Carrots & Chickpeas in Chermoula Sauce

Tags

AOVE, carrots, cauliflower, Chermoula, chickpeas, Cooking, EVOO, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Nancy Harmon Jenkins, National Vegetarian Week 2017, Olive Oil, Salad, Spain, Summer, Vegetarian, Virgin Territory

We began National Vegetarian Week with a Nancy Harmon Recipe (see Chocolate Brownies here) and will end with another recipe from the fabulous Virgin Territory.  I tested this out first on my hubby and used a mixture of carrots and cauliflower, because I didn’t have enough of either and Nancy does say you can use other vegetables. Then, we were having a drinks evening and I tested this on my guests (made entirely with carrots, chopped more finely) and the result was equally satisfying both times – lots of oohs, aahs and compliments.  

Ingredients:

1kg carrots, washed or peeled

¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Red wine or water

1 cup cooked chickpeas

1 cup cooked, chopped, spicy or bitter greens (optional, I opted not to)

Chermoula

3 garlic cloves, crushed with the flat blade of a knife

1 bunch cilantro (coriander)

1/3 cup finely minced flat-leaf parsley

1tsp harissa or to taste

1tsp sea salt

1tsp Spanish pimento dulce (mild sweet paprika)

1tsp ground toasted cumin seeds

½ tsp ground toasted coriander seeds

Pinch of saffron

½ cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon/red wine vinegar – or more to taste

Ground hot red chilli pepper (optional)

Method:

To make the carrots: Chop the carrots into irregular 2” chunks and put into a saucepan over a medium heat with the ¼ cup of EVOO. Stir and cook until the carrots start to brown on the edges. Nancy says to cover the carrots with red wine or water and cook partially covered until just tender – 10-15 minutes. I added enough red wine to cover the bottom of the pan, put the lid on and kept an eye on them, topping up the wine as needed for 10 minutes but that’s because I couldn’t bear the thought of then draining away the red wine!  

To make the chermoula: Chop the garlic, coriander and parsley together to make a very fine mince. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the harissa, salt (I used a little less than ½ tsp), paprika, cumin and coriander (I just used ground rather than grinding my own). Crumble the saffron into the mixture and beat in the oil and lemon (I used apple vinegar as it’s all I had apart from balsamic which I thought would be too strong). Taste and adjust the seasoning adding more harissa or some chilli pepper if liked but be careful not to overpower the flavour of carrots.  

Assembly: Nancy says to drain the carrots and while still hot pour the chermoula over. Stir gently and set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes before adding the cooked chickpeas and spicy greens if using. However, I didn’t drain the carrots, as explained earlier, but added the chickpeas to the pan and then stirred in the chermoula and left to cool before serving. It tasted absolutely delicious and the chickpeas had also soaked up some of the chermoula flavours. It’s up to you which method you choose. If you find an easier method that tastes as good, do let me know though, I’m all for ease of preparation! (And yes, I used precooked chickpeas – although in Spain they come in a glass jar and are much more like home cooked)

I hope you’ve enjoyed receiving these daily EVOO recipes as much as I’ve enjoyed testing, tasting and sharing them.  Please do comment and send me pics if you’ve tried any of them.  Next week, we’re back to normal – only one blog – which is a relief, it’s hard this virtual work you know!  Coming soon I’ve got a review of three wonderful AOVE’s (Extra Virgin in Spanish!) from Ya En Tu Casa, a magnificent deli in Vejer where you can be enthused by the fabulous owners Claudia and Diego, sample various products and they’ll even ship them home for you.  Watch this space!

Hasta pronto chicos,

Karen

 

 

 

A Veggie Spanish Breakfast

Tags

Andalucia, AOVE, baguette, Barbate, Barcelona, Breakfast, cafe con leche, Cooking, EVOO, garlic, holidays, honey, National Vegetarian Week 2017, Olive Oil, Spain, toast, tomatoes, Tostado con tomate y aceite de oliva, Vegetarian

Whilst there are many different variations on this basic dish of bread with tomato and olive oil, known as Tostado con tomate y aceite de oliva in the region of Andalucía where we’ve been living (pa am tomàquet in Barcelona), I’m amazed that it isn’t more widely enjoyed in the UK as the ingredients are all readily available and it’s healthy, refreshing and infinitely adaptable. We do have a bit of a thing perhaps about sweet breakfasts but there’s even an answer to that in the nearby coastal town of Barbate. But I’ll get to that in a minute. 

