Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Vegan Feast Kitchen/ 23rd Century Table

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It's the 2nd Big Vegan (by Robin Asbell) Potluck day and I chose to make the Armenian Red Lentil-Apricot Stew with Sesame Rice.  I love Armenian cooking and this sounded like a lovely blend of sweet and savory.  The ingredients for the stew are so colorful!



As Robin mentions in the book, all you need to make this a whole meal is a salad. A bonus is that it's a very easy meal to prepare-- a little chopping, rinsing the lentils, measuring out the spices and that's it, really!

After you get the stew simmering, you can start on the rice:

  Chopping the shallots.

Sauteing the shallots, sesame seeds, and rice kernels before adding the liquid.

My husband and a friend shared this together and were all impressed by the combination of the rice bathed in mild humus flavors (tahini and lemon juice, in addition to the toasted sesame seeds) with the hearty, flavorful stew.  We particularly liked the addition of the dried apricots, which added a real zing to the dish, already redolent of sweet and hot spices and the fragrance of mint. It is actually a perfect autumn meal!




ARMENIAN RED LENTIL-APRICOT STEW WITH SESAME RICE
Serves 6
Red lentils simmer into a creamy stew, piqued with bits of tangy apricot and tender eggplant. The warming spices make it even more delicious, perfect over the sesame-fortified brown rice.

1 cup/250 g red lentils, rinsed
1 medium onion, chopped
14 oz/400 g canned/tinned diced tomatoes
1 small Japanese eggplant/aubergine, peeled and diced
½ cup/85 g dried apricot, chopped
2 tsp paprika
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 cup/30 g chopped fresh parsley
½ cup/15 g fresh mint, chopped
Rice:
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 large shallots, chopped
¼ cup/35 g sesame seeds
1 ½ cups/320 g long-grain brown rice
½ tsp salt
3 tbsp tahini paste
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. In a 4-qt/3.8-L pot, combine 1 qt/960 ml water, the lentils, and onion. Bring them to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

2. Add the eggplant/aubergine, tomatoes, and apricots and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes.

3. When the lentils are falling-apart tender and the vegetables are also tender, add the paprika, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and cayenne and simmer for another 5 minutes to marry the flavors to bring the flavors together. Add the parsley and mint just before serving. Keep the stew warm while cooking the rice.

1. To make the rice: In a 2-qt/2-L pot over medium heat, sauté the shallots in the oil . When the shallots are clear and soft, add the sesame seeds and sauté for 5 minutes.

2. Add 3 cups/720 ml water, the rice, and salt. Bring them to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover. Check after 35 minutes. When all the water has been absorbed, remove the pot from the heat and let it sit, covered, to finish steaming the rice, 5 to 10 minutes.

3. In a small cup, stir together the tahini and lemon juice, then fold them into the rice. Serve the rice hot with a ladleful of stew on top.

Robin Asbell http://robincooksveg.wordpress.com/
Author of Big Vegan (Chronicle Books, Fall 2011)

Click here to follow Big Vegan's virtual potluck and get more of Robin's recipes.


Enjoy!

The Italian "black kale" (sometimes known as "Tuscan kale" or "dinosaur kale") patch in our tiny garden

I have to confess-- I am a terrible gardener! I love harvesting the fruits of the garden, but not growing them. However, we live on an island of gardeners, so there's no problem getting fresh, organic produce this time of year. But, DH (who also doesn't like gardening much) always grows tomatoes and a few other things in our small garden. This year, the greens are just unbelievable! The kale and chard (2 kinds of each) are unstoppable! We are eating them almost every day, in large quantities. That's a good thing-- in my opinion, you can't eat enough greens!

I usually just stir-fry ribbons of either one with a little olive oil, salt and garlic (no liquid-- they exude their own) until wilted-- absolutely divine! but yesterday I wanted to try something different. So I found an unusual recipe for a pilaf with more greens than grains ( 1 lb. greens) in it and decided to give it a try.

The recipe is from Food & Wine magazine, but created by Paula Wolfert, author several books, two of which are well-loved-- "The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean" and "Mediterranean Grains and Greens". These books are not vegetarian, but there are lots of recipes and ideas for vegans, and the books are highly readable.

The recipe has an unusual, but easy, cooking method. Very little water (1/2 a cup) is added, but the mixture steams slowly and uses the natural liquid from the greens to moisten the dish, so it's very nutritious, as well as delicious. I believe it's a Turkish dish.

One of the ingredients needed for the dish is a Turkish red pepper paste, and I used a quick recipe of Ms. Wolfert's.

I wanted something to go with the pilaf, so I chose a recipe for Turkish Red Lentil "Burgers" (patties, really), that I had made before, from fatfreevegan.com. I added a sauce utilizing the red pepper paste. (Recipes below.) It was a wonderful summer dinner!



Not a great shot-- sorry! When I microwaved the leftovers today for lunch, the bulgur expanded some more, so maybe I should have let it cook longer. But it was good both ways!

