EGN NEWS DESK
In January in spite of everything the vacation gluttony (and even barely sooner), I at all times need to pivot to one thing lighter. I usually look to the Eastern Mediterranean for inspiration, relying on plenty of vibrant flavors that includes spices, contemporary herbs, lemon and olive oil.
I craved a scarlet-red beet salad, modeled on one I tasted in Istanbul a number of years in the past, and a big plate of herb-flecked rice — the sort you would possibly discover in Turkish stuffed grape leaves. But, quite than roll particular person dolmas, I opted for a much less labor-intensive household measurement bundle, wrapped in chard leaves. For dessert? A flaky, honey-drizzled apple tart.
For one of the best beet salad, prepare dinner your individual beets — merely boil or roast them any time you might have a free second, even a day or two forward. Then, slip off the skins whereas the beets are nonetheless barely heat. Slice them simply earlier than you make the salad.
Bathe the beets in a easy French dressing with olive oil and citrus juice and zest, together with a little bit sumac or pomegranate molasses. To serve, toss with chopped celery and mint, then garnish with pomegranate seeds. It’s a feast for the eyes.
Now in regards to the rice, meant to be assembled upfront. The rice is absolutely cooked — boiled in water like pasta. It’s then drained, cooled and generously seasoned with browned onions, chopped almonds and pistachios, raisins, lemon zest and juice, and many dill and tarragon, earlier than being wrapped in giant, blanched chard leaves and baked.
Make positive to dollop a big spoonful of unapologetically bitter whole-milk yogurt on prime of every portion earlier than serving. Quite a lot of American yogurts will be creamy and bland, not what you need right here. Find extra puckery yogurt at a Middle Eastern or Indian retailer, or add a little bit of sumac or lemon juice.
For a straightforward, satisfying fruit dessert, phyllo dough is simply the factor. You don’t need to make the pastry from scratch, however you continue to get a really flaky outcome. I topped mine with spiced sliced apples. Instead of the standard melted butter, I used fruity extra-virgin olive oil to color the phyllo sheets and located it fairly nice, particularly with a ultimate drizzle honey. Use butter when you desire, and be happy to experiment with rolling the dough into cigar shapes or creating phyllo turnovers.
I think about this an informal meal, not a flowery dinner party. (Coming over for dinner? I’m making a few tasty dishes; we’ll eat within the kitchen.) I’d serve the beet salad and the rice aspect by aspect, and a giant spoonful of yogurt to go along with each. I’d be completely completely satisfied to have them collectively and name it a meal. But in case your crowd would name that having a aspect dish for supper, the rice received’t thoughts sharing the invoice with a roast hen, a lamb chop, sautéed mushrooms or a bit of broiled fish.