The basic recipe calls for bread – rolls, ciabatta style, baguette, white, wholemeal, pretty much any bread you want except sliced loaf bread, although I think fresh flat  soft rolls are best. Cut the roll in half and toast on the cut side only.
Serve warm with a bottle of good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a small bowl of very finely chopped fresh tomato (I use a mezzaluna and ripe, red tomatoes at room temperature) for diners to make up their own proportions. You can sprinkle the tomatoes with fresh or dried oregano if you like.  Usually the bread is stabbed all over with a knife, lashings of EVOO drizzled over, followed by the tomato and sea salt. Being a bit of a girlie, I tear mine into two-bite sized pieces before adding the EVOO etc. as described above. Usually this is served with a strong café con leche (espresso with hot milk) and maybe a freshly squeezed orange juice. Ah, can’t you just smell ‘holidays’? 

Variations include simply rubbing the toasted bread with a peeled and cut garlic clove and half a tomato before sprinkling with EVOO. And, although I’d heard it’s popular I’ve never seen this served anywhere except Barbate (where General Franco used to spend his holidays apparently!) – extra virgin olive oil and HONEY! Seriously, give this a try it’s genuinely really good – especially if you need a sweet hit first thing in the morning, and the EVOO will still be good for you!

 

Mayo Magic

Tags

Cooking, EVOO, Italy, mayonnaise, Mediterranean Diet, National Vegetarian Week 2017, Olive Oil, roasted vegetables, Vegetarian

There are thousands of recipes for mayonnaise and many of you will have your own favourite.  I confess though I’ve never really been tempted to make mayo as we don’t use it very often.  However, as part of the Olive Oil Sommelier course in Italy, Mauro ran a session on food pairing with EVOO and whipped up this mayonnaise in a matter of minutes.  It’s truly the simplest thing to make and this recipe is absolutely delicious.  I’m sure it’s also an old family recipe, handed down from generation to generation – just not my family though! 

Ingredients:

1 egg

½ lemon

A generous pinch of salt

2 drops of white vinegar

A lightly flavoured EVOO or mixture of 2 oils to produce the flavour you want

Method:

Using a stick hand blender whisk all the ingredients together, adding the EVOO slowly until emulsified and the thickness you like. 

Did I mention this was easy?!

At this point you can add whatever else you fancy – crushed garlic, black pepper, chopped capers, finely chopped salad onions, grated lemon zest …..

This is great in a sandwich with thickly cut fresh bread, a selection of lettuce leaves (including rocket) and roasted veggies such as red peppers, tomatoes, onions and garlic.

Lunch anyone?

Send me your favourite mayonnaise recipe and I can give it a go.  Confession time – I used the Oriole that I featured in my blog recently and the flavour was a little overpowering for mayo, fortunately as I was tasting as I went along (not as often as I should have done though!) I managed to rescue it by adding some Olivia oil (also featured here) which is much milder and fruitier.  The finished result was fabulous.  Don’t be afraid to mix your oils guys.

Until tomorrow, happy EVOOing (new word?)

Karen

theoliveoiltaster@gmail.com

 

Nut & Raisin EVOO Cookies

Tags

baking, Cookies, Cooking, Dr. Simon Poole, EVOO, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Judy Ridgway, Mediterranean Diet, National Vegetarian Week 2017, Olive Oil, The Olive Oil Diet, Vegetarian

This is based on the Ginger Biscuits recipe in Judy Ridgway & Dr. Simon Poole’s The Olive Oil Diet book. Even though I adore ginger, hubby doesn’t so I adapted the recipe as follows:

Ingredients:

75ml EVOO175g plain flour

1tsp baking powder

1tsp crushed nuts

2tsp raisins, chopped

1tsp vanilla extract

1 tablespoon clear honey

1 egg

 Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C (Gas 4) and oil a baking tray or line it with baking parchment if you don’t want to have to wash the tray afterwards.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and add the nuts and raisins.
3. Mix together the olive oil, vanilla and honey.
4. Crack the egg into a measuring jug and beat, then make up the quantity to 75mls with water.
5. Add this egg mixture to the olive oil, vanilla and honey and whisk well together.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a wooden spoon.
7. Shape into a soft ball with your hands.*
8. Divide into 12 balls and put onto the tray with baking parchment and flatten with a fork. They don’t spread so no need to leave too much room between biscuits.
9. Bake for 10 minutes until a golden colour.
10. Slide the biscuits carefully onto a rack to cool and eat freshly baked. They also freeze well.

