Friday, November 16, 2012

Mujaddarah

This morning, an old family friend surprised me when she said that her father's family was Syrian, and she missed the Syrian foods from her childhood, especially a lentil dish that sounded like "shudthra."  Carol said that she remembers eating it on meatless Fridays, by scooping it up with pita bread. There is no mistaking that she meant Mujaddarah.

Mujaddarah has always been a huge favorite in our house.  Jerry loved it, of course, since he grew up eating it, but so did I, and curiously, so did my Acadian French father and my Italian Auntie Anna.  As a little tiny girl, my daughter used to beg for it, and she still does!  I never dreamed that such a simple, homestyle dish would have such universal appeal!

Mujaddarah is a very ancient dish in the middle east.  In fact, it is the pottage for which Esau traded his birthright in Genesis 25.  Esau lived in Canaan, which corresponds to the area known as the Levant, a geographic and cultural term referring to the eastern Mediterranean region, between Anatolia and Egypt, including most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Cyprus, and parts of Turkey and Iraq.

Mujaddarah can be made with rice or bulgar wheat, soupy or fluffy, with or without cumin (Lebanese don't use cumin, but Jordanians do), but it always consists of lentils flavored with lots and lots of carmelized onions.  In fact, over the years, I have found that the more onions I carmelize, the more my family clamors for more more more!

Mujaddarah

4 C water
1 C brown lentils
4 large onions (about 1 - 1 1/2 lbs), peeled, cut in half length-wise and sliced thinly, lengthwise
1/2 C olive oil
1 C white rice
1 Tbs salt
1/8 tsp pepper

In a large, deep-sided, heavy fry pan, over med-low heat, carmelize onions in oil until they are dark brown, sweet, and almost sticky, but not burned.  This is going to take a while, maybe half an hour or more, and will need constant attention.  When carmelized, drain the onions on paper towels, and try to keep yourself from eating them.  Save the oil.

Pick over lentils, discarding deformed lentils and any rocks or other detritus, and rinse well.   In a large pot, bring 4 C water to a boil, and add the lentils, bring back to a simmer and simmer for 12 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Add the rice, salt, pepper, 2 Tbs of the reserved oil, and half the carmelized onions to the pot.  Stir well, return to heat, and bring the water back to a boil.  Give one last stir, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, cover tightly and steam rice mixture for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and let stand for ten minutes, then fluff gently, adjusting for salt and pepper.

Serve this the traditional way, on a platter, with the last bit of the oil drizzled over, and the rest of the carmelized onion on top.  It's delicious hot or cold, with yogurt, green salad and olives on the side.  First, you rip a pita in half, separate the two layers, and use some of the bread to scoop up the yummy goodness.

Sahtein!




Monday, October 15, 2012

Limoncello and Cranberria

Years ago, my father's baby sister gave my parents a bottle of a cranberry liqueur made near where they lived close to the base of Cape Cod, just outside the whaling town of New Bedford, Massachusetts.  It was a beautiful ruby red color, and thick and sweet, but tart, too.  Very yummy.  So yummy that a new bottle appeared from time to time to replace the empty one.  Eventually, the bad news came - Cranberria was no longer being made.   This was a terrible blow to my parents and me, because we loved the stuff.  We still had a half bottle, and we kept it for years, for that "special" occasion.  We moved that bottle to California and again to Georgia.  Some of it evaporated over time.   Eventually, about seven years ago, while I was carefully packing the precious bottle for another move, I realized that it was a dull brown color, with sediment on the bottom.  I opened it and got a faint whiff of cranberry.  I was brave and I tasted it, but it had no flavor at all.  And that was the end of the last known bottle of cranberria.

Around the same time, I watched an Italian movie on Netflix and was intrigued by the limoncello that everyone was drinking in the Italian sunshine.  It brought back all sorts of memories, and I decided that I would see if I could make it.  My first attempt required a lot of doctoring - I had left a tiny bit of the white pith on the lemon peels and that made it bitter.  I added more and more sugar until it was a thick syrup, but I could still taste a bit of bitterness, so reluctant to throw it away, I put it in a big glass bottle an shoved it in the back of the fridge where I promptly forgot about it.   After it had rested for three months as it was supposed to, I tasted it, and it was still a harsh flavor, partly from the bitterness and partly from the alcohol flavor of the vodka that I had used.

Fast forward two whole years, and I pulled it out of the fridge to taste.  Oh my!  How smooth and delicious it was!  It didn't last long, and I needed to make more - fast!  Or at least, faster than 2 1/2 years!  I tried Giada's recipe and several others, but I finally found one that is no-fail, quick and delicious.

