To begin an underground supper club over at Plum Kitchen.
Then an underground afternoon tea party with Pease Pudding. Followed not long after after by a food bloggers pot luck lunch down country with Arfi, & since then many treats of fresh fruit from her orchards. The start of my journey to love oysters at the Oyster Shack in Wellington with Alli. Pop up dessert restaurants.
Many a delicious dinner & more oysters at Depot with Alli & Kristina. Delectable desserts at Milse. Art & food coming together at the wonderfully creative Art Dego. Cuisine Master Classes. 2 amazing NZ Food Blogger Conferences one in Auckland & one in the coolest little capital in the world, Wellington. Many many wonderful cooking classes at Cook the Books with Felicity, Grant & Grace, not to mention all the cook books purchased! Taste Auckland. Tasty pastries from Alli’s stall at the Hobsonville Markets.
And then of course there are all you lovely people out there & the one’s I have come to know virtually & who drop by & make all this worth while & make me smile & can light up my day with a kind comment, a thought or tweet... thank you & here’s to many more years of fun & food filled adventures.
Being just a tad Ottolenghi obsessed I think it only appropriate that he’s here to help me celebrate, well in spirit any way with a little mejadra. Mejadra is a little exotic & a little comforting all at the same time.
And this week over IHCC it just happens to be all about pulses so I give you mejadra, an old Levantine dish with crispy golden onions piled atop spiced up rice & lentils which was perfect for a comforting & satisfying Sunday supper. It also makes for a tasty lunch alongside some salad the next day.
Mejadra, from Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 tbsps rice bran oil
4 medium onions, thinly sliced
4 medium onions, thinly sliced
3 tbsp flour
250g puy 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
250g puy 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
Directions
Heat the rice bran oil in a medium-size heavy-based saucepan. Toss the onions in the flour, season with salt & when it is very hot, carefully add a third of the sliced onion. Fry for five to seven minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion becomes golden-brown & crisp. Use the spoon to transfer the onion to some kitchen paper & sprinkle with salt. Repeat with the rest of the onion.
Meanwhile, place the lentils in a small saucepan, cover with plenty of water, bring to a boil & cook for 12-15 minutes, or until the lentils have softened but still have a little bite. Drain & set aside.
Wipe clean the saucepan where you fried the onion & drop in the cumin & coriander seeds. Reduce the heat to medium & toast the seeds for a minute or two, just until they release their fragrant aromas. Add the rice, olive oil, turmeric, allspice, cinnamon, sugar, half a teaspoon of salt & plenty of black pepper.
Stir to coat the rice with oil & the spices, add the cooked lentils & water. Bring to a boil, cover & 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 & set aside for 10 minutes. Finally, tip the rice & lentils into a large mixing bowl. Add half the fried onion and stir gently with a fork. Mound the mejadra on a platter and top with the rest of the onion.
Serve with a dollop of natural yoghurt. This is comfort food. Filling & satisfying.
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Enjoy!