This is from ‘Cook for Syria’ recipe book, from the club of the same name. The food is great, as is the idea behind the project. This recipe looks quite long, with lots of ingredients, but it didn’t involve anything complicated, and many of the steps can be done while other bits are cooking.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 dessert-spoonful of olive oil
- 100g shredded cabbage, kale or brussel sprouts
- 1 tbsp sumac powder (from seasoned pioneers)
- 1 tsp red chilli flakes or powder
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into wedges
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tbsp runny honey
- salt and pepper
- 2 onions, finely sliced
- Olive oil
- 160g puy lentils or other green lentils
- a bay leaf
- salt
- 160g basmati rice
- juice of 2 lemons
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- olive oil
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 6 tbsp greek yoghurt
- Coriander leaves, chopped.
METHOD:
- To make the cabbage/kale layer, chop the leaves and mix with the sumac, chilli, sesame seeds, 1/2 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt, and put it into a roasting dish. Roast for 15 minutes at 150C
- To make the butternut squash layer, mix the squash with 2 tbsp olive oil, thyme leaves, honey, salt and pepper. Put this into another roasting dish and roast for 30 minutes at 180C
- The rice layer has more steps. First of all, slice the onions finely, and fry gently in olive oil until beginning to brown and caramelise. Set aside.
- Rinse the green lentils in cold water, then cook in plenty of boiling water with the bay leaf and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Rinse the rice in cold water, then cook in plenty of boiling water for around 6 minutes, drain and rinse with cold water, and return to the pan. Leave the pan in a warm place for 15 minutes.
- Mix the lentils with the rice, the fried onions, and add the lemon juice.
- Make the yoghurt dressing: heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a small pan, then add the cumin seeds. After a minute, add the ground cumin, stir, and then beat into the yoghurt, with the tahini.
- Take 1 large platter, and put the rice and lentil mix at the bottom, then the squash, and top with the cabbage, garnish with coriander leaves.
- Guests should help themselves, adding as much of the tahini/yoghurt dressing as they wish.