* At this point Judy says: On a floured surface, roll out the ball of dough as thinly as possible and cut into 12-15 rounds with a pastry cutter. Transfer to the baking sheet and cook for 8-9 minutes until browned. I have to confess there was not a snowball’s chance in summer of me being able to roll out my dough so I did the dividing into balls and flattening with a fork technique and they were delicious.

If you want to try the original recipe, replace the nuts and raisins with 2tsp freshly grated root ginger.

Caesar Salad Veggie Style

Tags

Best Olive Oils, Caesar Salad, Cooking, EVOO, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Greek yogurt, health benefits of EVOO, Mediterranean Diet, National Vegetarian Week 2017, Olive Oil, Salad, Spain, Summer, The Vegetarian Society, Vegetarian

If you’re looking to increase your repertoire of vegetarian recipes, or just want the occasional flash of inspiration, head over to Amuse Your Bouche where Becca has thousands of delicious recipes to tempt even the most sceptical of palates. This recipe is an adaptation of her full-blown Ultimate Vegetarian Caesar Salad, which is a meal in itself, because I wanted something simpler to be part of a selection rather than the main attraction. 

Ingredients:

1 small garlic clove

1tsp capers

1 tablespoon grated vegetarian Parmesan-style cheese

1 tablespoon Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp white wine vinegar

½ tsp Dijon mustard

1 thick slice of good wholemeal/rye or sourdough bread

A small bunch of thin spears of asparagus

Salt & Black pepper

1 large Romaine lettuce

1 ripe avocado

A small handful of pumpkin seeds dry roasted

Vegetarian parmesan-style cheese, shaved

 Method:

1. Caesar Dressing: Crush the garlic with a flat knife and add to a mini food processor
   

   Smooth and creamy dressing

   or blender with the capers and grated Parmesan style cheese. Blitz until finely chopped. Add the Greek yogurt, 1tbsp of the extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and plenty of black pepper, and blitz again until well combined. Taste, and adjust quantities as desired (remember it will taste stronger straight from the bowl).

2. Croutons & Asparagus: Cut the slice of bread into 1” pieces and the asparagus spears into 3 or 4 depending on their length.
   

   Asparagus and Croutons

   Toss both in the remaining olive oil and spread everything out in a single layer on a baking tray. Season with salt and pepper and roast at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F) for around 20-25 minutes, tossing halfway, until the croutons are crispy and the vegetables are soft.

3. Carefully wash the lettuce leaves and tear them into mouthful-sized pieces. Half, peel and de-stone the avocado.
4. Assembly: Find your prettiest salad bowl or shallow plate and throw in the lettuce, avocado and pumpkin seeds. Drizzle with ¾ of the Caesar dressing and toss well. Top with the asparagus, croutons and a few shavings of Parmesan style cheese. Drizzle with the remaining Caesar dressing and serve immediately.
   

   Ooh, yummy!

Pesto Passion

Tags

Arbequina, Cooking, Delia Smith, EVOO, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Mediterranean Diet, National Vegetarian Week 2017, Olive Oil, Pasta, Pesto, Spain, Vegetarian

I’ve got to confess, I adore Pesto.  There’s something about the vibrant green and heady aroma of fresh basil, the creamy pine nuts, oozy oil and punch of raw garlic.  I’m in danger of dribbling over the keyboard!  Of course there are hundreds, if not thousands of recipes out there but I always go back to the first one I ever tried and that’s a Delia Smith, our very own national treasure.  To be fair, she did pretty much teach me how to cook – for anyone who remembers her How to Cook books?  (Well, her and a brilliant range of M&S Cookery books that I’ve still got and are so battered now they’re barely legible).