After my limoncello success, my thoughts returned to my beloved Cranberria, and I tried the limoncello recipe, but substituting cranberries for the lemon peel.  I had to double the sugar since they were so tart, and found that it has to sit for 6 - 12 months to ensure a really smooth product.  I tried some tonight and it is so very delicious!

Limoncello

750 ml vodka or Everclear
10 organic lemons, unwaxed
750 ml water
1 1/2 - 2 lbs sugar


Wash the lemons with a brush under hot running water, but do not use soap.  Dry well.  Use a sharp knife or vegetable peeler to remove only the lemon rind, and meticulously scrape all trace of the white pith off.  Put the lemon rinds in one or two large glass (not metal) bottles that can be tightly sealed, such as quart canning jars, and cover with the alcohol.  Shake well, seal well, and put in a dark place for two weeks, shaking and checking the seal every day.

After two weeks, make a simple syrup with 750 ml of water and 1 1/2 lbs of sugar.  Stir and boil it on the stove until all the sugar is dissolved.  You can use up to 2 lbs of sugar, but I don't care for it that sweet, so I use 1 1/2 lbs.

While the syrup is cooling, remove the lemon rinds from the alcohol and stir the alcohol into the syrup.  Taste for sweetness and adjust according to your preference.  Pour into decorative bottles, seal well, and store in the fridge, or you can even freeze it.  I usually put a couple of rinds back into the bottles as a decoration.  Let sit in the fridge for at least two more weeks for the flavor to smooth out.  Delicious!

Cranberria

To make Cranberria, you do the same thing, substituting 1 1/2 lbs fresh, organic cranberries, chopped coarsely and crushed, instead of the lemon rinds.   You will need to use more sugar - start with 2 lbs and work up from there.  2 lbs is good for me, but I like things a little tart.  When it is time to mix the cranberry alcohol with the syrup, I have blended the cranberries in the blender and left the pulp in the finished product to enhance the cranberry flavor.  However, if you want a clear liqueur, I think you could add a defrosted can of cranberry juice concentrate, too.

In fact... I wonder if that would be the easiest way to make a fruit flavored liqueur - mix frozen concentrate with some vodka....   I think I have some experimenting to do!!!!

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Savory Vegan Pancakes - Pudla

I 'm a pretty adventurous eater - I love exploring new cuisines.  A new flavor?  A new texture?  Bring it on!  I'm no picky wimp!

I've spent two weekends with Dear Daughter recently, and being the superlatively thoughtful human being that she is, we gorged ourselves several times on excellent Indian food, a particular favorite of ours.  I just wish that we had such diverse restaurant options here in Savannah.  Since coming home, I have been thinking and thinking about Indian food, so today, I made some!

I have a very well stocked pantry, and money is pretty tight for me right now, so I'm trying to eat from my pantry to minimize trips to the grocery store.  I wonder how long I can go without food shopping???   I saw that bag of besan (Indian chickpea flour) in the freezer, and decided on the savory Indian pancakes called pudla.  It's a simple recipe, one that can be flavored many different ways, with tiny bits of veggies and savory bits stirred into the batter.  Yum.  In my fridge, I had a half sweet onion, half a tomato, and some cilantro.  That sealed the deal.  It took about 15 minutes to cook the pancakes, about 5 minutes to make the batter, and a half hour to let the batter rest, so the whole thing is ready in less than an hour.  

PUDLA

2 cups chickpea flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 cups water

1 cup minced savory bits - I used fresh tomato, cilantro and onion

Make the batter by stirring the flour, salt, garlic, cumin, pepper flakes and turmeric together, then slowly stir in the water, breaking up any lumps.  I used a stick blender, but you can use a  whisk or a wooden spoon.  Once it is lump-free, let it sit for 30 minutes.  This is a very important step - don't ignore it!  While the batter is resting, mince the additions - I minced up about 1/3 C each of tomato, cilantro and onion because that's what I had in my fridge.  This is a great way to use up little bits of this and that.

Lightly oil a nonstick pan, and cook the pancakes over medium heat for a couple of minutes, until the edges are dry and bubbles are forming all over the top.  Don't let the bottom get too brown.  Flip and cook for another minute or two.

Keep warm while you cook up the rest of the batter.   These are YUMMY!  The recipe made 26 silver dollar sized pancakes, but you can make any size pancake you want.  16 WW pts+ for the entire recipe.

 No besan?  Don't worry!  Put some dry chickpeas in your blender until they are pulverized.  Sift the bits out and you have flour!   I have used my Vitamix to make flour, including chickpea flour, many times, with great success.

