I love this pilaf because it is my own little one-pot meal invention and it is great comfort food. You can experiment with what fruits, vegetables, and herbs you like, this is just how I made it this time around.
Caroline’s Pilaf
1 cup brown rice, uncooked
1 onion, chopped
a big handful of tomatoes, maybe almost a pint, any kind (I use grape, chop up big ones)
1 red bell pepper, chopped in slices
capers
fresh basil, chiffonade
a few dashes balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
garlic, minced (as much as you like, I put in 4 cloves)
salt and pepper, to taste
chevre (from Guinevere!)
olive oil for cooking
1 1/4 cups water
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft. Add a little salt, then add the peppers, tomatoes, garlic, and rice and toast for a few minutes. Add the water, maybe a little more salt, bring to a boil, then cover and cook over low heat. Check once in a while to see if it needs more water. It will probably need to cook for 40-50 minutes, until the rice is tender. When it is ready to serve, add the pepper, balsamic or lemon, capers, basil, and chevre and stir it up well. The chevre will melt and make it kind of like a risotto or cheesy rice (but not risotto!). Serve!
It is a rainy and cold April day and perfect for a warm, hearty meal. My mom warned me that the Lamb Stew with Potatoes recipe from How to Cook Everything was a little bland, so I made a few alterations to its preparation. I had bought a pound of stewing meat from Mint Creek Farm at the Green City Market in Chicago in anticipation of making such a stew. It is grass-fed, local, and not to pricy at $7 a pound. I am going to eat this with some homemade olive and thyme bread I have been saving in the freezer for such an occasion.
Irish Stew
1 lb boneless lamb shoulder trimmed an cut into 2″ cubes
1 1/2 lbs waxy red or yellow potatoes, cut in 1/4″ slices
1 1/2 cups sliced onions
salt and pepper to taste
1 to 1 1/2 cups broth: any combo of water, red wine, chicken, beef, or veg stock (I used 1 cup veg stock and about 1/4 cup of Sierra Nevada barleywine. I also added a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce)
1 cup minced fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish
Season and brown the meat over medium high heat in olive oil in a saucepan. Set aside. Saute the onions in a saucepan with olive oil over medium low heat. Once they are soft, sprinkle with salt and cook a little longer. Add everything except for half the potatoes which you should set aside in cold salted water. Bring to a near boil over high heat and then let cook for about 45 minutes over low heat. Add the other half of the potatoes and cook for another 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender but not mushy. Serve hot with parsley. Serves 3.
Filed under: breakfast, cheese | Tags: breakfast, cheese, cornbread, egg, vegetarian
It’s been a while! I made this many moons ago and have been meaning to make some more… it makes a nice little breakfast sandwich, like a healthy Egg McMuffin!
All you need to do it stack cornbread and a slice of swiss cheese and pop it in the microwave or oven to warm it up and melt the cheese. Then top it with a fried egg and, if you’re like me, some hot sauce (I am devoted to the Red Devil brand).
This is a cornbread recipe I have used from Moosewood. It wasn’t my favorite but my neighbors (who don’t usually eat cornbread) really liked it.
Basic Corn Bread
butter for the pan
1 c cornmeal (Paul’s Grains!)
1 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda, salt
1 c buttermilk or yogurt (I used non-fat yogurt)
1 egg
3 tbl sugar or honey (Ebert honey!)
3 tbl melted butter
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease an 8-inch square pan (or a 9- or 10-inch cast-iron skillet) with butter or margarine. Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine the wet ingredients (including sugar or honey) separately. Stir the wet into the dry, mixing just enough to combine (I always forget about this part). Spred into the pan and bake for 20 minutes or until the center is firm to the touch.
