tomatoes
Throwback Thursday : Fall Lentil Vegetable Stew
It appears that this time last year was the same kind of chilly, rainy Fall weather that we are having today. I made a lentil stew then that had carrots and spinach, and nicely spiced with curry, cumin, and allspice.
This is a wonderfully homey, satisfying stew that can be made with things that most people have on hand. Thus, I have tagged it pantry recipe, despite having several fresh vegetables, like tomatoes and carrots.
If you’d like to vary this, you could switch out the spinach and add kale or Swiss chard – fresh or frozen. Sweet potato, or butternut squash could be subbed for the carrots.
I may end up making this for dinner today again, and if I do, I’ll be sure to snap a pic and post whatever changes/additions I make this time 🙂
Link to original recipe Fall Lentil Vegetable Stew
Copied and pasted below:
8 ounces brown or green lentils, picked over if needed, and rinsed
1 carrot, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup spinach, roughly chopped
1/4 bunch of parsley, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons oil
2 cups egg noodles
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon madras curry powder
pinch of cinnamon or allspice
Water or chicken broth
Heat oil on medium-high heat, adding carrots, garlic, and spices. Saute for a couple of minutes, then add the spinach, parsley, and lentils. Stir about a minute, and add water or broth to cover plus 1 inch.
Cover and let cook for approximately 30 minutes on medium, until lentils are just about tender. Add tomato and noodles. Cook about 7 minutes more, depending on the directions on the package of noodles.
(End of ) Summer Mint Macaroni Salad
If you have a little backyard garden going this summer, this macaroni salad could be a good way to use some of your home-grown produce. We have a ton of mint that I wanted to make use of, as well as pepper and tomatoes growing outside.
This salad makes use of fresh mint and lemon juice, extra virgin olive, apple cider vinegar, horseradish sauce, and ketchup for the dressing.
You can use mild or hot horseradish sauce, according to preference. Also, you could adjust the amounts and kinds of veggies that you put in this, keeping in mind that you might need to increase the dressing.
This salad is inspired by one that my friend Zee once brought to a potluck. Of course, I had to ask her what went in it, and of course, I had to modify it to suit our taste 🙂 The mint makes it very refreshing, and the ketchup and horseradish add a lovely depth of flavor.
This salad need not be limited to the summer months. You can substitute dried mint for the fresh mint leaves.
Summer Mint Macaroni Salad
2 cups elbow macaroni or ditalini pasta (dry)
½ cup mint leaves, roughly chopped (or substitute 1 Tablespoon dried mint if fresh is unavailable)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
1 clove garlic
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 tomato, chopped fine
¼ cup bell pepper, chopped fine
¼ cup onion (white, yellow, red, or scallion), chopped fine
2 tablespoons horseradish sauce
4 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon granulated garlic (optional)
½ teaspoon lemon zest
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Meanwhile, place mint, olive oil, garlic, pepper, granulated garlic (if using) and lemon juice in a food processor or blender. Process until emulsified. The mint might not be completely pureed smooth, and it is okay if you see small green flecks.
Add the blended dressing to the pasta, stirring to coat all the pasta.
Add tomatoes, peppers, onions, horseradish sauce, ketchup, vinegar, lemon zest, and salt to taste. Combine well.
Refrigerate until serving.
Italian Flat Beans with Fresh Tomatoes
We went to the local farmer’s market, a favorite activity for the kids, because they love the fresh peaches and the grape tomatoes. I spied some broad bean pods and thought they were fava beans for a second, but on closer inspection, found them to be Italian flat beans.
If you haven’t tried them yet, you should. They have a delicate sweetness that I didn’t want to cover with too many spices or overpower with other flavors. This truly tastes best prepared quickly and simply, to allow the flavor and texture to shine through.
This dish reheats well, but I actually ate them cold the next day for lunch.
Italian Flat Beans with Fresh Tomatoes
4 cups Italian Flat Beans, cut into approx 1½ inch pieces
½ cup onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 plum tomatoes (about 1 cup), chopped
½ – ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon allspice
salt and black pepper, to taste
Heat medium sized, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add oil, onions, garlic, and half a teaspoon of salt. Saute for a minute, then reduce heat to medium, cover, and let cook for about a minute.
