Lentils, Dried Beans, and Rice (Makhluta) with Kale

I like picking up cookbooks from random church groups or organisations at sales. Some of them are new, but a great many are ones that just happen to have come up for sale at thrift stores or yard sales. They come with a great diversity of recipes depending on the participants, and they usually cover everything from appetisers to desserts. Some even come with anecdotes or jokes (like the one that had the recipe for Elephant Stew... prepare 1 elephant and 1 hare, add to pot with some water, salt, and pepper. Serves 500 or so, depending on the size of the hare.)

The Lebanese Kitchen: A celebration of Lebanese Cuisine is a very high quality version of this type of cookbook. It wasn't until I checked the publisher and date before writing this post that I realised that it was actually written in 1990 to provide building funds for St. Elijah's Orthodox Church, by their Ladies Society. It looks like these went to convert an older church to a residential building in Ottawa.

I was looking for a rice and bean recipe, and this certainly fit the bill. I used a can of 6 mixed beans, and brown rice to make it a bit different. The can held roughly 2 cups, so I doubled the recipe. I probably didn't need to do this since the cooked beans would likely have made up the extra cup, but I pressed on. I guessed at the amount of water I would need after adding the rice, adding 3 cups to be safe. I used just enough olive oil to sautee the onion, maybe a tablespoon worth. As far as I can tell it didn't affect the quality of the dish.

After cooking, it was clear I'd added too much water. I took the lid off to let it boil down, then decided I might as well add the kale I had been thinking about steaming as a side. 

This is a really nice dish that could be used as a main or a side, and the kale went along with the beans and rice very nicely. The cumin was quite pleasant as a flavouring. It could easily accommodate different bean types, and would even be a great way to make a quick and filling supper. 

Lentils, Dried Beans, and Rice (Makhluta)

Serves 6

1/4 cup dried lentils

1/4 cup dried chickpeas

1/4 cup dried lima beans

1/4 cup dried kidney beans

7 - 8 cups water, as required

1 Tbsp cumin (optional)

1/4 cup rice

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup olive oil

Wash all dried beans, lentils, and peas. Soak in water overnight.

Drain and place in a large saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes.

Saute onion in oil until brown; add to beans. Add rice, salt, and pepper.

Cover and cook until tender, 20 - 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Variation: Canned beans may be substituted. Reduce cooking time accordingly.

Curried Fish Casserole

I love old cookbooks. I've picked them up at various yard sales, thrift stores, used book stores, church sales... The random sources mean I sometimes get random items. This card came in a bag of recipe books, calendars, and miscellaneous from a yard sale. A woman was clearing out her mother's house, and when I become excited over some handwritten recipes in notebooks, she insisted I take the whole box.

Usually I'm not so much of a fan of recipes from the 70s. The era tended to have some odd food combinations. This is definitely an example. I'd picked up fish from a local grocery store on sale, and had everything else on hand. It seemed a bit unusual, but why not?

The fish was haddock, and I used a pear instead of an apple to use what was on hand. I have some very spicy Thai curry powder that worked really well in this. I was a bit worried when I was staring this down in the pot, but the end result is very flavourful and interesting. I would definitely make this again.

Curried Fish Casserole

McCall's Greatest Recipe Card Collection, 1977

Yield: 4  servings

1 tbsp     margarine

1.5 cups     sliceed onion

1 to 2 tsp     curry powder

1 pkg (1 lb)     unthawed frozen fish fillets (haddock, halibut, or sole)

1 large     apple - cored and thinly sliced

1 can (8 1/4 oz)     tomatoes, drained

1/2 teaspoon     salt

1/8 tsp     pepper

     Chopped parsley

In hot margarine in large, nonstick skillet with tight-fitting cover, saute onions until soft -- about 5 minutes.  Add curry powder.  Cook, stirring, 5 minutes longer.

Cut frozen fillets crosswise into 1-inch strips.  Arrange fish fillets in bottom of casserole.  Place onions on top of fish; top with apples and tomatoes.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cook over medium heat, covered, 10 minutes.  To serve, sprinkle liberally with parsley.