20100228 Lubia Polo

(SOURCE: ghazakade.com - Lubia Polo)

My first try at Persian cuisine. This is the perfect dish for a very cold evening! By the way, if you don't have time, it is okay to skip step 1.

INGREDIENTS
500g basmati rice
400g stew beef, cut into small pieces
400g green beans, cut into 2 to 3 cm pieces
3 medium onions, sliced
1 to 2 tbsp tomato puree
100g vegetable oil
salt and pepper

METHOD
1. Wash rice twice and soak in salted warm water for 3 to 4 hours, then drain the water.
2. Pour water in a large pan until it is half full and bring it to a boil. Add rice and a spoonful of salt and continue boiling until rice slightly softens (about 5 minutes). Pour rice into a sieve and wash it with slightly warm water. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a stew pan and brown onion until golden. Add meat and fry over medium heat until color changes. Add 1 to 2 glasses of hot water and cook for about 30 minutes on medium heat, add more hot water if necessary.
4. Add tomato puree, salt and pepper, and cook for another 15 minutes on medium heat.
5. Add the half cooked and rinsed rice, mix well, then cover and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes.

20100227 Ovendish with Hash Browns

(SOURCE: Albert Heijn Recipes - Ovenmaaltje met rosties)

If you have time, I recommend home made meatballs instead.

INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
355g ready-made meatballs
3 small onions, quartered
250g brown button mushrooms
3 bell peppers of different colors
4 tomatoes, halved
600g frozen little hash browns (Rosties)
salt and pepper

METHOD
1. Heat oven to 225 degree C. Mix olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add meatballs, onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, and tomatoes. Mix well.
2. Add the meatball mixture and frozen hash browns into a baking dish. Cook in the oven for about 20 minutes.

20100207 Spinach & Feta Cannelloni

(SOURCE: BBC Lifestyle - Spinach & Feta Cannelloni)

I took out the chopped olives as my hubby hates them.

INGREDIENTS
4 large sheets no-pre-cook lasagne
1kg frozen spinach, defrosted
200g pack low fat feta cheese
generous grating nutmeg
1 tbsp capers, rinsed
400g can chopped tomatoes
25g grated parmesan

METHOD
1. Heat oven to 200 degree C. Put the lasagne sheets in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, squeeze as much water as possible from the spinach, then mix with the feta, nutmeg and some seaasoning. Drain the pasta, then cut each sheet in half vertically. Spoon 4 tbsp of the filling along the center of each half, then roll up to enclose. Place in a lightly oiled baking dish.
2. Mix the olives, capers and tomatoes together in a bowl, season, then spoon over the cannelloni. Sprinkle with parmesan, cover with foil, then bake for 20 minutes.