Mujadra

April is not exactly a joyous time of year for graduate students.  The weather is getting nicer, yet the time you spend studying only increases.  At this juncture, I feel like I worry so excessively about school that I absolutely refuse to worry about how I’m going to be fed.  During times like these, I want to have a big pot of food in my refrigerator, on call for the demands of my stomach.  Mujadra is perfect for such desperate circumstances.  In a nutshell, it is vegetarian, Middle Eastern, comfort food.  It also happens to be nutritious and dirt-cheap.  It consists of just a handful of ingredients: lentils and rice, seasoned with sautéed onions and cumin, all cooked together in stock.  I prefer chicken stock, but of course vegetable stock is would work, as well.  According to the recipe, you can also use water, but I cannot vouch for that. 

I understand if you think it sounds boring.  In fact, I’ll admit it: it sounds boring.  However, it happens to be so delicious and satisfying.  I’m not sure what happens in that pot while it cooks, but there must be little magicians housed in those lentils because somehow that boring ingredient list creates a sum that is much greater than its parts.  Give your mujadra a generous spritz of fresh lemon (or top with caramelized onions if you have the time), and enjoy this simple pleasure, that’s both easy on your stomach and your pocket.  The leftovers will provide abundant repeat performances. 

Mujadra (recipe courtesy of my mom)

1 cup dried lentils (I prefer green French lentils, but my mom always uses brown lentils)

1 cup white rice

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1½ teaspoons ground cumin

4 cups stock or water (I use two 14 oz. cans of chicken stock and make up the difference with water)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Lemon wedges or carmelized onions, for garnish

·      In a large pot over medium heat, lightly sauté onion in olive oil until tender, but not brown (about 10 minutes). 

·      Add lentils and sauté for 1 minute, so that lentils are evenly coated with the olive oil.  Add 4 cups liquid of choice and bring to a boil.

·      Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes (25-30 minutes in the mountains).

·      Add rice, cumin, a big pinch of salt, and lots of pepper.

·      Simmer, covered, for 25 - 40 minutes until tender.

·      Serve with lemon wedges or caramelized onions. 

Sausage and Lentils with Fennel

I won’t try to dress it up: this was not my finest hour in the kitchen.  Before I even went to the market to get the ingredients, doubt whispered quietly in my ear about this recipe.  But I ignored it, and walked straight into this culinary mess anyway.  For a while, I’ve wanted to make something with fennel. So when I found this recipe on Epicurious.com, it sounded perfect: a lovely sauté of vegetables and lentils, served with sausage.  I love French lentils, those green little beauties, and with a chicken sausage substitution, this sounded healthful and unlike anything I’ve made in the past. 

Then I read the reviews: many were positive, but with a lot of changes to the original recipe, and there was a small, but conspicuous percentage of bad reviews, most accusing the dish of being boring.  I hoped I wouldn’t feel this way, but after making it, I agree with latter.  Not only was the end result boring, but the process of cooking this dish was a mess.  I don’t know if it was the altitude, my ancient stove, or my own ineptness, but every single step took an inordinate amount of time to complete.  I don’t mind a long leisurely recipe, in fact, I love it, but this was just a jumble of too many pans, and an unpleasant feeling of doubt. Every thing felt either rushed or uncertain.  For two hours. 

Usually, cooking is a feast for the senses: ingredients smell and look good, they sizzle, simmer, and transform into something delectable.  This sensory experience was mundane at best. I just knew my trials and tribulations would not trigger a great, big, involuntary “MMmmmm” at the first bite.  My suspicions were unfortunately realized.  The dish itself was edible, but nothing special.  I added a ton of parmesan cheese to it, which was a modest improvement.  Even after 40 minutes, the lentils were cooked through, but still not tender the way I wanted them.  And the fennel, which I was so excited about, was lost in its surroundings, the sea of boring.  I did have a little success with the leftovers: cooking the lentils and sausage in marinara and tossing it with pasta and parmesan, but this does not validate the initial struggle.  Below is the recipe as it came from Epicurious.com, with my feeble contributions denoted by italics. 

1 cup dried lentils (preferably French green lentils; 7 ounces)

4 ½ cups cold water  (or one can reduced sodium chicken stock, and 1 ¼ cups water)

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 medium (3/4 -pound) fennel bulb (sometimes labeled "anise"), stalks discarded, reserving fronds

3 ½ tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, cut into ¼ -inch dice

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon fennel seeds (optional, according to Psycho Cooker)

1 ¼ pounds sweet Italian sausage links (I used one pound of hot Italian chicken sausage)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar, or to taste

Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

§  Bring lentils, water, chicken stock, and (½ teaspoon salt if you’re not using stock) to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until lentils are just tender but not falling apart, 12 to 25 minutes (or 40+ minutes if you’re inept, like me).

§  While lentils simmer, cut fennel bulb into ¼ -inch dice and chop enough fennel fronds to measure 2 tablespoons. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then stir in onion, carrot, fennel bulb, (fennel seeds,) and remaining teaspoon salt. Cover pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes.

§  Meanwhile, lightly prick sausages in a couple of places with tip of a sharp knife, then cook sausages in remaining ½ tablespoon oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes (or 20 minutes, plus 5 minutes in the microwave out of paranoia regarding salmonella). Transfer to a cutting board.

§  Drain cooked lentils in a sieve set over a bowl and reserve cooking water. Stir lentils into vegetables with enough cooking water to moisten (¼  to ½ cup) and cook over moderate heat until heated through. Stir in parsley, pepper, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 1 tablespoon fennel fronds. Season with vinegar and salt.

§  Cut sausages diagonally into ½ -inch-thick slices. Serve lentils topped with sausage and sprinkled with remaining tablespoon fennel fronds. Drizzle all over with extra-virgin olive oil.