Delia’s Home Made Pesto (Delia’s Summer Collection)

Ingredients:

50g (2oz) fresh basil leaves

1 large clove of garlic

1 tablespoon pine kernels

90mls (6tbsp) Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used the Bravoleum I’ve mentioned before, a Spanish Arbequina)

25g Parmesan (be careful to choose Vegetarian Parmesan-style cheese if you’re vegetarian rather than just enjoying eating more veggie food)

Method:

Delia says to crush the garlic and grate the cheese but I’ve got to be honest, I don’t bother. I just chop both into reasonable sized pieces and throw everything into the Magimix along with a pinch of salt.

Everything in

Now it’s fair to say that you don’t get a silky smooth, lump free puree but what you do get is a fantastic, fresh, rustic looking pesto that, I think, beats every other pesto sauce hands down.

Not a smooth puree

Back to Delia’s recipe though:

If you have a blender put the basil, crushed garlic, pine kernels, olive oil and a pinch of salt into the goblet and blend until you have a smooth puree.

Transfer this to a bowl and stir in the grated cheese.

Oh boy, that looks good enough to eat!

If you don’t have a blender use a large pestle and mortar to pound the basil, garlic and pine kernels to a paste, slowly add the salt and cheese then very gradually add the oil until you have obtained a smooth puree.

Uses:

This is of course great stirred into freshly cooked pasta (in which case you’ll serve 3-4 people) and it’s fabulous mixed into rice, cooked vegetables or even in a potato bake: Slice potatoes and onions and layer them in an ovenproof dish. Stir a spoonful of pesto into enough vegetable stock to come about 1cm up the side of the dish. Cover and bake in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes, uncover and sprinkle with grated cheese returning to the oven for about 30 minutes more until the potatoes are meltingly soft and the cheese crisp and golden.  Serve with salad or steamed vegetables.

 

 

Chocolate Brownies with EVOO

Tags

baking, chocolate, chocolate brownies, chocolate cake, cookery books, Cooking, Nancy Harmon Jenkins, National Vegetarian Week 2017, The Vegetarian Society, Vegetarian, Virgin Territory

Although I usually blog weekly, we’re doing things a little differently this week to link into The Vegetarian Society‘s National Vegetarian Week in the UK (15-21 May 2017).  So, look out for a recipe a day for the next 7 days – every one suitable for Vegetarians and every one making great use of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Let’s start off with Chocolate Brownies because, why the heck not and I bet you’ve never made them with EVOO before.  So, here we go with a recipe from Virgin Territory, Exploring the World of Olive Oil by Nancy Harmon Jenkins who is widely reported to be the American authority on olive oil.

Chocolate Brownies with EVOO

Ingredients:

Unsalted butter to grease a 20cm (8”) square tin (or 23cm/9” round) (I used EVOO)

125g (4oz) dark chocolate – at least 70% cocoa

⅓ cup fruity olive oil (I used a light blend from a local co-operative)

2 large eggs

¾ cup sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour (Plain to us Brits)

2tsp Vanilla extract (Oops, didn’t have any so I used Almond)

1 cup chopped walnuts

Method:

1.  Preheat the oven to 180°C (Gas 4) and butter the cake tin.
2. Break the chocolate into small pieces in an ovenproof bowl and put into the preheating oven to melt (or a microwave but be careful not to burn it).
   

   Melted chocolate and EVOO

   When completely soft, combine with the olive oil, beating with a fork to mix thoroughly then leave to cool.  The aroma as the oil hits the warm chocolate is fab.
3.  Beat the eggs until they are thick and foamy, then beat in the sugar ¼ cup at a time. When the sugar is thoroughly combined stir in the cool chocolate mixture with a spatula or wooden spoon – do not beat.
4. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the flour, vanilla and walnuts. Spread the mixture into the tin and place in the preheated oven.
5. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the edges start to pull away from the pan.
   

   Oops, a bit careless when removing from the tin – tasted great though!

6. Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting into 16-20 squares.

If you make these, send me a photo and tell me what you think.  You can connect via Facebook: The Olive Oil Taster; Twitter: @TasteOliveOil; Instagram: Karen Ormiston; Pinterest: KarenO theoliveoiltaster

Until tomorrow.