This is a traditional Palestinian dish, little known in Western circles. I've been wanting to try it for some time, and this week, busy with lots of different things, it seemed like an easy meal-- and it was! I've seen this recipe here and there on the 'Net, and I didn't change it, but I was little more exact with the measurements. It is simple and homey, not terribly attractive, but we really liked it. The browned, or caramelized, onions really make this dish, visually and taste-wise. I've noticed that many Middle Eastern home-style dishes utilize browned onions as a topping. I think it was, and still is, an inexpensive and clever way to add flavor and color to otherwise very simple dishes. The recipes seem to indicate that this dish is served at room temperature, but we ate it hot. Do try this!

Printable Recipe

RISHTAYE (RED LENTIL AND PASTA RAGOUT WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS) 
Serves 3

1 cup red split lentils (orange lentils)
100 gms (about 3 1/2 oz.) egg-free tagliatelle or linguine pasta (flat)
4 cups (1 qt.) water
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
Garnish:
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 Tbs olive oil or other favorite oil
1 tsp. sumac (see notes about this lemony-tasting spice here), available in Middle Eastern stores, specialty spice markets, delicatessens, and many bulk food stores (Bulk Barn here in Canada)

Place the lentils and the tagliatelle in a deep pan (I used a stir-fry pan) with 3 cups of the water. Add the salt and cumin. When the water starts to boil start stirring, adding the last cup of water whenever the water level becomes minimal, until the mixture turns into a homogeneous thick broth-like mixture. This process should take about 15 minutes of stirring the mixture over medium heat off and on-- but keep an eye on it.

While it cooked, I browned the onions in a large skillet in the olive oil (you may need a bit more) over medium heat, stirring often. (Use a well-seasoned cast iron, stainless steel, or carbon steel skillet, or nonstick.) You want them to end up deep brown and a little crispy.  I was not patient enough to do it in the traditional Middle Eastern way, and also wanted to use less oil, so I used Mark Bittman's easier method.  (PS: If NYTimes blocks you, use the link in an incognito window.)

Pour the lentil mixture into 3 flat pasta bowls. Top with the caramelized onions, then sprinkle with sumac.  Serve with green olives, salad, or spring onions and radish.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 421.1 calories; 13% calories from fat; 6.6g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 643.6mg sodium; 553.8mg potassium; 71.3g carbohydrates; 8.9g fiber; 3.5g sugar; 62.4g net carbs; 21.1g protein; 8.2 points.

Enjoy!

Cold Red lentil & Bulgur Kibbeh in Lettuce Cups with a grapefruit salad

UPDATE Aug 3, 2011: It just occurred to me (duh!) that these are a form of kibbeh (see here for info on kibbeh), so I've changed the name of the recipe.  

ALSO, I  had some of the mixture leftover this week, and I tried making small patties out of it and browning them in a pan-- delish!  See the recipe below for instructions and more pics.














I adapted this (with what I had in the house) from a salad recipe in "Eating Well" magazine. I thought I had ruined it because I over-cooked the split lentils, so that they were mushy (to be fair-- this is very easy to do, since they cook so quickly!). The salad kind of stuck together like a pâté. So, I cooled it in the refrigerator and hoped for the best. It was more solid than a salad would be, so I decided to roll balls of it (loose balls) and nestle them in the beautiful butter lettuce that we had just purchased here on Denman from Piercy Farm. Served with a bit more lettuce topped with juicy sliced grapefruit and olives (with a couple of sundried tomatoes on the side) in a balsamic vinaigrette, it was a filling and easy dinner for a hot summer evening! It was also delicious-- DH loved it!

In the following picture, I served the kibbeh with a roasted potato salad with edamame and grape tomatoes.



Printable Recipe

COLD RED LENTIL & BULGUR SALAD KIBBEH WITH DRIED FRUIT IN BUTTER LETTUCE CUPS, AND HOT KIBBEH PATTY VARIATION 
6 servings 

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup bulgur wheat (medium or #2)
1/2 cup split red lentils
1/4 tsp salt 
1/2 cup chopped pitted dates (You can use 1/2 dates and 1/2 prunes, if you wish.)
1/2 cup chopped pitted dried apricots (You can use 1/2 apricots and 1/2 dried cranberries, if you wish.) 
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
2 Tbs aquafaba or Fat-Free Oil Substitute for Salad Dressings (You can use olive oil, if you prefer, but the calories and fat will go up.) 
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbs grated lime zest (You can use lemon instead if you don't have limes.)
Optional: 1/4 cup dry-toasted cashews, chopped
FOR SERVING:
1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated, cleaned, spun and crisped well in the refrigerator 

Basil Mayo: lowfat vegan mayonnaise blended with fresh basil and a bit of garlic to taste.

Instructions:

Bring water, cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a small saucepan; stir in bulgur, remove from the heat, cover the pan and set aside until the water has been absorbed, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, combine lentils and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a saucepan; add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a simmer and cook until the lentils are mushy, like dahl, and don't drain them.

Add lentils, dried fruit, parsley, mint, lime juice and zest, and optional cashews and oil (if using) to the bulgur. Toss well and chill for several hours.

