The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) out and about! (S) take n bake pizza
Sun (L) leftover soup and grilled cheese (S) Dad's B-day dinner (chicken and squash)
Mon (bkgrp) For the Husband: leftover pizza
Tues - leftover chicken and squash
Wed - Better than take-out Noodles
Thurs (yoga) - leftover take out Noodles
Fri - leftover noodles
Lunches: sandwiches (Husband); Lentil and barley soup (me)
Two recipes from the Falastin cook book - I'm going to point you toward the library for the full recipes. It's a lot to type out. So very much to type out...
Roasted Squash and Zucchini with whipped Feta and Pistachios (Falastin cookbook)
Recipe Blurb: This is great as either a starter or as part of a spread. It also works as a side dish, served alongside meatballs or roast chicken. Use yellow zucchini if you can; the clash of color looks great wiht the butternut squash.
I was making the roast chicken dish [below] and thought this would be a good side dish. I had half a butternut squash in the fridge, the flavors would compliment, so why not?
When all was said and served, *I* didn't care for this as made. I found the room temperature squash off-putting over the cheese mixture. My Folks claimed they liked it a lot while the Husband was quiet on the subject, which tells me he thought it was so-so.
So! For the leftovers, I warmed up the squash, put a dollop of the cheese mix on top and sprinkled with pistachios. Much better. If I were to make this again, I would offer the cheese on the side and make sure the squash was piping hot.
Speaking of leftovers, that's one thing I am finding with the side dishes in this cookbook - many sides are not meant to be leftovers. As a household of two, that's something I need to take into account.
Lemon Chicken with Za'atar (Falastin cookbook)
Recipe blurb: As anyone who as cooked the chicken sheet-pan recipes from Sami's previous cookbook - Ottolenghi: The Cookbook and Jerusalem - knows, the secret weapon behind so many (seemingly) effortless dinners is a make-ahead chicken dish that can just be put into the oven when needed. All the work is done in advance, which means that at dinnertime there is little fuss, and happy feasting.
This was easy and very good. As the blurb noted, this is a make ahead dish. The chicken should marinate a minimum of two hours or overnight. I did about 6 hours and it was about perfect. I assembled the whole dish at that point and set aside in the fridge and pulled out about an hour and a half before cooking to bring close to room temp.
Everyone enjoyed this - the tart lemon, sweet onion, and flavorful za'atar are a fantastic combination. My only comment is cutting the garlic heads in half didn't do much that I could tell - the dish doesn't bake long enough to allow the garlic to soften. When I make this again (and I plan to!) I will use individual peeled cloves and toss right into the dish.
Baklava (source unknown, found it on the internet years ago)
And to round out the meal I made baklava. No, not quite Palestinian, but the flavor profile was close enough for me and, honestly? I was craving a pan of baklava and I had made this recipe at least once before.
Baklava is easy enough - finely grind nuts with orange zest and brown sugar, set aside. Make a simple syrup of orange juice, honey, sugar and water, set aside. Now the putzy part - slather melted butter over 6-8 sheets of phyllo dough one at a time, stack, put in a baking sheet. Put nuts on top, repeat with remaining 6-8 sheets of phyllo. Score, bake, and pour the last of the syrup when it comes out of the oven. Enjoy!
Lot's of recipe on the internet with variations on spices and flavorings. Find one that grabs your fancy and give it a go!
Persian Barley-Lentil Soup with Spinach (modified from Milk Street: Fast and Slow) vegetarian
This was very good. I ended up making this in the morning so the "50 minutes" start to finish is accurate. I kinda felt like I should have slammed the kitchen towel to the floor while shouting "Bo-YAH!" and dancing around when done. Alas, didn't have the time - toss into a to-go container and run out the door.
This is a very hearty and comforting vegetarian soup that uses ingredients on hand. I did have to buy a lime and the veggie broth. Normally I would substitute chicken broth as I make that, but I didn't have enough this go around. I subbed kale from the garden for the spinach, making sure to chop into bite sized pieces. This was great for lunch during the workweek, and would be delishious after skiing or for company with some artisnal bread or flatbread.
Made about 6 servings.
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion
2 medium carrots, diced
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
4 bay leaves
salt/pepper
1 tbsp grated lime zest
3 tbsp lime juice
3/4 pearled barley
1/2 brown or green lentils
1 1/2 qts vegetable broth
4 cups (3 oz) baby spinach chopped (I used kale)
1 cup cilantro
For the Instant Pot: Select SAUTE/HIGH. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, tomato paste, bay leaves, and 1 tsp salt. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime zest, barley, lentils, and broth, scraping up any browned bits.
Cancel SAUTE. Lock lid in place and move pressure valve to sealing. Select PRESSURE COOK/HIGH. Set cooking time for 15 mintues. When pressure cooking is complete, quick release the steam by opening the vent. Press cancel and open.
Remove and discard the bay leaves. Stir in the greens. Serve drizzled with olive oil, a dollup of plain yogurt, and extra limes.
Rice Pilaf with Spiced Beef and Veggies (greatly modified from Milk Street Fast and Slow
Whoo-boy. I really did NOT do due diligance and visually check to see that I had everything on hand for this one. I *thought* I did...I did not. That bag of basmati rice? Not enough. That box of golden raisins? Was a box of spice mix for guacamole. I already knew I was subbing frozen mixed veggies for the green beans.
I did take issue with the directions calling to cook the meat till no longer pink, which is impossible to tell when covered in cinnamon, turmeric and tomato paste. I just went for 5 minutes. Then I had problems with the meat mixture burning to the bottom of the pot. At least I'm assuming it's the meat mixture. I shut off the pot, set a separate timer for the amount of time left, and let the internal pressure do it's thing. Worked perfectly.
So some major alterations and one very tasty dish. The Husband went back for seconds.
Serves 4-6
8 oz 85% lean ground beef (I used bear meat)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 3/4 tsp tumeric
salt/pepper
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
8 oz mixed veggies, thawed
1 1/2 cups brown basmati, white basmati, or white rice (I used a mix of white basmati and white rice) rince and drain the rice
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup raisins
In a medium bowl, combine meat, tomato paste, cinnamon, turmeric, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Set aside.
Using an Instant Pot, select MEDIUM/NORMAL SAUTE. Add 1 tbsp oil, heat to shimmering, add veggies and cook until lightly browned. Set aside. Add 1 tbsp oil and heat to shimmering. Add the meat mixture and cook until the meat is no longer pink (good luck trying to figure that out when the meat is covered in tomaot sauce - but it's about 5 minutes). Press CANCEL. Stir in the water, rice and the raisins, gently scraping the bottom to release any brown bits.
Lock the lind in place and set the valve to SEAL. Select PRESSURE COOK and HIGH. Set time for 22 minutes. **IF you get a BURNED signal, turn off the pressure cooker, set a separate timer for the amount of time remaining.
When cooking is finished, quick release by VENTING. Press CANCEL. Open pot, give the rice mixture a good stir to fluff. Add the veggies and close the lid. Let stand for 5-10 minutes. When time is up, stir in veggies and serve.
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