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!
Filed under: African, Legumes, side, vegan | Tags: African, ethiopian, lemon, lentils, mustard
This is another recipe I found on Lisa’s Kitchen food blog. After you cook the lentils it is very quick and easy to make. It is very tart and flavorful and makes a better side dish than entree. It would go well with another mellower wot and a grain like rice or bread or, if you can track some down, injera.
Last winter break I participated in Hillel’s Alternative Break in Israel and worked with Jewish Ethiopian immigrants at a mercaz klitah (absorption center) near Afula. We had the opportunity to celebrate with the community and ate a feast of wot (stew), injera (fermented flatbread… definitely an acquired taste as it is very sour), and coffee. We didn’t have this exact dish but it still makes me a bit nostalgic!
I added a diced roma tomato and diced onion to this recipe and ate it warm.
Ethiopian Lentil and Mustard Salad
1 cup green lentils
2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
juice of 2 lemons
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 large jalapeño peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch long matchsticks
Wash the lentils and put into a medium saucepan with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn down the heat to low and cover, cooking gently for 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Drain and set aside to let cool.
Add the mustard seeds, peppercorns, salt and cayenne into a clean coffee or spice grinder and grind finely. Put into a small bowl and mix well with 2 tablespoons of boiling water. Now add the lemon juice and olive oil and stir in well.
Pour the jalapeño peppers and dressing over the lentils and toss thoroughly. Serve warm or chilled. Serves 4 to 6.
Filed under: Italian, pasta, side | Tags: basil, caper, fresh mozzarella, pasta, tomato, vegetarian
My neighbor, Nate, and I ate this the other night while watching The Birds. I requested it so often growing up that my family started calling it “my pasta” (or “your pasta”). I have never seen this exact combination in a pasta anywhere else. It is pretty much my favorite thing to eat and Nate was very impressed.
Caroline’s Pasta
8oz fresh mozzarella, chopped
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 3oz jar capers
fresh basil, chiffonade
3 cups pasta (penne and farfalle are good for this)
olive oil (enough to coat the ingredients)
salt and pepper, to taste
grated parmesan
Mix the fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, capers (with brine), fresh basil, and olive oil in a bowl. Ideally you should let it sit and marinate for a couple hours. Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package directions. Drain and combine with the other ignredients in the bowl. Season and sprinkle with grated parmesan. It can be served warm or at room temperature. Makes 6 servings.
Filed under: side | Tags: apple, autumn, celery, fall, salad, tahini, vegetarian, walnut
It’s apple season, my mom’s favorite fruit, so hopefully I will be posting lots of apple recipes! Apples, celery, and walnuts seemed like a natural pairing (and I had week-old celery in the fridge). But what to dress this crispy salad with? Apples and celery are perfect compliments to peanut butter, so why not tahini, too?
After failing to find Annie’s Natural Goddess Dressing at any of the three grocery stores in town (one of the grocery stores being Walmart… I’m not sure this counts), I searched these here internets and found a similar recipe. I eat it straight off a spoon, but it’s pretty good on just about anything it touches. If you don’t have toasted sesame oil, it’s a worthwhile investment; it packs a lot of flavor. I leave out the green onions and sesame seeds when I make this, but I’m sure it would be an improvement on an already great, simple recipe.
This isn’t the prettiest salad… the apples, celery, and walnuts have a variety of colors and textures, but the dressing is pasty brown.
Apple Celery Salad with Walnuts and Tahini Dressing
one apple per capita, cored and chopped into bite-size pieces
one stalk of celery per apple, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1-2 tbl walnuts per apple
about 1/3 cup tahini dressing per apple (recipe to follow)
Mix ‘em!
Tahini Goddess Salad Dressing
Makes 2 cups
2 tbl plain sesame oil or olive oil
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup tahini
2 tbl red wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
5 small green onions, diced
1 tbl lemon juice
1 tbl soy sauce
plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Mix ‘em (with a blender, food processor, or fork)! Store in the fridge in a jar with a tight lid. The lemon and vinegar will keep it fresh for a while.
From: Kathy 228. Tahini Goddess Salad Dressing. Recipezaar. http://www.recipezaar.com/95888
