Red Lentil Barley Stew

 

From here

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts, sliced into half-moons, or 1 cup sliced onion
• 3 carrots, diced
• 1 cup chopped fennel, fronds reserved
• 1 bunch cilantro, leaves and stems mostly separated and chopped (don’t worry too much about leaves and stems mingling)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1½ teaspoons fine sea or table salt, more to taste
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon baharat or garam masala
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 quarts vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 cup pearled barley
• 1 cup red lentils
• 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving

Instructions

1. In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add leeks and cook, stirring often, until tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in carrots, fennel, cilantro stems, garlic and salt. Cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, baharat, turmeric and cinnamon stick, and cook until the tomato paste begins to caramelize, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the broth, barley and red lentils, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 1 hour to 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally, until the barley and lentils are tender. (Add some water if the pot starts to look dry; this can be as thick or soupy as you like.)
4. Stir in a tablespoon of lemon juice and the chopped cilantro leaves. Taste stew and add salt and lemon juice if needed (you might need a lot more salt if you started with unsalted broth). Serve in bowls drizzled with olive oil and garnished with chopped fennel fronds.

Comments

• I just tossed all of the cilantro in at the start; worked fine
• Skipped the fennel

Buffalo Cauliflower Dip

From here

Ingredients

• 1 small head cauliflower (about 1 1/2 pounds), cored and cut into small florets (about 4 cups)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ cup Buffalo-style hot sauce, such as Frank’s
• 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into pieces and softened (about 1/2 cup)
• ¼ cup sour cream
• ½ cup freshly shredded Cheddar (about 2 ounces)
• ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese (about 1 ounce)
• 1 ½ teaspoons finely chopped chives or scallions, or to taste
• Celery sticks, carrot sticks, bread, potato chips or tortilla chips, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a 9-inch cast-iron or ovenproof skillet, toss the cauliflower with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil and cook on the stovetop over high to steam, 5 minutes.
2. Uncover the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is fork-tender and caramelized in spots, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the butter. Once melted, stir in the hot sauce and simmer until the sauce has reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat, then stir in the cream cheese and sour cream until combined. Sprinkle the Cheddar on top.
5. Bake until bubbling around the edges and the cheese has melted, about 10 minutes. If you’d like the top to get browned, run it under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes.
6. Immediately sprinkle with blue cheese and chives. Serve with vegetables, bread or chips for dipping.

Comments

• First step is kind of weird; there's probably a better way to steam (or pressure cook?) the cauliflower to soften it up
• Cut the florets into as small pieces as possible (or perhaps even rice them?)
• More blue cheese = better