 

Pasta with Toasted Seeds & Feta Cheese

Tags

Cooking, EVOO, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, feta cheese, Kalamata olives, Mediterranean Diet, Olive Oil, Olives, Pasta, Pine nuts, Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, The Olive Oil Diet, Vegetarian

This was the first recipe I made from the fabulous The Olive Oil Diet book and I’ll warn you right away – the picture isn’t very good.  In my defence, it was possibly taken at the very beginning of starting this blog and I hadn’t worked out that I’d need more than one picture.  So, apologies, don’t let the photo put you off, it’s delicious and really easy I promise!

So, here, complete and unabridged as they say, is Judy Ridgway’s recipe for a delicious, summery pasta that is simple to make and sure to produce compliments galore if you serve it to family and friends.

Ingredients for 4 people:

400g pasta shapes; penne, shells or fusilli would be great

2 tablespoons each of:  pumpkin seeds, pine nuts and sesame seeds

6tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I suggest something quite robust or the flavour will get lost amidst the pumpkin, lemon and feta)

Grated zest of 1 lemon and the juice of 2 (Actually, I remember now, I used the zest of 1/2 a lemon and the juice of 1)

20 Kalamata olives, pitted and halved*

250g feta cheese, crumbled

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1.  Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling, salted water until al dente or according to the packet instructions.
2. Toss the 6 tablespoons of seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until well browned and popping and set aside until needed.
3. Drain the pasta and return to the warm pan.  Drizzle with the olive oil and toss to coat.
4. Return the pan to the heat adding the lemon zest, juice, olives and feta cheese.
5. Season with black pepper and stir half the seed mixture into the pasta.
6. Serve at once with the remaining seeds sprinkled over the top.

* Be careful when buying black olives as many of them have been dyed and chemically treated to make them black.  Read the label carefully and buy from a reputable store.

There, I told you it was simple didn’t I?  If you give it a try, please post a photo and tag me: theoliveoiltaster on Instagram and @TasteOliveOil on Twitter.

If you like this post please share it with your friends and remember, all feedback is welcome.  (I love that I’m writing a food blog and asking for ‘feed-back’)

Until next time.

 

 

The Best Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

Tags

Andalucia, AWF Hanoi, baking, Bara Brith, chocolate cake, chocolate olive oil cake, EVOO, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, La Janda, Nigella Lawson, Olive Oil, Spanish lessons, supermarket, Vegetarian, Vejer de la Frontera, Wales, Welsh Cakes

Okay, it’s the only one I’ve made so I can’t state absolutely that it’s the best but, it’s really easy to make and tastes absolutely delicious so that’s pretty ‘best’ in my book.

We were invited to one of their occasional gastronomic intercambios (food sharing) by the profesoras at our local language school La Janda in Vejer de la Frontera (they’re fab of course and even managed to get me speaking passable Spanish!) and I was pondering what to take.  Previously I’ve made Welsh Cakes and Bara Brith (are you sensing a theme here with the Welsh produce?!) but time was short, I needed to use ingredients in my store cupboard and I wanted to try an Olive Oil cake for this blog.

At the back of my mind was the memory of a fabulous chocolate cake that a Korean lady had made for an Asian Women in Hanoi event (I know, talk about a gastronomic exchange) and was sure she’d given me a copy of the recipe.  After much digging around in my recipes files I found it, dated 25th January 2013 and never made by me – lucky I’m a hoarder eh!  I adapted it slightly and have told you where that’s the case so without further ado, let’s get on with making my version of Nigella Lawson’s Chocolate Olive Oil Cake. 

