Filed under Pasta + Noodles + Rice
I loved reading Diana Abu-Jaber’s The Language of Baklava. Not only did I read about how it was like to grow up with a Jordanian father and an American mother, I also learned how to cook some of her family’s dishes.
Ingredients:
1 cup of fine bulgur wheat, soaked in water for about an hour and drained
1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 medium cucumbers, peeled and diced
3 medium tomatoes, diced
juice of 1 small lemon
salt, pepper, olive oil
1. In a large bowl, mix everything together and let sit in the fridge for an hour or two to marinate.
Related post/s:
The Language of Baklava at Amazon.com
Filed under Vegetables + Salads
I love how rich the green of this soup is. If your guest is adamant about eating soup with meat, brown some bacon and chop to smaller pieces. Add the bacon at the same time you garnish the soup with the asparagus tips.
Ingredients:
vegetable stock
1 bunch of asparagus, chopped, reserving the tips
1 leek, white parts only, chopped
1 medium red onion, roughly chopped
half a bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
half a stick of butter
grated lemon peel
salt, pepper
1. Melt butter in a large soup pot. Sauté garlic and onions. Add leeks and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the asparagus stems, onion and parsley with salt and pepper. Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Then simmer until asparagus is tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Purée mixture using a blender, in batches if necessary. Return soup to pot and thin with more stock if desired.
3. In a separate pot, boil some water and cook asparagus tips for about 2 minutes with some salt. Use as garnish for soup.
Related post/s:
Vegetable stock
