boost with low sugar, my best bet is Fage 0% plain yogurt.  Mixing plain yogurt in a blender with frozen fruit and honey for a smoothie is delicious at home, but for going to work, it’s not practical.  This recipe is an even better alternative as you get so much more flavor and texture: creamy and tangy yogurt, crunchy granola, sweet sugar, chewy and sour cranberries, and tart and crisp apples.  It’s loaded with protein and fiber–a true power breakfast.  I like to make a batch on Sundays for the week, each day’s worth packed into individual containers so they’re ready to grab in the morning.

Apple and Cinnamon Brown Sugar Yogurt with Granola and Dried Cranberries

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 cup thick plain Greek yogurt (I prefer Fage 0%)

½ Granny Smith apple, sliced into matchsticks

2 tbsp. granola

1 tbsp. dried cranberries

1 tsp. brown sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Directions

In an individual-sized serving bowl (I use a cereal bowl), spoon ½ tsp. brown sugar and 1/8 tsp. cinnamon into the bottom.  Layer in the yogurt, followed by the apple matchsticks.  Sprinkle the remaining brown sugar and cinnamon on top.  Spoon the granola and cranberries over that.

Voila.  Ready to serve and enjoy.

Best Lentil Salad Ever

20 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by in Grains & Legumes, Salads

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Lentils are the stuff of good health.  Packed with protein and fiber (and many helpful vitamins,) many consider lentils to be a super food.  I love how versatile they can be–and this recipe is a great example of that.  I stumbled on this on a blog called My New Roots.  The spice blend is truly unexpected and extraordinary, and it takes the humble lentil to a new level.  A small warning: between the spices and the red onion, this salad packs some heat, so cut back if you feel you need to.  Nick and I love it just the way it is.  You could easily add lots of goodies to it, including more small-chopped vegetables, crumbly cheese, fresh herbs, or nuts.  I’ve prepared it simply here, without any add-ons except for a few small lettuce and arugula leaves.  I didn’t include two of the spices only because I didn’t have them on hand.  The dressing is still delightful.  I like to keep a bowl of the lentils in the fridge to have on hand to scoop into green salads or have as a snack.  There’s good reason the recipe is titled this way… it truly is the best lentil salad ever.

The Best Lentil Salad, Ever

recipe courtesy of: My New Roots
Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups (1 lb.) Du Puy lentils
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1/2 cup dried currants (you could also use raisins or other dried fruit–I used dried cranberries)
1/3 cup capers (I skipped these)

Vinaigrette:
1/3 cup cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. strong mustard
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
½ tsp ground cardamom (I skipped this)
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. ground cloves (I skipped this)
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

Optional add-ins:
Arugula
Walnuts or Pine Nuts
Feta or Goat Cheese
Fresh herbs: flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, basil
Chopped Red Pepper

Directions:
1. Rinse lentils well, drain. Place in a pot and cover with a 3-4 inches of water, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer. Check lentils for doneness after 15 minutes, but they should take about 20 minutes in total. You will know they are cooked if they still retain a slight tooth – al dente! Overcooking the lentils is the death of this dish. Be careful!
2. While the lentils are simmering, make the dressing by placing all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake vigorously to combine.
3. Finely dice red onion – the salad is best if all the ingredients are about the same size. If using raisins, chop them roughly to make them a bit smaller, and do the same with the capers if they are large.
4. When the lentils are cooked, remove from heat, drain and place under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled slightly but still a little warm, place lentils in a large serving bowl and toss with dressing. Add other onion, capers, and currants. If using other add-ins such as herbs, greens, or cheese, wait until just before serving. Otherwise, this salad can hang out in the fridge for a couple days.

Serves 6-8 as a side.

Spaghetti with Clams

14 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by in Main Dishes, Pasta, Seafood

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We all have our simple food pleasures.  Spaghetti with Clams can be found on virtually any Italian menu in the country.  Variations on the dish can be subtle but make all the difference.  Every year at Nick’s cousin’s Christmas Eve party, Spaghetti with Clams is served as part of the delicious buffet for 50+ people.  Every year I devour it.  Second, third helpings.  I discovered that the recipe is a well-kept family secret, and one that I’m not yet privy to. (Gerome family–this is my official BEG.  I’m begging!)  So I tried my best to recreate here for you.  If the family does bless me with the exact recipe, I’ll be sure to share it here.

Spaghetti with Clams

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried spaghetti, I like Barilla Plus for added nutrients and fiber
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 pounds of littleneck clams, well rinsed of sand and grit
  • 1 bottle of clam juice
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped, plus 1/4 cup chopped reserved
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • White pepper
  • Chili Flakes

Directions

1.  Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to a boil.  Cook pasta according to instructions.  You’ll want to prepare pasta to a perfect al dente, as it will continue cooking for a minute or two in the sauce.

2.  While the pot of water is coming to a boil, heat the olive oil and butter in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add the chopped garlic until just starting to brown.  Add the white wine and let simmer until some of the alcohol evaporates.  Add the bottle of clam juice, littleneck clams, cover and allow clams to steam until open.  Shake the pan a bit to help distribute the heat.  Clams should open in 6-10 minutes.  If any do not open, discard them.  Remove the lid and set the opened clams aside.

