Vegetable Biryani: a great roast

What a fantastic weekend of Indian and Persian culture, food, and of course spending time with my awesome sister, Shukoofa, and fantastic friends. I choose to share vegetable biryani this week because it's a hybrid of cultures and it's one of those comforting dishes which is customized to your taste and environment. Biryani is a Persian word meaning to roast, but with the opportunity of migration and exchange of ideas, biryani has transpired into different arrays of mystical dishes. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Biryani

Tools Recomended
Dutch Oven
Spatula
Measuring Spoons
Measuring Cup

Total Time: 45-55 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
2 cups Basmati Rice
2 cups of chopped onions
1 clove of garlic
1 tomato
1 Cup of chopped carrots
1 Cup of peas
1 Cup of beans
1/2 Cup of diced potatoes
2-3 Sticks of Cinnamon sticks
2 Teaspoon of corrainder
1 Teaspoon of grated ginger
2 Teaspoons of chili powder
1/2 Teaspoon of cumin
1/2 Teaspoon of Turmeric
1/8 Teaspoon of Garam Masala
2 Bay Leaves
2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon of salt and black pepper
4 Cups of Water

Heat oil on medium heat in a dutch oven or a deep pot. Add chopped onions, and cook until softened and golden brown. Stir in cumin, cinnamon sticks, and black pepper. Add ginger, tomato, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer, and cook until the water has evaporated. Stir in peas, carrot, beans and potato. Season with salt, red chile, black pepper, garam masala, and turmeric. Stir well and cover. Turn heat on high and pour 4 cups of water and boil. Stir in the rice and allow the rice to boil for 5-10 minutes before covering the pot and reducing the heat to medium heat again. I usually like to cover the lid with a clean cotton cloth or paper towel to promote ultimate fluffiness.
Turn heat on low and allow to steam for 25 minutes or until the rice has softened.

Helpful Heating Hints:
-When you heat oil, especially olive oil, be aware of heat. If your oil gets smokey, you need to discard properly and use clean oil.
- When cooking rice for a long time, make sure your heat is on very low. You would have more delicious rice cooked on very low heat for 40 minutes versus so so rice cooked on medium heat for 20 minutes. Great time management consideration when you cook with rice.

Photo by Leslee Mitchell

Saag

Be kind and loving to your body. Cooking with wholesome and natural ingredients always deliver delicious meals and promise a healthy lifestyle. Take a chance and make this very easy and taste bud addicting dish.

Saag

Tools Needed
Pot and Pan
Turmeric or Food Processor
Chef's Knife
Spatula
Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoons
Ingredients
4 Bunches of spinach
2 large tomatoes, crushed
3 cloves garlic-chopped
1 large onions -chopped
1-inch piece of ginger, minced or grated
1/2 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric
2 large cardamom pods
1 Teaspoon Garam Masala
1 Teaspoon of chili powder
1/2 Teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoon of milk
2 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 Cup of water

Place the spinach in a pot and add 1/4 cup of water. Bring to boil and remove from heat and let it cool. Add the spinach to a blender or food processor and pulse for a few moments.Heat oil in a deep pan. Add onions, garlic, and ginger and saute till golden. Add tomatoes, salt, cayenne, coriander powder, turmeric, cloves, and cardamom.
Sprinkle with one tablespoon water. Return the blended spinach to the mixture, add garam masala and add milk and let it simmer for a few minutes. Dust off with a teaspoon of chili and you are ready to serve.

Fattouche

It's that time of the year again where I'm working hard to stick to my fitness resolution and after staring into my fridge, I realized that most ingredients I had could make a big, levantine, and fulfilling salad to carry the torch to my goal. The best tasting part of this salad is the rustic yet elegant pares of as many vegetables as you can find.