Add beans. Saute over high heat. Add half a cup of water, stir, then cover for 5 minutes, to allow the beans to steam.
Uncover, add olive oil, chopped tomatoes (and any liquid that remains on the cutting board), and allspice. Give it a good couple of stirs, cover, and reduce heat to medium.
Allow to cook for 12 minutes, or until beans are tender, but not overcooked.
These can be served hot, or room temperature – with rice or pita bread. You could even serve this as a cold side dish. We had these hot – making sure to include the olive-oil-and-tomato-flavored liquid – with rice, and a bowl of plain yogurt.
Entered into the Recipe of the Week linky roundup. Go take a look!
Bolognese Sauce
This is my version of a Bolognese Sauce. My husband is not a fan of super tangy marinara sauce, so this is a better pasta sauce for him. The addition of carrots sweetens and mellows out the flavor of the tomato sauce. Bolognese sauce usually includes celery with the carrots, but I don’t like celery, so I substitute parsley.
Regarding the tomatoes, you can us whole, peeled tomatoes in juice, or else you can use the same amount of crushed tomatoes, tomato puree. You just want a plain tomato product that is not stewed and not concentrated. I like to use the whole tomatoes, and just break them up with a spoon in the pot as I stir, so that there is a bit of texture left to the sauce.
We served it over penne.
The penne was one of those that are made with vegetables, so it actually is reddish-orange, that is not a weird effect of the camera.
Bolognese Sauce
1 lb ground veal (or veal)
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, chopped,
6 cloves garlic, chopped
½ cup parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes (or crushed tomatoes, or tomato puree) in tomato juice
½ cup water
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil, add onions and cook on medium-high 1 minute, then add carrots, garlic, and parsley.
Cook on high 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium, add a dash of salt, and cover cook for a further 5 minutes to allow the sweat out the ingredients. The onions should be translucent and soft, and the carrots should start to soften.
Add veal, stirring over high heat for 2-3 minutes, then lower heat to medium and cook 10 minutes.
Add canned tomatoes and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil. Add tomato paste, water, and sugar. Allow to come to a boil again, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour.
And these are Little Miss’s fingers – she couldn’t wait until I got the food on the table 😀
Note – if you like a spicy pasta sauce, you could add crushed red pepper flakes with the tomato paste.
Artichoke Msaka’a/Moussaka
This is a layered baked dish of frozen artichoke bottoms, spiced ground beef, and tomatoes. I know of some people who get fresh artichokes, trim and de-choke, then get on to the recipe. However, when I get fresh artichokes, I prefer to steam them and eat them leaf by leaf . I am very happy to be able to use frozen artichoke bottoms for a dish like this.
This is the package of artichoke bottoms that I found in our local Middle Eastern grocery.
There are several ways you can prepare artichoke bottoms. Start with a layer of spiced ground beef or lamb. It can then be topped with a yogurt sauce, a béchamel sauce, or, as in this one, a tomato sauce. You could also steam them and chop them up for salads.
As I mention below in the recipe, you can boil the artichoke bottoms or you can fry them. Since this is prepared as a sort of msaka’a, I prefer to deep fry them, as you would the eggplant in the original.
We had his with rice, salad, and yogurt.
We found this tastes even better reheated.
Artichoke Msaka’a (Moussaka)
1 lb ground beef
1 onion
4-6 cloves garlic
1 cup parsley
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
14 ounces frozen artichoke hearts
1 1/2 tomatoes, sliced or chopped
1 cup tomato puree
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 F.
In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, and parsley. Saute a few minutes until the onions begin to soften. Add spices. Stir to allow them to release their fragrance. Add ground beef, breaking it up as you brown it. Cook thoroughly.
For the artichokes – You can either boil them, or (what I did) deep fry them until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels.
Layer the artichokes in the bottom of a baking dish. Spread the ground beef over the artichokes. Some ground beef will fill the little artichoke heart cups, some will go around them – – that is okay. Add the sliced tomatoes evenly over the ground beef. Mix tomato puree, water, a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, paprika, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Spread on top of the tomatoes.
Cover with foil paper and bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.
Uncover, and cook 10 minutes further.
