Potage of Lentils

This is a slightly modified version of the Israeli recipe of Marlena Spieler, in Jewish Cooking. London: Hermes House, 2003.

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1-2 carrots, sliced

8 garlic cloves, chopped

1 potato, peeled and diced

a generous cup (250 grams) of red or green lentils

4 cups vegetable stock (a little more water if needed)

2 bay (also called laurel) leaves

juice of 1 or 2 lemons

½ to 1 teaspoon ground cumin, to taste

cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce, to taste (I omit this if young children are to eat the soup)

salt and ground black pepper (or lemon pepper)

lemon slices and chopped fresh flat leaf parsley or cilantro to garnish

• Heat the oil in a large pan.
• Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, or until softened.
• Stir in the carrots, half the garlic and the potato. Cook for a few minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. 
• Add the lentils and stock to the pan and bring to the boil.
• Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the potato and lentils are tender.
• Add a little water if it looks like the mixture is too dry.
• Add the bay leaves, the remaining garlic, and half the lemons to the pan and cook the soup for a further 10 minutes.
• Remove the bay leaves. Squeeze the juice from the remaining lemons, then stir into the soup, to taste.
• Pour the soup into a food processor or blender and process. (You may need to do this in batches. I like to leave the soup a little chunky, though the original recipe says process until smooth.)
• Pour the soup back into the pan, stir in the cumin and the cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Ladle the soup into bowls and top each portion with a slice of lemon and a sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley or cilantro.

On a hot day, serve this soup cold with even more lemon juice.

Tabouli Salad

This is a Lebanese salad that I often serve with Indonesian Lamb Satay

½ cup bulgur wheat

5 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

3 green onions, finely chopped

3 bunches fresh parsley, finely chopped (5 cups)

6 sprigs fresh mint leaves, finely chopped (about ⅓ cup)

1 cucumber, sliced thin

2 teaspoons salt

½ cup lemon juice

½ cup olive oil

• Rinse bulgur wheat; soak in cold water for about half an hour or until softened and expanded. Drain well. 
• Mix together the tomatoes, green onions, cucumber, parsley, and mint. 
• Add salt, lemon juice and olive oil and mix together. 
• Pour this over the bulgur wheat and mix. 
• Refrigerate for 4-6 hours. 
• Adjust seasoning and serve.

Indonesian Lamb Satay

One of my most popular dishes. I often serve it with tabouli (which is Middle Eastern, not Indonesian), but it can also be served with rice.

Serves 8-10 people.

July 2002 - in Podgorica, Montenegro

Half a leg of lamb (about 3 pounds). A full leg of lamb if you are serving more people. (In this case, double the recipe for the marinade/sauce.) Have the butcher bone the lamb and cut it into small chunks. You, then, simply have to cut the meat into one-inch cubes, trimming away any fat or gristle.

Marinade

½ cup Indonesian soy sauce (or  ½ cup regular soy sauce plus 1 teaspoon of dark molasses)

1 teaspoon of ground hot red pepper (vary according to taste).

¾ cup hot water

½  cup chunky peanut butter (if you prefer, you can reduce the amount of peanut butter to 1/3 cup and add ½ cup ground dry roasted peanuts)

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

juice of a lemon

• Combine all the ingredients for the marinade and bring to a boil in a saucepan, stirring until smooth.
• Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature
• Use half the sauce to marinade the meat or chicken, reserving the remainder of the sauce. Turn meat in the marinade from time to time.
• Marinade the lamb in half the sauce for at least an hour, Skewer lamb on small wooden skewers.
• Cook lamb over charcoal, if possible, otherwise, under the broiler. Do not overcook. Turn the meat as it is cooking. Each skewer should take no more than 5 minutes.
• Serve with hot peanut sauce.

 Additional ingredients for sauce

1 cup tomato sauce

juice of another lemon

1 teaspoon tobasco sauce

¼ cup water or stock

• To the rest of the sauce, add ¼  cup water or stock (beef, chicken or vegetable), the tomato sauce, the juice of another lemon and the tobasco sauce.
• In a small saucepan, bring the ingredients to a boil – and then remove from the heat.
• Adjust seasoning – you can add more lemon juice, more tobasco sauce.
• Serve sauce as an accompaniment to the skewered lamb or chicken.

Pork Tenderloin with Sticky Lime Glaze

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup liquid honey (or sweet pomegranate paste)
2 teaspoons grated lime rind
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 small onion, finely diced
2 tbsp minced ginger root
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 pork tenderloins (about 12 oz or 375 grams each)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• In large glass bowl, whisk together soy sauce, honey, lime rind, lime juice, onion, ginger, garlic and pepper. [This can be made ahead of time, covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.]
• Add pork, turning to coat. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Drain pork, reserving marinade.
• In large ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown pork
• Pour in marinade and bring to boil; boil for 1 minute.  (If marinade seems a little too thick, add a little water.)
• Roast in 400°F (200°C) oven until juices run clear when pork is pierced and just a hint of pink remains inside, about 18 minutes.
• Transfer to cutting board and tent with foil; let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
• Arrange on platter; pour sauce over top. 

From a recipe by Rheanna Kish and The Canadian Living Test Kitchen, found on the web.