Fattouche

Tools Needed

Cutting Boards
Chef's Knife
Citrus Juicer
Mixing Bowl
Tossing Utensils


Main Ingredients

2 Pita Breads
1 head of lettuce
2 Tomatoes
2 cucumbers
1-2 Limes or Lemons
1/2 Cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
A pinch of salt

Additional and more exciting ingredients

1/4 Cup of Parsley
2-3 Radishes
Scallions
1 Green Bell Pepper
Black or Green Olives
1/2 Tablespoon of Sumac
1/2 Tablespoon of Thyme

Preheat oven to 350F and toast the pita bread for about 7 minutes. Set toasted pita aside and let it cool. In the meantime, chop lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and mix and match any of the combination of the ingredients to your desired taste and toss well. Dress it with extra virgin olive oil and lime or lemon juice and sprinkle some sumac or thyme for that perfect invigorating bite.

Photo by Leslee Mitchell

Dolma: Stuffed Grape Leaves

Cooking is one of my passions, especially when it's time to make dinner for friends. It's almost like a mantra that I come up with the perfect menu, blending complimentary flavors, and exploring creative concoctions to make each dish scrumptious. The ingredient I'm most enthralled by is the grape leaf. Tracing back to Greece, grape leaves represent prosperity and are a chosen adornment by Greek Gods. As a matter of fact, according to an ancient myth, stuffed grape leaves, dolmas, were consumed by Zeus and other Gods atop Mount Olympus. The plain grape leaves were served with the bold ambrosia and nectar. Treat yourself like a God or Goddess and indulge in this divine recipe.

Dolma

Tools Needed
Casserole Pot or Deep Pan
Cooking Pot
Colander
Spatula
Measuring Cup
Measuring Cups
Chef's Knife
Cutting Board

Total Time: 90 minutes
Yield: 6-8 servings


Ingredients
1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice
1/2 cup cooked lentils
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped green onion
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons dried dill (optional)
2 teaspoons finely snipped fresh mint (optional)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 Jar Grape Leaves
1 Lemon or lime

Boil the rice in 1 1/2 cups briskly boiling water for 10 minutes, drain and reserve it.
In your pan, add extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Make sure your oil doesn't create a haze of smoke. Add the onions and cook until golden. Add the rice, green onion, parsley, dill, mint, lemon juice, turmeric, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook the stuffing for 3 to 4 minutes and reserve it. In a large pot, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Drop in the grape leaves and remove from the heat. Soak the leaves for 1 minute and transfer them to cold water. Separate the leaves and drain them on clean cotton cloth. To stuff the leaves, spread 30 leaves dull side up, flat on a plate. Place 1 tablespoon of the stuffing on the center of each leaf. Turn up the stem and fold the leaf over the stuffing, fold the sides in over the stuffing and roll to the end. Layer the bottom of a 2-3 quart casserole or pan with a tight fitting cover, with the 10 unstuffed leaves. Arrange the stuffed leaves with the seam side down in the casserole. Sprinkle the dish with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the extra virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons water. Simmer, tightly covered for 50 minutes. You can serve dolmas as appetizer, main entree, or snack. As usual, sprinkle some lemon on lime for that zest.

Baklava

My dear friends,

I have decided to treat you all with a little bit of heaven-and by that, I mean Baklava! This elegant desert has traveled across many seas from the Mediterranean Ocean to the Persian Gulf and has finally invaded many taste buds around the world.
Bake with love!

Baklava

Tools Needed

Chef's Knife
Baking Dish
Pastry Brush
Saucepan
Mixing Bowls
Measuring Cup
Spatula
Measuring Spoons


Baklava
* 1 lb. of chopped nuts-Pistachios and walnuts are my favourites
* 1 lb of phyllo dough
* 1 cup of butter, melted
* 1/3 cup of sugar
* 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
* 1/3 teaspoon of ground cloves

Honey Syrup
* 1 cup of water
* 1 cup of sugar
* 1/2 cup of honey
* 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
* 1 cinnamon stick

-Lightly grease a 9x13 pan and set the oven to 350°F.

-Thaw the phyllo dough. Roll out the dough and cut the dough in half so the sheets will fit in the pan. Cover with a damp towel to keep it from drying out.
Process the nuts until in small, even sized pieces. Combine with sugar, cinnamon, and cloves.

-In a saucepan, melt the butter on low heat.