Saturday, July 07, 2012

Roasted Figs

I have the very best friends in the world - not only are Billy and Melvin loving and fun to hang with, but they keep my yard looking nice and gift me with all sorts of produce!  This week alone, they have given me about 5 lbs of fresh, ripe tomatoes, sweet Vidalia onions, green basil, purple basil, fresh dill (OMG it smells SO GOOD!) and about 3/4 of a pound of perfectly ripe, small black figs.  What could  I do with such bounty?  I live alone and I didn't want anything to go to waste.

Figs have to be eaten or preserved immediately - they last just a day or two - so I had to figure something out quickly.  I thought about it overnight, and this morning, it hit me: ROAST them!  Roasting makes everything more deeply flavored and sweeter.  So that's what I did.  It took about 15 minutes, all told.  Once they were roasted, I made the most delicious quesadilla you have ever had with one portion of the figs with their winey juice, 2 oz melty cheese (meunster is what I had in the fridge), about a handful of baby arugula, a sprinkle of salt and freshly ground pepper.  Oh my goodness!  So delicious!  I am so happy that I have three more portions of figs left so I can make some more quesadillas over the next couple of days, long after the fresh figs would have spoiled.

ROASTED FIGS WITH THYME

10 oz fresh ripe figs, cut in half
1 Tbs merlot
1 Tbs honey
Thyme

Preheat oven to 450F.  Whisk honey and wine together till honey is dissolved completely.  Spray a pan with olive oil spray and arrange the figs so they are not touching each other.  Spoon the wine and honey mixture evenly over all, then sprinkle with thyme - fresh, minced leaves, or dried is fine.  Roast for 15 minutes, checking half-way through to be sure there is no burning.  The figs should show just a little bit of carmelization on the edges.  Remove from oven and let stand for a few minutes before eating.

Makes 4 servings, 2 WW pts+ per serving

These would be wonderful on rich vanilla ice cream, ricotta, goat cheese or yogurt, or eat them as is.  Try the quesadilla, though - your mouth will thank you for it!

One last thing about figs - in the Boston area where I grew up, there were no fig trees.  My Italian grandmother adored figs, though, and I remember my grandfather trudging home from the fruit vendors in the North End of Boston with a flat of figs, just for her, as a present.  He wasn't an easy man to live with (few Italian men of his generation were), but he did occasionally make little gestures that told her (and us) how much he loved us.  These gestures pretty much always centered around food - we were Italian after all!  I remember how Grammie loved figs, how her eyes closed in delight as she popped them into her mouth, one by one, and how excited and honored I was if she shared one or two with me from her special gift.  What a woman.  I miss her so much.

When we first moved to California, years later, we were invited for dinner at Marge and Taft's house, and as we ate under a giant tree in their back yard, laughing and joking around, Taft reached up and picked - you guessed it - a FIG!  With so many figs next door at Taft's house, I really became a glutton for them.  I ate and ate until I couldn't eat another one, and Taft used to laugh at me.

Now I live in Georgia, and one variety of figs do grow here, but figs are still such a treat for me, not only because they are so yummy, but because each time I put one to my lips, I remember my wonderful grandmother and Grampie's yearly gift of figs.  Memory Eternal, Vincenzo and Josephine Cieri.  Memory Eternal!

Wednesday, July 04, 2012

Fat-free Fruited Broccoli Salad - 1pts+

Sometimes, necessity is the mother of invention.  It was 4 pm, and I still didn't know what I was bringing to a July 4th party at 5 pm.  All I knew was that the host said "something fruity" and talked about a few side dishes - so, no dessert.  The day had simply gotten away from me, so I had to get inventive - and FAST!

Check the fridge: not much.... some carrots, scallions, lemon juice, soy sauce, two really ripe and juicy peaches.   Check the freezer:  broccoli florets and sunflower seeds.  Add in a diced apple and some craisins, and you have a salad that won't wilt!

This dressing is so amazingly delicious, but I just threw things together, so I knew I better write a post so I won't forget.  I will definitely want to make this dressing again and again and again!

