Leftover Power: Harira-Style Stew

 

My obsession is back! I have soup on the brain. The temperatures drop slightly, we have a serious rain storm, and look what happens. Three soup posts in a row! Let me try to explain. This blog documents new recipes I come up with (or try creating, in some cases), as well as provide a place for me to share whatever I'm cooking lately.

Z. made his delicious chana masala and even after enjoying some the next day, we still had some chana masala left but no rice. What to do?

Well...in my case, I create soup.

• Leftover dal but no rice? I thin out the curry to my liking and have a delicious, spicy soup. Here's my recipe for brown lentil and yellow split pea dal that tastes great as is but would also make a great soup.
• Leftover stir-fry vegetables? How about hot and sour miso soup?
• You know I love leftover tomato sauce. Here's a tortilla soup I made from leftover red sauce and fajita fixings.
• One of my favorites: barley risotto, in this case, barley risotto with pumpkin (a great recipe idea as pumpkins will be coming into season soon!). Risotto provides a fantastic base for soup.

Z.'s chana masala provided the perfect foundation for this soup, providing a flavorful tomato and onion base. What I love about harira (here's my version) is the combination of chickpeas with lentils and the spices. I include ginger, cumin, turmeric, smoked paprika, cinnamon, a hint of nutmeg, and harissa paste.

I transformed my leftovers adding as many of the same vegetables from the original recipe as I had on hand and the same spices, just scaled down. Delicious!

I began by heating a few teaspoons of oil in large sauce pan and sauteed garlic, carrots, and zucchini, until tender. Then I toasted two tablespoons of all-purpose flour for about 1 minute before toasting the spices. I added 3 cups broth, 1 generous cup leftover chana masala, 1/2 cup cooked brown lentils. I brought this to a boil, reduced the heat, let simmer for 15 minutes, and tasted. I added a dash more salt and a generous dollop of harissa paste.  Enjoy!

Tabbouleh "Salad"

This is a meal we had recently, created in an improvisatory moment.

Basically, it's tabbouleh deconstructed. Tabbouleh is a salad of bulgur wheat, cucumber, tomato, occasionally onion, with lots of parsley and mint, dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.

 

I took the components of tabbouleh but rather than combining them, I layered the ingredients on a bed of crisp lettuce and topped it with my own light, bright vinaigrette. I have become quite smitten with parsley and mint in my green salads. Then, the still slightly warm bulgur added substance and its own nutty deliciousness. If you would like a complete meal, add a few chickpeas. Enjoy!

Bessara or Middle Eastern Split Pea Soup

I can’t tell you how many times I have stared at the bins of split peas longingly in my favorite bulk sections. They are easily stored and a great bargain for the nutrition they provide. I just didn’t have any recipes.

The first time, I bought split peas, I tried cooking a couple of cups in my slow cooker. I had no idea how to season them. I ended up with a crock-pot full of mushy, tasteless peas. Needless to say, those didn’t stick around. That was the end of my split pea buying sprees.

Now, my cupboards and shelves of are full of different varieties of legumes and peas. Z. and I enjoy red lentils, mung dal, and yellow split peas, just to name a few. I decided to take the plunge with green split peas. I bought a pound, figuring I would be more inclined to figure out something tasty to do with these things if I owned them.

I don’t like ham unless it’s cured and has an Italian name so traditional split pea soup is out of the question. I did a little more research and discovered bessara. 

Here are the reasons why you should try my variation of bessara:

• It tastes great! The earthy peas are balanced by smoky paprika and fragrant cumin.
• This isn’t a heavy, gloppy soup despite. I find the bessara has a pleasant, silky texture.
• It’s easy to make. I cook and create a lot of fussy recipes. This is not one of them.

Enjoy!

Bessara or Middle Eastern Green Split Pea Soup

by Ace Nation

6044725

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for garnish
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Serrano chile, seeds removed and minced
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, plus more for garnish
• Cayenne pepper, to taste
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 8-10 cups broth, stock, water, or a combination

Instructions

Heat oil over medium heat.

Add onion, cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.

Add garlic and Serrano, cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is cooked, about 5 minutes.

Add cumin and smoked paprika. Toast about 1 minute.

Add broth/water and split peas. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until peas are tender and falling apart.

The soup may served as is. If you would like a smoother soup, carefully blend the soup with an immersion blender or a stand-up blender. If soup is too thick, add a small amount of water or broth, about 1/8 cup at a time, until soup is desired consistency.

Serve soup garnished with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkled with smoked paprika.

Enjoy!

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Barley Mujadara Salad

This recipe was inspired by a discovery on a shelf at the Market of Choice. Z. and I were perusing the hot sauce and Indian chutneys when I saw this package:

I really enjoy barley and lentils so why not have them together?  The ingredients reminded me of mujadara, made with barley instead of rice. I've made mujadara before and really enjoyed the meal (here is my mujadara review and here is a link to the original recipe, if you are interested). Instead of paying several dollars for 10 or so ounces of prepackaged food, I decided to make my own version, creating a variation of my recent Cilantro Pistou recipe. As is mostly the case, I had no idea what I was doing and ended up with a very tasty dinner.

From the top clockwise: garam masala, ground ginger, and cumin seeds

This recipe is great warm or cold, so of course I tried both! I prefer Barley Mujadara Salad at room temperature or colder. Barley is very tasty warm, though I just love the texture of chilled barley. Mediterranean Barley Salad, anyone? The toothsomeness of properly cooked barley is brought out by chilling.

After making Cilantro Pistou, I was inspired to create a parsley version. I figured since parsley is commonly featured in Middle Eastern Cuisine, Barley Mujadara was the perfect first vehicle for my Parlsey Pistou, or what I might call a parsley vinaigrette. Whatever it's called, the green stuff I mixed in with the barley, lentils, veggies, and spices tied everything together.

I am always proud of my onions; hence, way too many pictures of browned onions.

I wanted to keep this pretty brainless so I cooked all the ingredients separately then mixed everything together. If you are talented enough to cook things together that have different cooking times and not overcook anything (like Z.) be my guest. Enjoy!

Barley and Lentil Mujadara Salad

by Ace Nation

Keywords: entree salad vegan barley beans/lentils Middle Eastern

Ingredients

For the Mujadara

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced thinly into half-moons
• 4 cloves garlic, minced finely
• 1 cup brown lentils
• 1 cup barley
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin or 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Kosher salt, to taste

For the Parsley Vinaigrette

• 1/2 bunch parsley
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, more or less depending on your taste
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt, to taste

Instructions

For the Parsley Vinaigrette

Combine parsley, lemon juice, and olive oil in a blender. Blend until smooth. Season to taste with kosher salt.

For the rest of the dish

Cook the barley and lentils separately according to package directions. Set aside when done.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a high-sided skillet over medium-low to medium heat. Add onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until very browned, about 20-25 minutes.

Add garlic to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Set aside when done.

Meanwhile, heat a small and dry pan over medium heat. Toast the spices about 60 seconds. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked barley, lentils, and onion mixture with toasted spices and parsley vinaigrette. Make sure to taste and add more salt if needed. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Enjoy!

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