3.  Add the al dente pasta to the broth/garlic mixture in the saute pan.  Add the 1/2 cup chopped parsley, season with white pepper and chili flakes, and stir over medium heat until the broth mixture thickens and sticks to the pasta.  Add salt if needed but be careful as the clam juice may be heavily salted already.

4.  Distribute the pasta into 6 serving bowls and distribute the cooked clams accordingly.  Garnish with remaining fresh parsley.  Serve.

Broccoli Crunch Salad with Apple, Walnut, and Dried Cranberries

10 Friday Feb 2012

Posted by in Salads, Uncategorized, Vegetables

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I have been an admirer of 101 Cookbooks for years.  After reading a new post, I always walking away thinking “I should eat healthier.”  ”I should eat more vegetarian.”  ”Why don’t I make more recipes from this blog??”  I share Heidi’s passion for broccoli and was thrilled to stumble on this recipe.  I made a recent discovery of a product called PB2.  PB2 is essentially genius peanut butter.  The manufacturer presses peanuts under extreme pressure which releases the natural oils from the nuts.  They then bottle the pressed oil and sell it as well as the ground oil-free peanuts.  The ground peanuts are in powdered form in the jar when purchased.  You simply add a little water to the ground peanuts to make a paste–just like real peanut butter.  It’s truly delicious, and we’ve become addicted.  I decided to substitute PB2 for the peanut butter in the recipe here and was thrilled with the results.  I think you will be too.

Broccoli Crunch Recipe

courtesy of 101Cookbooks.com

The success of this salad hinges on the broccoli. Buy good-quality bright green broccoli with tight florets. Now that you have good broccoli, do your best not to overcook it – you don’t want it turning to mush.

4 -5 cups tiny broccoli florets (and chopped stalks if you like)

1 garlic clove, smashed and chopped

scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1/4 cup almond butter (substituted 1/4 cup PB2 powdered peanut butter)

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons hot water

2 small crisp apples, cut into bit-sized pieces (if you aren’t going to use the apples immediately, let them sit in a bowl of water with the juice of 1/2 a lemon)

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup toasted or candied walnuts or almonds

1/3 cup pan-fried crunchy shallots*

chives (optional)

dried cranberries (optional)

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and salt as you would pasta water. Boil the broccoli just long enough to take the raw edge of – 10 or 15 seconds. Drain and immerse it in cold water (or let cold water run over it). At this point, I like to spin the broccoli in a salad spinner to get the water off, but a few good knocks against the sink in a strainer can do the trick pretty well. Set aside.

Make the dressing by sprinkling the salt over the clove of garlic. Smash the clove and chop, smash and chop – turning it into a paste. In a small bowl whisk the salty garlic paste with the almond butter, lemon juice, honey and olive oil. Add the hot water and whisk until light and creamy. Taste, make any adjustments and set aside.

In a large bowl gently toss the broccoli, apples, red onion, most of the shallots and nuts with a generous drizzle of the almond dressing. Turn out onto a platter and finish with the rest of the shallots and chives if you like. Serve family style.

Serves 4.

*Stir together the shallots, a splash of clarified butter (or olive oil) and big pinch of salt In a large skillet over medium heat. Stir every few minutes, you want the shallots to slowly brown over about fifteen minutes. Let them get dark, dark brown (but not burn), and if needed turn down the heat. Remove from skillet and onto a paper towel to cool in a single layer where they will crisp up a bit.

Lentils with Bulgur Wheat + Caramelized Onions

04 Wednesday Jan 2012

Posted by in Grains & Legumes, Sides

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Goodbye 2011.  Hello 2012.  This year was a big year for Nick and I.  We were married May 15th in Naples Florida at the beautiful La Playa Beach & Golf Resort with a small gathering of our closest friends and family.  It was also the year that we lost my 13 year old cat, Sydney, and gained two new members of the family, kittens Miles & Sadie.  2011 was a year of wins and losses, but most of all, a year of abundant love and joy.  It is said that lentils symbolize prosperity, good fortune, and wealth.  Nick and I are raising our forks full of lentils as we ring in 2012 with hopes for forkfuls of more love, health, and happy surprises.

Please enjoy this delicious and oh-so healthy lentil recipe not-modified-one-bit from Emeril Lagasse.  A note: Santa was very good to me this year, leaving a new Canon 100mm macro lens in my stocking.  I’m still getting the hang of it, but here are some photos taken with the new lens.

Lentils with Bulgur Wheat and Caramelized Onions: Moujadara with Burghul

Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse, FoodNetwork.com

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dry green lentils, rinsed and picked over
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 cup bulgur wheat
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onions, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Pinch grated nutmeg
  • Pinch allspice
  • 3 large onions , thinly sliced
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped parsley

Directions

In a medium pot, combine the lentils and water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer until still firm and almost done, 15 to 18 minutes. Add the bulgur wheat and 1/2 teaspoon salt, cover, and remove from the heat. Let sit until the bulgur is tender and the water is absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes, adding more water is the wheat seems dry.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions and cook, stirring, until very soft, 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, cumin, cinnamon, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and allspice, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the lentil and bulgur wheat mixture and stir well to combine. Remove from the heat.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized to a very dark brown color, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Transfer the lentil and bulgur wheat mixture to a platter and top with the caramelized onions. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, to taste. Serve either hot or at room temperature.

 

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