Dressing:
1/4 C apple cider vinegar
1/4 C pure maple syrup
2 Tbs lite soy sauce
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs dijon mustard (already prepared)
1 C fat free plain yogurt

Whisk everything together till smooth, then taste for salt, sour and sweet.

make approximately 1 3/4 C dressing; entire dressing recipe is 10 WW points+
 1.5 pts+ per 1/4 C
1 points+ per 3 Tbs

Monday, June 18, 2012

Mason Jar Oatmeal - It's What's For Breakfast! 6 pts+

Ever been on Pinterest?  I think I'm addicted.  It's full of all sorts of diverse things, including recipes.  I keep seeing pictures of pack and go meals in all sizes and shapes of mason jars, and since I have a fair number of jars, I am intrigued.  I know that storing my food in glass is better for me than storing it in plastic, but I don't see much value in putting all my ziplock and rubbermaid containers into the local landfill, either.  So, I'm using the plastic stuff for non-food items and for things that don't get microwaved.  I'm  gradually thinning the plastic stash out.

If you're like me, you instinctively grab every last second of sleep that you can in the morning, so packing a big breakfast, snack and lunch every day is simply not going to happen unless it is prepared ahead of time, and all you have to do is to pop the containers into your lunch bag with a refreezable cold pack and GO!  I never have breakfast at home on work day mornings, not only because I don't really have enough time to eat leisurely, but also because if I wolf something down that early, I feel kind of sick until the afternoon.  I really need a few hours of being awake before eating breakfast, though coffee is a MUST, but by 10 am, I'm starving, so if I don't pack my breakfast, I hit that darn vending machine with disastrous results.  It's way too expensive in every possible way to do that often.

I've been on Weight Watchers for about six or seven months and have lost 33 lbs.  It used to be 35 lbs, but I've been on a plateau for about seven weeks, and the last few weeks, my weight has crept up a pound or two.  I am determined to plan ahead this week so that I won't hit the dastardly vending machine in the break room, so I put together a breakfast for every day this week - my favorite - OATMEAL!


MASON JAR BERRY OATMEAL - 6 points+

for each 2 cup mason jar:
1/2 cup regular, uncooked, plain oatmeal
1 cup plain unsweetened almond milk
1/8 tsp powdered stevia
1/2 cup berries

Put the dry oatmeal into the jar, sprinkle the sweetener over, add the fruit on top, pour milk over all.  Screw on the top and refrigerate till you are ready to eat.   It will last for a week in the fridge, easily. It's good cold, room temperature, or heated up in the microwave at work for a couple of minutes.   Easy Peasy.

I used up some frozen blueberries that I had, and filled the rest of the jars with a mix of fresh and frozen strawberries, but you can vary it up anyway that you want: add cinnamon or other spices, change up the fruit, the liquid, the sweetener.  The possibilities are ENDLESS!

Making five cheap and healthy breakfasts took me about five minutes.  No joke.

Happy breakfasting!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Rebecca or Diane's Pascha Cheese 2012

Just a quick note about Sirnaya Pascha, aka Pascha Cheese.

If you've been reading my cooking blog, you know all about my search for the perfect recipe for Pascha Cheese, and also for my endless search for Tvorog (fresh farmer's cheese) to make it.  Here in the deep, deep south, it's really difficult to get some food items, and farmer's cheese is one of those hard to get ones.  However, a couple of years ago, Publix and Fresh Market began carrying it!  My life was complete!  Kindasorta.  It was very, very expensive, $6 for 8 oz in one store, and $9 for a pound in the other.  I sprung for it the first year, but then in 2011, my friend Ksenia posted on Facebook that she was making her cheese.  A light went off for me - I've made yogurt and buttermilk before.  I've drained yogurt to make cheese.  I've made a stinky, but delicious, middle eastern cheese that my father-in-law absolutely adored called shankleesh.  Why not farmer's cheese?  Ksenia gave me her recipe, and I looked online as well.  It was a success!  One $3 gallon of milk plus one $3 quart of buttermilk yielded just about 2 lbs of farmer's cheese!

Yulinka has a great tutorial on how to make it.  Click here to check it out.

So, this year, I made it again, with great success, though I drained it overnight which produced a very, very dry and dense cheese, about 1.75 lbs.  It's enough to make enough pascha cheese to fill my little red plastic mold, though.

What recipe will I use for Pascha Cheese this year?  I haven't decided.  I have two absolutely AMAZING recipes here on my blog:  Diane's Perfect Pascha Cheese and Rebecca M's Sirnaya Pascha.  After many years of experimentation and searching, I have finally completely given up on the cooked custard based recipes because they never seem to turn out any tastier than these two recipes, and oftentimes don't set up as well.  There is also a recipe making the rounds that calls for lots of American-style cream cheese which is very tasty, too, but I guess I hung out with Russians too long to make that one.  Anyway, one of my church folk makes it every year, so I always take a taste. I, however, am true to the two recipes which are more traditional - either Diane's or Rebecca's.

Try one of these great recipes this year!  I guarantee that you will not be disappointed!