Ingredients:

125 ml mild Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Nigella says 150 ml regular olive oil but then you don’t get the health benefits of the EVOO)

50 grams good quality unsweetened cocoa powder

150 ml boiling water (Nigella says 125 ml)

2 teaspoons good vanilla extract

125 grams ground almonds (Nigella says 150g but I didn’t have that much so made it up to 150g with cornflour.  She also says you can use 125g of plain flour)

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda & a pinch of salt

150 grams caster sugar (Nigella says 200g)

3 eggs

Method:

1.  Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas mark 3/325F.  Grease a 22-23cm springform tin and base line with baking parchment.
2. Sift the cocoa powder into a bowl and whisk in the boiling water to a smooth paste, runny but only just.  Whisk in the vanilla extract and set aside to cool.
3. Combine the ground almonds (and/or flour) with the bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt.
4. Put the sugar, olive oil and eggs into a bowl and beat vigorously with an electric hand mixer for 3-4 minutes until pale primrose and aerated.
5. Turn the speed down on the mixer and pour in the cocoa mixture and then the almonds (or flour).  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix to make sure everything is evenly combined.
6. Pour this lovely, dark, liquid batter into the prepared tin and bake for 35-45 minutes depending on your oven, until the sides are set and the very centre still looks slightly damp.  A skewer should come out clean with a few sticky crumbs on it.
7. Leave in the tin to cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack then ease the cake away from the sides before springing it out of its tin.
8. Enjoy warm with cream or ice cream or allow to cool completely before eating as a cake, with some thick Greek yogurt or clotted cream perhaps.

Of course I was just bursting to try a slice but ate my way dutifully through the savoury dishes of my fellow exchange companions (don’t feel too bad for me, it was all delicious).  When I came to take a picture and a slice of the cake – it had all gone!  I ended up pinching a bit of a friend’s slice and she wasn’t happy.  I’m a huge Nigella fan so was always going to love this cake. Try it for yourselves, it couldn’t be easier and I promise it tastes fantastic.  Remember to send me a photo of your handiwork and let me know what you think.

Until next time.

Rice and Lentils – a recipe

Tags

al-Baghdadi, Arab Cookery, Arto der Haroutunian, EVOO, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Mediterranean Diet, Middle Eastern Cookery, Mujaddarah, Olive Oil, Rice and Lentils, supermarket, Vegetarian

Mujaddarah, perhaps more than any other dish, crosses borders and boundaries, with recipes galore from Syria and Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan.  The first recorded recipe dates back to a cookery book from Iraq called Kitab al-Tabikh in 1226 by the medieval writer al-Baghdadi.

Mujaddarah – Rice and Lentils

My recipe has been adapted from a book that originally belonged to my mother called Complete Arab Cookery by Armenian architect, restaurateur, cookery book writer and painter Arto der Haroutunian.  I always like to use the best quality ingredients that I can afford and that is particularly important in a dish like this which is basically just rice, lentils, onion and oil.  Therefore it’s essential, in my opinion, to use a good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil – not a super expensive one as you need quite a lot of it, but absolutely not any kind of refined oil.  Pure, EVOO from a supermarket is fine – so I’m talking £3-5 a bottle rather than £15-20.

When I first made this dish, over 20 years ago now, I remember being horrified by the amount of oil needed – nearly a third of a pint seemed an outrageous amount – but trust me, use a good oil and the dish will be sublime.

Ingredients:

• 175g brown lentils, washed thoroughly and drained
• 900 mls cold water
• 200 mls Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 large onions, halved lengthwise, peeled and very thinly sliced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 300 mls boiling water
• 175g rice (I use Basmati), well washed

Method:

1. Put the lentils into a large saucepan (all the remaining ingredients eventually end up in this pan so bear that in mind), cover with the cold water and bring to the boil.
2. Skim the surface of any scum, lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes until the lentils are almost cooked and most of the water has evaporated.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and very gently cook the sliced onion until they are a beautiful dark golden brown.  Stir frequently to make sure they don’t burn and don’t be tempted to hurry them.
4. Reserve half the oil and onions and add the other half to the nearly cooked lentils.
5. Add the boiling water, salt and pepper to the lentils and then stir in the rice.
6. Return to the boil then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the lentils and rice are tender and the water has been absorbed.
7. Remove from the heat and leave to stand, covered for 10-15 minutes.
8. Pile the mujaddarah onto a serving plate garnished with the remaining onions and oil.  Fresh herbs such as parsley, mint or coriander can also be sprinkled over the dish.

This is delicious served with pickles such as red cabbage, olives, a tomato salad or a bowl of thick Greek style yogurt. It makes a fantastic main course Vegetarian dish or as a side for chicken or meat and can be served hot or at room temperature.

Serves 4-6 depending on hunger/greed!