Adas Polow (Rice and Lentils): The Cheater's Recipe

Adas Polow or Rice and Lentils is the best comfort food in the world. I love making this dish so much that I will be posting the long way in my next post. But this if for cheaters!!!!

Adas Polow : The Cheater's Recipe
serves 4
2 cups of basmati or long gain rice
1 cup of lentil (I like the small French and Saeid likes the large green)
3 cups and 1 Tbs of water
1 tsp of oil
1/2 tsp of salt

Wash the rice and lentil. Place into a rice maker or pot with the water, oil and salt. If using a rice maker turn it on and let it cook. If using a pot bring the water to a boil over a high heat, cover and lower the heat. Cook for 25min or until the rice and lentils are soft.

My whole family loves this dish (even my little brothers). I love it on its own but its also great toped with fried onions and Greek yogurt.

Tteokbokki: spicy Korean rice cake/noddles

Tteokbokki is spicy Korean rice cake and my favorite Korean street food. I used to watch the Tteokbokki Ajumma (lady) standing outside my apartment cook up this spicy treat. I've changed the recipe a bit over the years (sugar instead of corn syrup) but it still taste great.

When I've made this in Seoul or Kansas I've always been able to find fresh rice noddle cakes, but in Dublin its dried rice noddles that need to be soaked over night. Not really fast food!
Tteokbokki
serves 2 as main 4-6 as a side
1 cup dried rice noddles soaked over night and drained or 2 cups fresh rice noddle/cakes
1 Tbs ginger garlic paste or 2 cloves garlic and 1 inch ginger minced
1 Tbs Gochujang
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups of water/broth

optional ingredients
boil egg for each person
Korean fish cake
Ramen noddles
cheese
In a large pan over med heat mix/melt the Gochujang, ginger garlic, sugar and broth. Add the rice noddle/cakes. Add more water or broth if the noddles are not covered. Cook for 15-20min or until the sauce is think and the noddles are soft. Feel free to add more more sugar or honey it its too hot for you.

Saeid and I enjoyed this bowl of fire with hard boiled eggs.

Happy St. Patrick's Day: Green Eggs with 'Ham'

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We are heading to Dublin City Center to enjoy the parade (in our silly green hats). But first we enjoyed green eggs (made with spinach) and sausage rolls (vegetarian) . If you would like to make these very green eggs, just blend a cup of raw spinach per each egg and scramble.

Saffron and Wild Mushroom Risotto

The 2010 March Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Eleanor of MelbournefoodGeek and Jess of Jessthebaker. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make risotto. The various components of their challenge recipe are based on input from the Australian Masterchef cookbook and the cookbook Moorish by Greg Malouf.

I really like Risotto, but for some reason my mom does not. So I'm going to challenge her to make risotto, but without a recipe (because she doesn't really use/need them) and just using my photos, to make risotto.
PS. You can use Korean rice, and make any kind of risotto (even Mexican) so don't delay!

Farm Eggs = a Leek and Cheddar Souffle

Last weekend in Wicklow we stopped at a farm to buy eggs. As we pulled into the drive we had to dodge the truly free range fowl.
The price for fresh eggs? Well your not in Kansas anymore. 6e for 12 (boxes of 10, with the extra to hold in your hands).
Duck Egg, Leek and Irish Cheddar Souffle* Not a recipe from a souffle expert.
Serves 4
1 tsp oil
3 chopped and cleaned leeks
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs flour
1 1/4 cup of warm milk
3/4 cup grated Irish Cheddar cheese
1 tsp thyme
salt, pepper, hot chili pepper
3 duck egg yolks
4 duck egg whites

1. Heat oven to 350f or 180c.

2. Over a med heat cook the leeks in the oil until soft.

3. Make a white sauce with the butter, flour and milk. (Melt the butter in a pan over med heat, add the flour and stir. Cook for about 30 sec and then add the warm milk. Mix Mix Mix until there are no lumps.) Add the cheese, herbs and spices. Let cool a bit and then add in the yolks.

