Burmese lima bean soup with tender greens

Heat 1 tsp neutral oil in a Dutch oven, then sauté 1 ½ cups minced shallots and ¼ tsp turmeric. Add 1 cup frozen lima beans and 4 cups hot water, then bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until beans are tender. Using an immersion blender, purée the beans until relatively… Continue reading Burmese lima bean soup with tender greens

Italian-style home-cooked borlotti beans

This is an elegantly simple recipe from Jamie Oliver: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jamie-oliver/humble-home-cooked-beans-recipe.html. We modified by starting with the following flavor base: sauté 1 oz center cut bacon (cut into matchsticks) until browned, then add 2 minced shallots and sauté until fragrant. We also used: 8 cloves minced (peeled) garlic in lieu of 3 unpeeled cloves; 2 small… Continue reading Italian-style home-cooked borlotti beans

Armenian bulgur and chickpea stew

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large Dutch oven on medium heat. Add 1 ¼ cups coarse-grain bulgur wheat (here, buckwheat kernels) and sauté until toasted. Add 1 medium onion (chopped) and sauté until fragrant, then add 3 cloves minced garlic. Sauté for a minute, then add 3 stalks celery (diced) and cook for… Continue reading Armenian bulgur and chickpea stew

Armenian tomato and bulgur soup

This is a great recipe if you’re feeling under the weather. Using a medium Dutch oven, bring 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth to a boil. Separately, using a small pan, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil (the recipe calls for 2 Tbsp) on medium heat then sauté 1 small chopped onion. When onion is halfway cooked,… Continue reading Armenian tomato and bulgur soup

Mushroom bourguignon

We tried this Smitten Kitchen recipe, and it was delicious. http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/01/mushroom-bourguignon/. The recipe calls for beef broth, but it easily can be made vegetarian if you use vegetable broth. We used baby portobellos (cremini mushrooms) instead of large portobellos. We served this over egg noodles tossed with some minced parsley. (May 2016)Note: The recipe recommends… Continue reading Mushroom bourguignon

Lebanese roasted eggplant and chickpea stew (maghmour)

We followed this recipe: http://www.slowburningpassion.com/maghmour-the-moussaka-from-lebanon-that-will-make-you-happy/. We also used canned, drained chickpeas. Our minor modifications: instead of 1 tsp smoked paprika, we used ½ tsp each paprika and smoked chipotle pepper; we used 6 julienned fresh mint leaves in lieu of dried mint; and instead of adding water towards the end, we added ½ cup of… Continue reading Lebanese roasted eggplant and chickpea stew (maghmour)

Middle eastern-style red lentil and rice soup with spinach

We used white basmati rice and garnished with fresh lime wedges. We also used fried shallots from the Thai/Indian supermarket instead of caramelizing onions ourselves and added a dash of marash pepper. At the end of cooking, we added ¾ cup to 1 cup chicken broth to thin the soup a little. This recipe is… Continue reading Middle eastern-style red lentil and rice soup with spinach