When ready to serve, scoop out lumps of the mixture, roll them into balls and place them in crisp leaves of butter lettuce to serve, along with a dollop of Basil Mayo (lowfat vegan mayonnaise blended with fresh basil and a bit of garlic to taste).

VARIATION-- HOT KIBBEH PATTIES:
Form the chilled balls into small patties and fry over medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet  or a well-seasoned cast iron, carbon steel or stainless steel skillet, sprayed with oil from a pump sprayer, until golden brown and crispy on both sides.  

Eat hot (minus the lettuce) with the basil Mayo Enjoy!

The above picture is a portrait of my Peruvian (paternal) grandmother, Clotilde Roncagliolo de Urbina, painted in the 1950's by my mother, Eve Tonge Urbina. I have it hanging on my wall, but one of my Peruvian cousins recently asked for a copy of it, which is why I took a photo of it. My mother was a professional portrait artist and her father, Gilbert Tonge, was a well-known California artist and muralist.

Spice Island Vegan, who has met my mother, wondered what my mother looked like when she was young (see photo of her now, at age 88), so I'm adding (Sept. 25) a photo I came across recently of the Urbinas when my family visited Peru in 1954. I believe this was taken at Christmas.


My parents are on far right of the picture, my father, Alejandro, standing, and my mother sitting in front of him (she's very obviously the non-Peruvian!). My grandmother is in the very center, holding a baby (I don't know who this was). I (age 6) am in the second row, third from the left, with barrettes in my hair; my sister Karin (age 7) is in the first row, far right.


Our sister and brother kitties, Tina and Ringo. Ringo looks oh-so-dignified, doesn't he?

Now for the food...I'm not going to tease you with more newsletter stuff, which is mostly what I have been cooking. Below are photos and descriptions of some of the more simple meals we've been having this week:


Chikn Pot Pie

This is a recipe from the Dec 04/Jan 05 Vegan Feast newsletter, but I used a biscuit topping-- actually, plain version of the scone dough I posted here. I used only 1 T. sugar, and no additions except a tsp. of dried basil.



The filling consists of SoyCurls, which are tender TVP-like morsels made from the whole soybeans (and they really have the taste and texture of chicken), with a creamy gravy, green soybeans, sweet potato, etc.. The original recipe calls for fennel and leeks, but I didn't have any, so I used celery and onion. It was still good!





Actually, my husband goes nuts over it!


Grape Focaccia

This is a recipe from the Oct/Nov 04 Vegan Feast newsletter, but you don't really need a recipe. I happened to be making pizza that day, so I made extra dough just to make this with some organic grapes I was given. It's one of my favorite Autumn treats! Basically, use your favorite pizza or focaccia dough (if you use pizza dough, make it thicker than a pizza), let it rise for 1/2 an hour in the pan, then "dimple" the dough with your finger tips and place grapes on top (green or red, preferably seedless). I squish the grapes in my hands a bit to make them exude their juice. Then sprinkle with sugar-- it can be coarse if you like. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 25 minutes. Eat hot...yum!


Italian Sausage Stew

This was a real spur-of-the-moment thing. I just sauteed a sliced onion, orange bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, a few mushrooms, lots of garlic, and two sliced Tofurkey Italian Veggie Sausages in a little olive oil with 4 medium garden-fresh tomatoes (two red and two yellow). I simmered it for about 10 minutes. I added about 1/2 cup of dry red wine, a handful of fresh basil, and salt and pepper. At the last minute I added some sliced sundried tomatoes and kalamata olives, but I think that was overkill. It was actually a bit too rich-tasting! The leftovers made a geat bruschetta topping, though!


Red lentil and Tofu Curry with a sort of Indian-style "salsa".

This was a recipe I copied down from a June 1999 Gourmet magazine a long time ago and always meant to try. It was pretty quick to make, and I served it with basmati rice and a sort of Indian "salsa" made from red and yellow diced tomatoes from our garden, green onions, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and homemade plain soy yogurt (that was good!).

The curry was pretty dull, so I jazzed it up as I went along. It was tasty in the end, and certainly cheap!

Printable Recipe

RED LENTIL AND TOFU CURRY, BRYANNA'S VERSION
Serves 2 or 3 with rice

1 small onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2" piece of ginger, grated
1 T. olive oil
1/2 cup split red lentils
3 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T. olive oil
1/2 lb. firm tofu, in 1/2" dice
1 tsp. tumeric
1/2 tsp. EACH curry powder, ground cumin, salt, mustard powder, paprika
1/4 tsp. EACH ground cloves and coriander
pinch cayenne (or to taste)
a small cinnamon stick
2 T. lemon juice

Saute the onion, garlic, and ginger in the first T. oil until the onion is softened. Add to the red lentils, wit the water and first 1/2 tsp. salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, or until the red lentils have softened.

Meanwhile, heat the second T. of oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the tofu and all of the spices (except the cinnamon stick). Sate until the tofu is coated with the spices.



Stir the tofu into the lentil mixture and add the cinnamon stick. Simmer at medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture cooks down to a thick stew-like mixture, being careful not to let it scorch. remove the cinnamon stick and discard, and stir in the lemon juice before serving.


Enjoy!