My family run a forum that bigs it out on foodles, and these vegetarian recipes are wonderful and will make a great Valentine's meal. Feel free to PM me if you would like some more.
~ * ~ Mejadra ~ * ~
Recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi
(His words)
This popular Levantine dish is a real old favourite of mine. It's one of my childhood flavours, and evokes memories of heaps of this stuff being sold both in restaurants and by street vendors. Whether eaten hot or cold, the combination of sweet spices and bitter-sweet onion is as comforting as can be. Spoon over some Greek yoghurt and tuck in, but watch out – it's not easy to stop. Serves four.
250ml sunflower oil
4 medium onions, thinly sliced
250g green or brown lentils
2 tsp cumin seeds
1½ tbsp coriander seeds
200g basmati rice
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp ground turmeric
1½ tsp ground allspice
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp sugar
Salt and black pepper
350ml water
Heat the sunflower oil in a medium-size heavy-based saucepan. When very hot, carefully add a third of the sliced onion. Fry for five to seven minutes, stirring occasionally with a slotted spoon, until the onion takes on a nice, golden-brown colour and turns crispy. Use the spoon to transfer the onion to a colander and sprinkle with salt. Repeat with two more batches of onion.
Meanwhile, put the lentils in a small saucepan, cover with plenty of water, bring to a boil and cook for 12-15 minutes, or until the lentils have softened but still have a little bite. Drain into a colander.
Wipe clean the saucepan in which you fried the onion and drop in the cumin and coriander seeds. Place over a medium heat and toast the seeds for a minute or two, until they release those distinctive aromas. Add the rice, olive oil, turmeric, allspice, cinnamon, sugar, half a teaspoon of salt and plenty of black pepper. Stir to coat the rice with oil, then add the cooked lentils and water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on very low heat for 15 minutes.
Remove from the heat, lift off the lid and cover the pan with a clean tea towel. Seal tightly with the lid and set aside for 10 minutes. Finally, tip the rice and lentils into a large mixing bowl. Add half the fried onion and stir gently with a fork. Pile up in a shallow serving bowl and top with the rest of the onion.
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Basmati and wild rice with chickpeas, currants and herbs
Two types of rice make this twice as nice. Recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi
I've loaded this with flavours, so it could easily stand on its own. It looks the (festive) part, too. Serves six.
50g wild rice
2 tbsp olive oil
220g basmati rice
Salt and black pepper
330ml boiling water
2 tsp cumin seeds
1½ tsp curry powder
240g cooked chickpeas (tinned are fine), drained
180ml sunflower oil
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
½ tbsp plain flour
100g currants
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tbsp chopped dill
Put the wild rice in a small saucepan, cover with plenty of water, bring to a boil and simmer for 40 minutes, until cooked but still quite firm. Drain and set aside.
To cook the basmati rice, pour a teaspoon of olive oil into a medium saucepan and place on high heat. Add the rice and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, and stir as it warms up. Add the boiling water, reduce the heat to minimum, cover with a tight lid and leave for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, lift off the lid, cover the pot with a tea towel, then put the lid on top and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the chickpeas. Heat the remaining olive oil in a small saucepan. Add the cumin and curry powder, and after a couple of seconds add the chickpeas and a quarter-teaspoon of salt; act fast, or the spices may burn. Stir for a minute or two, just to heat the chickpeas, then transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Wipe the pan clean, add the sunflower oil and place on a high heat. Once the oil is hot, mix the onion and flour with your hands. Take some of the mix and carefully place in the oil. Fry for two or three minutes, until golden-brown, transfer to kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt. Repeat in batches until all the onion is fried.
Finally, add both types of rice to the chickpea bowl, along with the currants, herbs and fried onion. Stir and season to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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Fried artichoke with tomato and olive salad by Shaun Hill
An Italian speciality that makes a welcome change at this time of year
The artichokes, which should be baby ones, need precooking so they're soft enough for deep-frying. I've spent hours doing this over the years, but now find that tinned baby artichokes work just as well. Up to you. Ignore the first part of the method if you go for tinned. Tomatoes are, of course, rubbish at this time of year, but a few decent imported ones add a whisper of freshness, and make a welcome change from the unending ye olde fare at this time of year. Serves six.
12 small artichokes (fresh or tinned)
The juice of 2 lemons
50ml cheap olive oil
Plain flour, for dusting
Vegetable oil, for frying
6 slices sourdough bread
30 pitted green olives
6 black olives, stoned and chopped
4 big tomatoes, skinned and chopped
1 tbsp good olive oil
1 tsp capers
25g pecorino, grated
1 tbsp coarsely chopped parsley
If using fresh artichokes, cut away the stalks – a baby artichoke is soft and needs little trimming – brush each one with lemon juice, and place in a saucepan with 50ml of the cheapest olive oil you can find. Add enough water just to cover, bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes, until soft. Leave to cool, then scoop out the chokes with a teaspoon.
Cut the artichokes in half and dust with flour. Deep-fry until golden brown. Toast the bread. Toss the olives and tomatoes in olive oil with the capers, cheese and parsley. Pile on top of the toast, then add the fried artichokes.
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Easy Vegetarian Meals