-Place a sheet of phyllo dough into the pan. Using a pastry brush, brush the phyllo sheet with melted butter. Repeat 7 more times until it is 8 sheets thick, each sheet being "painted" with the butter.

-Spoon on a thin layer of the nut mixture. Cover with two more sheets of phyllo, brushing each one with butter. Continue to repeat the nut mixture and two buttered sheets of phyllo until the nut mixture is all used up. The top layer should be 8 phyllo sheets thick, each sheet being individually buttered.

-Cut into 24 equal sized squares using a sharp knife. Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes or until lightly golden brown, and edges appear slightly crisp.

-While baking, make the syrup. Combine the cinnamon stick, sugar, lemon juice, honey, and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium low heat and let simmer for 7 minutes and slightly thickened. Remove the cinnamon stick and allow to cool.

-Spoon the cooled syrup over the hot baklava and let cool for at least 4 hours.

Photo by Leslee Mitchell

Istanbuli Polo: a Global Recipe

I find it fascinating that as we travel and find homes in different places in the world; our culture, language, sense of humor, and recipes follow and find new homes too. Istanbuli polo is a one of those recipes that each country represents. In Iran, they call it Lubia polo, or rice and beans in the west. The main ingredient is the amazing green bean which is truly a legume after my heart! Green beans are packed with vitamin K which help with maintaining healthy strong bones, contain antioxidant vitamins A and C which help to prevent oxidation of cholesterol, and They're also a good source of potassium and magnesium to normalize blood pressure and take some of the load off of the heart.

Istanbuli Polo

Tools needed

Non-Stick Cooking Pot
Pressure Cooker
Colander
Spatula
Cutting Board
Chef's Knife

Total Time: 1 hr 30 minutes- 2 hours.
Yield: 4-6 Servings

Ingredients

2-3 Cups Basmati Rice
8 Cups of Boiling Water
1 Pound of Stew Meat, chicken, or turkey-cubed. (Vegetarians can skip the meat)
2 Cups of Green Beans-chopped
1 Onion-chopped
1 Ripe Tomato- finely chopped or pureed
1 Potato-thinly sliced
6 Oz or 2 Tablespoons of Tomato Paste
5 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Sprigs of Saffron-steeped
5 Tablespoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Cracked Black Pepper
1/2 Tablespoon of Ground Tumeric

Step 1: You can save 1/2 an hour if you use a pressure cooker. But if you feel more cooking with a regular pot, you will have the same results. Add 2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the pot on medium heat. Add your onions and when they trun translucent, add the meat. cook for 2 minutes before turning, then add turmeric, 1/2 tablespoon of salt, and black pepper. When the meat is browned, add the tomato, tomato paste, green beans, and 2 cup of water and bring to boil. If you are using a pressure cooker, cover the lid and cook for 30 minutes. If you are using a pot, simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.

Step 2: In the non-stick pot, boil 6 cups of water, add 1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, add basmati rice, and 4 Tablespoons of salt. Don't cook the rice all the way, if you do, your end result will be mushy. So, cook the rice for about 15 minutes over medium heat. When 1/2 cooked, pour the rice in a colander and gently wash with cold water to wash away the starch and salt.


Step 3:Wash and dry your pot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and line the bottom of your pot with the sliced potatoes. Layer with 1/2 the portion of rice, top with the cooked stew, and lay the rest of the rice on top and pour the steeped saffron over the rice. Poke holes in the rice mixture and cover with a cloth lined lid. Steam for 10 minutes over medium to high heat, then turn to low heat for 45 minutes.

Serve this delicious meal with tabouli! The flavors compliment each other perfectly. Bon appetite!

cooking tips:
-Adding salt to your rice extracts the starch in the pot.
-Extra virgin olive oil avoids the rice grains from clumping when you boil the rice.
-When cooking with meat, always make sure that you wash properly and completely dry before adding to heat.
-Be aware of heat temprature when cooking with extra virgin olive oil- If you use high heat, your oil might get smokey and burn.
-When you steam rice, make sure your lid is lined with a cotton cloth or paper towel.

Photo by Leslee Mitchell