Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker - Lynn Alley [36]
2 carrots, diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup dried apricots
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ cup Greek-style yogurt or sour cream, for garnish
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint, for garnish
Wash the lentils thoroughly, being sure to remove any small stones or dirt, and place them, along with the water, in the slow cooker insert. Add the onion, carrots, cumin, and apricots.
Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours, or until the vegetables are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
If you wish, you can purée some or all of the soup, or leave it just as it is. In any case, garnish it with a dollop of the yogurt and a sprinkling of the mint.
SUGGESTED BEVERAGE: I think I would prefer a spicy, aromatic white wine, such as Gewürztraminer, well chilled, with this dish.
ARMENIAN KHAVITS
Serves 3 to 4
Although there appear to be many recipes for the Armenian dish called khavits, most of which entail frying semolina or cracked wheat in butter before boiling it, the toppings are what hooked me when I had it for breakfast at an Armenian café in my town. You can crack your own wheat in a blender, or use semolina, store-bought seven-grain cereal, or even Cream of Wheat. For added fiber, I usually include a couple of tablespoons of ground flaxseed in each serving.
1 cup cracked wheat berries or seven-grain cereal
4 cups water (or according to package instructions)
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup honey
¼ cup feta cheese
¼ cup crushed pistachios or walnuts or a mixture of the two
4 to 8 teaspoons ground flaxseed (optional)
½ cup half-and-half, low-fat milk, or soymilk
Place the cracked wheat, water, and salt in the slow cooker insert. (If you are using something other than wheat you have cracked yourself, use the liquid instructions on the package as your guide.)
Cover and cook on low overnight, about 8 hours.
In the morning, stir the cinnamon into the wheat, then spoon the cereal into individual bowls and top each portion with 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of feta cheese, 1 tablespoon of pistachios, and 1 or 2 teaspoons of flaxseed.
Pour half-and-half over the top and enjoy!
SUGGESTED BEVERAGE: I would opt for a cup of freshly brewed black tea, especially one that has fragrant hints of smoke, such as Scottish breakfast tea.
CHICKPEA HARIRA
Serves 6 to 8
During the monthlong observance of Ramadan, devout Muslims are asked to go without eating anything substantial from sunup to sundown. Harira is a soup that is traditionally served to break the fast after sundown in Morocco. Although harira is most often prepared with lamb or chicken, a mighty savory version can also be prepared without meat.
1 cup dried chickpeas
8 cups water
3 tomatoes, diced
¼ cup chopped celery leaves
1 onion, finely diced
6 whole cloves
1-inch piece cinnamon stick
¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon saffron threads
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste
½ cup Greek-style yogurt
Throughly rinse the chickpeas and place them in the slow cooker insert along with the water, tomatoes, celery leaves, and onion. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until the chickpeas are tender.
In an electric coffee mill or a mortar and pestle, grind the cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, cumin, saffron, and red pepper flakes to a powder. Add the ground turmeric.
Add the spices to the soup 1 to 2 hours before serving. (If you plan to be gone all day, you can add all the ingredients at the start. However, the spices will be just a bit more pungent if you hold off adding them until the chickpeas have cooked for a while.)
Just before serving, stir in the olive oil, parsley, cilantro, and lemon juice. Add salt to taste and serve, topping each serving with a dollop of yogurt.
SUGGESTED BEVERAGE: Consumption of alcohol is generally not encouraged by Muslim religious practices, so it’s probably best to leave this one