WHEN IT’S JUST THE TWO OF YOU
SARINA ROFFE
EMPTY NESTERS, SINGLES AND THOSE LOOKING FOR NEW IDEAS MAY WANT TO TRY THESE EASY RECIPES. TYPICALLY, I AM PREPARING FOR A LARGE FAMILY. I KNOW THAT LOTS OF FOLKS HAVE A HARD TIME GOING FROM RECIPES THAT FEED 6, 8 OR EVEN 10 PEOPLE TO RECIPES THAT FEED 2.
Often, I would prepare a meal for the whole family just to find out it was just me and my husband. When this happened, I’d have a ton of leftovers. When I know it’s just going to be hubby and me, I whip up these recipes in 30 minutes and it’s a great dinner or lunch for two. Sometimes I will prepare one of these and take it for lunch in the office for me and my office mate. Try them, they are vegetarian, easy to make and delicious too!
MEDITERRANEAN BOWL WITH PISTACHIO RICE
Ingredients
• 1 red onion, half diced and half in wedges
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 sprigs parsley, chopped
• 1 lemon, zested
• 8 to 10 grape tomatoes, halved
• ½ cup basmati rice
• 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
• 2 tablespoons pistachios, finely chopped
• 1 14 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 teaspoons shwarma spice
• 4 tablespoons sour cream
Directions
Preheat oven to 400˚. In 1 quart pot, melt butter over medium heat, add the diced red onion, half the pistachios, half the garlic and 1 teaspoon shwarma spice. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, add ¾ cup water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook 15 min until rice is tender.
On a baking sheet, toss red onion wedges with tomatoes, chickpeas with large drizzle of olive oil Mix in 1 teaspoon shwarma spice, salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and toss with lemon zest.
Optional: Mix sour cream with remaining garlic and salt. Stir in 1 teaspoon water and mix to drizzling consistency. Fluff rice and add cilantro and 1 tablespoon butter (optional). Spoon into 2 bowls. Top with vegetables and chickpeas. Sprinkle with juice from lemon. Drizzle with garlic sauce, if desired. Tip: if you’d like to make your own shwarma spice, mix equal parts: cumin, garlic powder, paprika, coriander, black pepper, and allspice.
TUNISIAN BULGHUR CARROT BOWLS WITH ORANGE PARSLEY VINAIGRETTE, FETA AND ALMONDS
Ingredients
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced on angle
• ½ cup bulghur
• 4 sprigs parley, finely chopped
• 5 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 3 oz fresh spinach
• ½ oz slivered almonds
• 1 tablespoon Tunisian spice
• ½ orange, zested, juice half orange and peel and dice the other half
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ½ cup feta cheese
• 1 oz dried apricots, diced
Directions
Preheat oven to 400˚. On baking sheet, drizzle carrots with olive oil, salt and ½ teaspoon Tunisian spice. Roast on top rack for 18 minutes. In 1 quart saucepan, combine apricots, bulghur, salt and 1 cup water. Boil, reduce to simmer and cover. Cook until water is absorbed, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat, uncover and cool slightly.
Make vinaigrette: add vinegar, mustard, half of the parsley, 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon sugar, salt and pepper. Whisk.
Place spinach in bowl and drizzle with half the vinaigrette. Toss well. Fluff bulghur and add to spinach with half the feta. Toss to combine.
Spoon bulghur salad into 2 bowls. Top with carrots, almonds, diced orange and remaining feta. Sprinkle with parsley and chili flakes (optional, as it adds heat).
Tip: If you would like to make your own Tunisian spice, combine ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ¼ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon chili powder, 2 tablespoons ground coriander, 2 teaspoons ground caraway, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
TAGINE – APRICOT, ALMOND AND CHICKPEA WITH BASMATI RICE
Ingredients
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 4 dried apricots, diced in small pieces
• 1 oz sliced almonds
• ½ cup basmati rice
• 1 zucchini
• 1 tablespoon Tunisian spice
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 4 sprigs parsley, finely chopped
• Butter
• 4 tablespoons sour cream
• Salt and pepper
Directions
In 1 quart saucepan, drizzle olive oil over medium heat. Add ½ of the onion and saute until softened, about 4 minutes.
Add ¾ cup rice, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer, cover and cook until water is evaporated, about 12 minutes.
In fry pan, heat drizzle of olive oil. Halve the zucchini lengthwise and slice crosswise into half moons. Add to pan with remaining onion and sauté until slightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon Tunisian spice, remaining garlic and salt to taste. Cook 2 more minutes.
Add 1/3 cup water to pan with chickpeas. Bring to simmer and let liquid reduce slightly. Add 1 tablespoon butter, juice from lemon, salt and pepper to taste.
Fluff rice and stir in 1 tablespoon butter; add salt and pepper to rice. Spoon rice into 2 bowls. Top with vegetables, almonds, and apricots. Sprinkle with parsley.
Optional: combine sour cream, salt and lemon zest. Mix and add 1 teaspoon of water at a time to get desired drizzle consistency. Drizzle over tagine.
Sarina Roffé is author of Backyard Kitchen: Mediterranean Salads and Backyard Kitchen: The Main Course. as well as Branching Out from Sepharad, available on Amazon. Her recipes have appeared in the NY Times, NY Times Jewish Cookbook as well as Joan Nathan’s Jewish Cooking in America. Sarina also wrote the “Food and Drink: Modern Period, Syria.” Her recipes can also be found at sephardiccuisine.com.
