Persian Rice With Fresh Fava Bean (Broad Bean)

I love fava bean (Broad bean), I would never get tired of eating it, especially when I make this dish (tagine of fava and artichoke) that tastes so delicious even a non vegetarian will devour it. All my family enjoy it so much that I make it on a regular basis. I just realize how pricey it is when you buy fresh fava in a farmer's market or supermarket, even when it's in season. This is the reason why I grow fava beans in my vegetable garden, plus it has other benefit too, it can be use as green manure. Fava bean along with other legume family are great nitrogen fixation, the nodules in their roots systems contain bacteria (rhizobia), which producing nitrogen compound that helps plants to grow. So, when this plants die, the fix nitrogen then released which fertilized and add organic nutrient to the soil. Some people grow this plants just for that reason alone. It is the easiest and cheapest way to add organic matter to my garden, and you get to enjoy the tasty bean too. Persian Rice With Fresh fava bean ~elra~ 2 cups Basmati rice 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 2 cups fresh shelled fava beans 1 tbs advieh, recipe follows turmeric salt and pepper 2 cups loosely chopped mix fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, mint and lemon basil) ¼ cup dried dill, or ½ cup if using fresh dill 2 tbs olive oil 1 lavash bread, optional Wash the rice until the water is clear, then soak with clean water and 1 tablespoon of salt while you are preparing the fava beans. Fry onion with 1 tablespoon olive oil until soft and translucent, add garlic, fava bean, advieh, turmeric, a few tablespoon of water, salt and pepper. Cook until fava bean is soft, add the fresh herb including dill, stir, taste to see if need more seasoning. Cook just until the herb are wilted, then take out from the heat. Boil 6 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of salt. Drain the rice, the add it to the boiling water, stirring gently with wooden spoon to release any grain that stuck on the bottom. Cook for 10 minutes, bite a few grains to see if rice is done, it should feel soft. Drain into a large fine-mesh colander. Heat a large nonstick pan over low heat, add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, lay lavash bread on the bottom if using, add half of the rice, all fava bean, then top with remaining rice. Wrap a clean kitchen towel over the lid, cover the pan tightly with this lid to prevent the steam to escape. Cook the rice for about 10 to 20 minutes. Advieh for Rice adapted from Najmieh Batmanglij 2 tbs ground dried rose petals 2 tbs ground cinnamon 2 tbs ground cardamom 1 tbs ground cumin mix all ingredients together, transfer to a airtight container.

Manoushi Bread Stuffed With Spiced Lamb

The recipe is basically a simple Manoushi bread that I stuffed with spiced lamb. I also wanted to try to cook some of the batch on a grill just to experiment with the flavor. I think it was as good as the one cooked from the oven. But, my family preferred the one from the oven since it was a lot more pillowy, yet still has that chewy texture that they like so much. If you like, you can make this recipe into one large stuffed bread, just divide the dough into two portions, make into circles, place the lamb filling in one circle, and top with another circle. Pinch the two dough together to seal them. Then adjust the baking time accordingly. I am also sending this to "yeast spotting" at Susan's blog. Manoushi Bread Stuffed With Spiced Lamb ~elra~ 1 recipe for manoushi bread 1 pound ground lamb 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 garlic, minced 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground ginger 1 - 1½ cups roughly chopped mint 3 green onion, chopped ½ cup chopped parsley salt and pepper to taste 1 tbs olive oil Follow the recipe for making manoushi bread up to the 2nd step. Fry onion with 1 tablespoon olive oil until soft, add garlic, cumin, coriander, and ginger, fry for another few seconds. Add the ground lamb, stir and break the lump with the back of a wooden spoon. Continue to cook for about 10 t 15 minutes, add mint, green onion, parsley, salt and pepper, give another quick stir, taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Turn off the heat and cool completely. Place the baking stone on a lowest rack of your oven, preheat to 450⁰F. Flip the dough over on a lightly floured counter top, divide into 12 portions, lightly dust with flour. Roll out each dough to about 6 inches circle, or any shape you like. Add a few tablespoons lamb or, as much as you can fill in, top with another dough, pinch to seal. Save any left over lamb filling for other use. Slide into the hot oven, and bake directly on top of the stone for about 5 minutes. If you want to make it on top of the griddle, preheat your griddle on a medium high heat, grill for about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Serve immediately.

Roasted Leg of Lamb With Garlic & Rosemary, Serve With Summer Vegetable Tian

I am very sure that most of you made roasted lamb with garlic and rosemary before. It is one of those classic dish that is very simple to prepare, yet delicious and nicely presentable for gathering with friends and family. I made this lamb for a family gathering during memorial day, and served it with popover, my son's favorite tomato rice pilaf, and summer vegetable tian. I also made fresh corn and avocado salad.

