Stuffed pepper with minced beef, rice, and lentils

Recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/lightened-up-stuffed-peppers-recipe.html. We used uncooked basmati rice. In lieu of ½ tsp cinnamon (which I sometimes find cloying in savory dishes), we used ¼ tsp each nutmeg and cinnamon. We even had enough stuffing to fill a fifth bell pepper. (Note: we used the five leftover pepper tops for a Lebanese farmer’s salad, which… Continue reading Stuffed pepper with minced beef, rice, and lentils

Lebanese meatball soup (shorba keema)

For the meatball mixture, combine 1/3 cup minced onion (patted dry with paper towels), ¼ cup finely chopped Italian parsley, 1 ½ tsp balsamic vinegar, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp each black pepper and allspice, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, and 1/16 tsp each cloves and nutmeg. Mix by hand, then using a mounded tsp, form by… Continue reading Lebanese meatball soup (shorba keema)

Turkish stuffed bell peppers and tomatoes (dolma)

We followed this recipe here: http://ozlemsturkishtable.com/2013/06/stuffed-peppers-and-tomatoes-with-ground-meat-delicious-gluten-free/. We used: fresh spearmint instead of dried mint and 1 ½ tsp of salt for the stuffing; 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth instead of water for the sauce; and added 1 additional tomato (to make a fifth stuffed tomato). Due to the large size of our bell peppers, our… Continue reading Turkish stuffed bell peppers and tomatoes (dolma)

Polish stuffed cabbage leaves (galumpki)

Recipe here: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/stuffed-cabbage-with-tomato-sauce-recipe-2011549.amp We used red cabbage instead of savoy, which required us to parboil the head of cabbage in order to loosen the tightly wrapped leaves. Before parboiling the cabbage head, we cut off the base and then use a melon baller and a small knife to remove the core from the head; this… Continue reading Polish stuffed cabbage leaves (galumpki)

Korean three-mushroom rice with minced pork topping

We had some leftover enoki and bunashimeji mushrooms, so we tried this recipe: http://www.beyondkimchee.com/mushroom-rice-bowl/. Because the amount of heat was higher than expected and the sauce very salty, we recommend reducing the pepper flakes and fresh pepper by half and reducing the soy sauce from 7 Tbsp to 4 Tbsp. Other modifications: first, to make… Continue reading Korean three-mushroom rice with minced pork topping

South African casserole (bobotie)

Thanks to my friend Laura, I was able to try out Marcus Samuelsson’s recipe. Saute minced beef and chopped red onion. Once beef is well-cooked, add ground cumin, coriander seeds, and curry (here, Jamaican curry powder). Let simmer for 10 minutes, then add bread crumbs, unsweetened peanut butter, a dash of salt, and some water.… Continue reading South African casserole (bobotie)