Are you a freezer full of ready meals or a freezer full of ice and vodka, type-of-person? I suggest an emergency bag of frozen peas for both types. If you’re not already subscribed to Tala’s Newsletter:
I consider Bazella w Riz (rice and peas) to be the most pantry recipe of all the Lebanese recipes. A bag of frozen green peas is a regular in my (and most of our) freezers all year round. And at the grocery, I’m always grabbing a bag, just in case I need a last-minute, go-to meal to prepare. This recipe can be made vegan or with your choice of protein (beef or chicken) depending on your mood and dinner guests. I like to rein in my use of cinnamon and allspice, keeping both at half a teaspoon for this dish because I like the tomato broth to stay light and bright. As with all tomato-based recipes, comfort will be your initial reaction, but the sweet peas and carrots add a sweetness to the dish that pushes the comfort level to… another level. And to serve, the brothy peas and carrots are spooned over a bed of fresh, fluffy rice.
INGREDIENTS:
300 grams minced beef (optional)
1 small onion, quartered
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium-sized onion, finely diced
2 teaspoons salt
15 cracks black pepper
4 cloves garlic, finely diced
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
4 small carrots, cut into rounds (optional)
900 grams (1 frozen pack) green peas
4 medium-sized, ripe tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 bulb garlic, cut in half
METHOD
Preparing the Beef: If you’re looking for a vegan version of this recipe, you can easily skip this step and move on to Preparing the Tomatoes. In a medium saucepan, with the heat set at medium-high (7/10 on an electric oven), add the minced beef, quartered onion, and enough water to submerge the beef. Let the minced beef simmer for 10 minutes, or until all the fat rises and floats to the surface. Strain the parboiled minced beef while discarding the water and quartered onion and set aside.
Preparing the Tomatoes: Place a box grater in a large bowl. Slice the top of a tomato, place it slice side down on the box grater, and grate until only the tomato skin remains. Discard the tomato skin. Repeat this step for all the tomatoes. Add the tomato paste and sugar to the grated tomatoes and combine.
Combining the Prepared Ingredients: Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat (7/10 on an electric oven). Add the finely diced onions, salt, black pepper, and cook while stirring occasionally until the onions are slightly translucent around 5 minutes, and add the finely diced garlic. Cook while stirring for an additional 3 minutes until the onions start to slightly stick to the bottom of the stockpot. Add the boiled minced beef, cinnamon, and allspice and stir while cooking for an additional 5 minutes, until the boiled minced beef turns a darker brown. Add the carrot rounds and green peas and stir to combine. Add the grated tomatoes, and sliced garlic bulbs and combine. Set the heat at medium (5/10 on an electric oven), and cook while covered for 30 minutes.
Check for Doneness: The green peas and carrots should be tender and easily mashed with the back of a spoon.
Serving: Bazella w Riz is served hot, on a bed of white rice.
THIS AND THAT:
Shop: with summer in full swing, is it time for a new pair of lighter brighter Birkenstocks? (I think so)
Pancakes: @alisoneroman, who we all love, posted a Home Movie about the perfect pancakes!
Brownies: I’m always on the lookout for the perfect staple dessert recipe, like chocolate chip cookies, galette (it’s a staple for me because it can transform so many different versions depending on what fruit is in season), chocolate cake, and brownies (to name a few). I just found my new brownie staple recipe: it’s so fudge-y, it’s rich and decadent. Here it is.
Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy will be available to CNN International (us) in June. That’s something to get excited about! I assume we will be doing less traveling this summer than usual, the episodes will either help with the lack of traveling or might make it worse. :p
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