Our Melting Pot Serves us Meze...

One of the fun things of living in Hawaii is the diverse background of your friends and acquaintances.  We truly live in a 'melting pot'.

I've often said that attending a 'pot luck' meal in Hawaii is an international culinary experience due to the diversity of dishes shared from all over the world....but when you're invited to a special lunch, the experience is not only a learning one, but one which can open new culinary worlds yet to be explored.

We have known our friend Holit for many years.  She is an Israeli with many ties in the Middle East and a wonderful cook.  We were recently invited by Holit to share a meze style Middle Eastern meal with her and a couple of other friends, Dawn and her mother Audrey.

Meze is the Middle Eastern or Greek equivalent of tapas or appetizers, or a meal comprised of many little dishes.

 
Holt served hummus, tahina, pickled creamed beets; pickled eggplant with feta,
onions, garlic and sundried tomatoes; baba ganoush; M'jadarah (a rice and lentils
dish, recipe below); falafel; ful or fava beans; pieces of olive bread, olives, feta cheese
with a cover of parsley, garlic and olive oil that was delicious....Dawn and her
mother brought tabouleh and stuffed dates with cream cheese and almonds... for
beverage we had mint tea.

We ate, we talked, we laughed, we ate some more, we talked some more and we
laughed some more and we solved all of the world's problems that afternoon.

Dawn, it was wonderful seeing you again and meeting Audrey...

Toda Raba, Holit for a beautiful afternoon!

 
M'jadarah - Rice & Lentils

2 cups brown lentils

3-1/2 cups water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup jasmine rice
1 cup bird's nest pasta (*) broken 

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves minced garlic - optional
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Cumin to taste

 

Cook the lentils in the 3-1/2 cups of water just until soft. Remove lentils and reserve at least 3 cups of the cooking water.

 

(*) If you can't find bird's nets pasta, vermicelli or Angel Hair pasta will do.  Break into smaller pieces.

 

While lentils are boiling, sauté the rice, pasta chopped onion and minced garlic in the olive oil in a separate saucepan until pasta is golden and onion translucent.

 

Add the lentils and the reserved 3 cups water from the lentils to the rice mixture. Stir and season to taste with salt, pepper and cumin.  Bring to a boil, turn heat to low and cover.

 

Water should just cover the rice.  If needed, you can add a bit more water.  Cook on low until rice is done and all liquid has evaporated; about 20 minutes.

 

Garnish with toasted pinenuts and sprigs of fresh parsley. 

 

A dollop of Tzatziki Sauce on the side is a refreshing addition.  To make, just use plain yogurt to which you add finely chopped cucumbers, a touch of finely minced garlic and fresh chopped mint to taste.

YIELD : 8  1 cup servings

SOURCE: Traditional Middle Eastern Recipes

Comments

[Sonia]

The food Holit prepared was delicious, Pomai....My son and I attended a series of very interesting classes at HCC-Hilo a couple of years ago on Food Anthropology presented by Judith Kirkendall and the culmination of the course was a magnificent "Persian Dinner" prepared for us by the HCC School of Culinary Arts students. I took photos during classes and the dinner, but have never blogged about it....Maybe I will soon.

[Pomai]

I could so get into this spread. I love Middle Eastern cuisine. I especially like the macrobiotic focus on the dishes Holt prepared. I have yet to try The Pyramids on Kapahulu avenue here on Oahu.

[Sonia]

Portia, I actually thought of you during this meal....so many vegetarian dishes perfect for your Providence Vegetarian Examiner articles!

[Portia Little]

Sonia, what a wonderful gathering, and I'm glad you all solved the world's problems too! Tapas dishes are among my favorites - a chance to taste many different flavors at the same meal. Thanks for sharing the lentil recipe too.
Portia