4. Beat the egg whites. (Fresh eggs whites take longer so maybe ask you husband to do this part!!!)
5. Fold everything together and put into little pots or anything you have ( I used a big pie pan).

6. Into the oven and hope for the best. Cook 30-50 (mine was 40 min, i had to put a foil on the top to stop it from burning while I wait for the middle to be cooked)

It was like eating a cloud of fat!

BBQ Liver on top of the Wicklow Mountains

Saeid and I went to the Wicklow Mountain with friends to enjoy the wonderful weather and have a BBQ. The sun was setting before we found a spot in which to BBQ but view more than made up for the wait.
I like liver, but even if you haven't enjoyed liver and onions in the past give this recipe a go at your next BBQ. It cooks really fast and no Irianian BBQ would be complet without it.

BBQ Liver
feeds 4
1 single use BBQ
1 package of Lamb Liver (about 2 livers)
1 pack of flat bread
1 bag of washed spinach
salt, pepper
water

Find a safe place to light your BBQ. Once it heats up pop the liver on and add salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3mins, turning once. Enjoy inside a flat bread with some spinach. Yummy.
After we had this tasty sandwich we used the BBQ to cook longer cooking meats, (like hamburgs and steak). Then we put the fire out with water and took our BBQ home with us to bin.

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

After my Mom read my Peanut Butter and Sesame Seed Cookies post she sent me a bag of Kisses. Thanks Mom!
I used the same recipe as last time but topped each cookie with chocolate.
I had some fair trade dark chocolate and I topped some of the cookies with that, but the Kiss Cookies where the best.

Pear and Grapefruit Glazed Chicken

This recipe for pear and grapefruit glazed chicken has the 4 out to 5 taste I love the most. Sweet, salty, spicy, and sour. The 5th taste is chocolate, but I guess you can't have everything.
Pear and Grapefruit Glazed Chicken
for one small or med (free rage Irish) Chicken
2 large (4 small) soft pears pealed, cored and chopped
1 large grapefruit (juice for glaze, peal for inside the chicken)
1/4 cup soy sauce (I use Korean soup sauce which is lighter)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp of dried Korean hot pepper
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 chicken

Place the pears, grapefruit juice, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, spices and herbs in a small pot. Add water to cover the pears and bing to a boil. Lower the heat and cook for 30min (or watch the pot and let boil for 15 min). The pears should be very soft and easy to mash and half of the water gone. Take off the heat, let cool and mash/blend.
Turn your oven on 220c or the hottest it will go!
Wash the chicken and place the jucied grapefruit peel inside the chicken. Place the Chicken in an oven safe pan and glaze. Clover with foil and bake for 2 hours, turning and basting every 30min. Chicken is done when the skin is dark, juices are clear and the meat is almost falling off the bone.
Saeid loves this chicken and I think its great too. We had our yummy chicken with German potato dumplings.

Greek Salad

A friend of ours likes Greek Salad and asked me to post a recipe. In the summer that would be a really easy task, but the fresh veg is starting to look very sad here. Where are you spring?
Greek Salad
serves 2
Ingredients
1/4 cup of cubed feta
1/4 cup olives (chopped or not but pitted)
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped and seeded cucumbers
1/4 of a small red onion finely sliced
1 tsp chopped parsley

Optional Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
a few pickled hot peppers(peperoncini)
4 marinated artichoke hearts
1/8 tsp red hot chili flakes
1/4-1/2 cup fresh herbs
1 tsp capers
1/4 cup chopped radishes
1 smalled chopped beets
3 or 4 anchovies or sardines
1 or 2 cups salad greens

Dressing
1 Tbs olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar or lemon
1/4 tsp of dried oregano
1/4 tsp of black pepper
salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and enjoy right away or let marinate and eat later. Don't worry if you don't have all the ingredients, few free to mix and match.

We enjoyed our Greek Salad on top of a green salad with homemade bread.