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Lebanese Peas and Carrots Stew
Lebanese Peas and Carrots Stew
In Arabic cultures, beef stews are quite popular. This recipe is a Lebanese stew called bazella w riz: “peas and rice”. Beef stew meat is browned, then stewed with onions, garlic, peas, and carrots in a tomato based sauce. The stew is served over Lebanese rice with warm pita.
Ingredients
- 1 lb beef stew meat
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp Lebanese 7 spice
- 1 small onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup carrots diced
Instructions
- Heat up cooking oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Sauté the beef for 5 minutes; seasoning with the 7 spice, salt and pepper. Remove from the pan.
- Add in the onions, garlic, and cilantro. Sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce, water, beef, peas, and carrots. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.
- The liquid should reduce to less than half the amount.
Lebanese Rice
Rice with fine vermicelli noodles didn’t start in San Francisco. This style of rice is a staple in the Arabic world; eaten with most meals. The base of this recipe is only 3 ingredients: rice, vermicelli, and olive oil. Additions of cinnamon and parsley enhance the flavor. Sometimes you will find almonds or pine nuts used as a garnish.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup dry vermicelli
- 2 cups basmati rice washed
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
Instructions
- Heat up cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté the vermicelli for 3 minutes until browned.
- Add in the rice. Sauté for 5 minutes. Season with salt and cinnamon.
- Pour in the water. Bring to a boil.
- Cover. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
Lemongrass Roast Chicken
Lemongrass Roast Chicken
Lemongrass is commonly used in Laotian cuisine. It is very aromatic and flavors whatever you introduce it to. This recipe utilizes aromatics such as lemongrass, onion, green onions, and garlic stuffed inside the cavity of a whole chicken. The chicken also has butter stuffed underneath the skin of the breast and is rubbed down with oyster sauce. The last 30 minutes of roasting, the chicken is basted with the pan juices.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 lb whole chicken
- 2 whole lemongrass cut into 3 pieces
- 1/2 small onion
- 2 green onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup oyster sauce
- 4 tbsp butter
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Pat dry the whole chicken; inside and out. Stuff the cavity with the lemongrass, green onions, onion, and garlic. Place 4 tbsp of butter under the skin of the chicken breast.
- Season with salt and pepper. Rub the entire outside of the chicken with oyster sauce. Wrap in foil and placd in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roast the chicken for 1 hour. Then baste the chicken with the juices every 10 minutes for the next 30 minutes.
Cabelleros Pobres (Mexican French Toast)
Cabelleros Pobres (Mexican French Toast)
While you usually eat French toast for breakfast, this Mexican version called caballeros pobres(“poor knights”) is eaten as a dessert. Popular in the Yucatán, this French toast is served with a homemade syrup consisting of piloncillo sugar simmered with a whole cinnamon stick, cloves, anise seeds, and raisins. Since I’m not a huge fan of raisins, I chose to leave them out.
Servings: 2
Equipment
- electric hand mixer
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 2 large eggs whites and yolks separated
- 4 slices bread thick sliced
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
Syrup
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup piloncillo, panela, or brown sugar
- 1/2 small cinnamon stick
- 1 clove
- 1/8 tsp anise seeds
Instructions
- Simmer all of the syrup ingredients in a small pot over medium heat for 6-8 minutes until reduced and thick. Strain the whole spices and keep warm.
- Using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites until they peak.
- Beat in the egg yolks. Then whisk in the milk, sugar, and vanilla.
- Dip thick slices of bread in the egg batter on both sides. Let each slice absorb the batter.
- Heat up the cooking oil on a griddle over medium heat. Place the battered bread on the griddle.
- Cook the French toast for 5 minutes a side until browned. If your bread is 1” or more, press it down with a spatula to flatten it. You will want the inside cooked all the way through.