Roasted leg of Lamb With Garlic and Rosemary

~elra~

1 (4 lb) boneless leg of lamb

1 head of garlic, separate the bulbs and peel of the skin

a bunch of rosemary, cur into small pieces

salt and pepper

½ cup red wine

½ cup water

2 tbs honey

• Using a sharp pointy knife, pierce all over the skin in random places, insert one clove of garlic and some rosemary half way down into each slit. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in a preheated oven at 400⁰F for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350⁰F for continue to roast for one hour for rare (internal thermometer register 145⁰F). Or, adjust the cooking time to your liking until internal temperature of the meat is 160⁰F for medium rare, or 170⁰F for well done.

• Transfer to a serving plate, cover loosely with aluminum foil. Let it rest for about 5 to 10 minutes before carving. Meanwhile, make the gravy by placing the roasting pan on top of the stove over medium heat. Deglaze the pan by adding red wine and water. bring to a boil, add honey, adjust seasoning if needed. let the it simmer for 5 minutes, strain into a sauce bowl. Carve the lamb and serve.

Summer Vegetable Tian

~elra~

I don't think you will need the exact amount of each vegetable that goes into this dish. As you can see the dish is very easy to make, and doesn't require a lot of ingredients. Use vegetable that is available in summer, such as eggplant, tomato, and zucchini. All you need to do is to slice them into thin circles, layering between tomato, eggplant, tomato, zucchini, tomato and so on. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. I also like to add a little bit of chicken stock or white wine to keep it moist. You can also add some herb of your choice if you like, thyme or tarragon will make this dish even more delicious. Bake in a preheated at 375⁰F for about 30 to 45 minutes, or until vegetable are cooked and soft.

Roasted Cornish hen Stuffed With Dried Figs, Walnut And Sumac Serve With Tomato Rice Pilaf

Very light chicken dish that doesn't require a lot of time in preparation. I like to use cornish hens as usual because it is much lighter and tastier then the regular roasting chicken. The funny thing is, although I don't really care much of the dried one, for some reason, I always have dried figs in my pantry, I am not sure why. I know for sure that, I am crazy with fresh fig, I can eat tons of these exotic fruit in one sitting. Anyway, when I tried to make this dish, I thought it would be nice to add some dried figs, and hoping it would be a hit in my family. I am glad it did! My family enjoyed this new chicken dish that I created for them. I am not sure if it had anything to do with other ingredients, but everything seemed too balance each other. So, you'll be the judge and let me know if you like it as well, okay?

Roasted Cornish Hen Stuffed With Dried Figs, Walnut And Sumac

~elra~

Serve 4

2 small cornish hens (total weight about 2¾ pounds)

5 dried figs

¼ cup chopped walnut

2 tbs pomegranate molasses

3 tbs olive oil

2½ tsp sumac

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Freshly chopped parsley, optional

• Preheat oven to 400⁰F

• Wash cornish hen under cold running water, pat dry with paper towel. Set on a baking pan.

• Pureed the dried fig on a food processor, transfer to a small bowls and add chopped walnut, pomegranate molasses, 2 tablespoon olive oil, 2 teaspoon sumac, freshly ground black pepper, and salt. Mix to combine. Stuff this mixture into the cavity of each hen, including under the breast skins. Drizzle with remaining olive oil, and sprinkle with sumac about ¼ teaspoon on each hen.

• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the hens are completely done. Serve with tomato rice pilaf and vegetable of your choice

Tomato Rice Pilaf

Recipe adapted from "Arabesque" Claudia Roden

Serve 4

1½ cups basmati rice

1 pound ripe tomatoes, peeled

1 chicken bouillon cube

2 tsp sugar (I didn't use any)

salt and black pepper

½ stick butter (4 tablespoon) butter, cut into small pieces

• Wash the rice with clean water for a few times until the water is starting to get clear, then soak in the water for a few minutes.

• Quarter the tomatoes, remove the hard white bits near the stem end, then puree in a food processor. Measure the resulting tomato puree and add enough water so you have 2⅔ cups. Pour into a pan, crumbled in the bouillon cube, sugar (if using), salt and pepper, then bring to a oil.

• Add the rice to the pan, stir well. Cover the pan, and simmer on low heat for 18 to 20 minutes until the rise is tender and all the liquid absorbed. Add butter pieces, and fluff with fork. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.