Sometimes though, I get it right and do something that reminds me of that person I would like to be, and makes me feel that maybe it is not a totally unreachable goal after all. Last night was one such night. I say this because I managed to cook some vegetables to go with the main dish which were not only good enough to be completely snaffled up, but also used the greens from the tops of the vegetables in the main dish. No waste! And the leftovers from the main dish were eaten by four out of five of us for lunch today - no waste! In fact, since I doubled the recipe below, at least one of us will be lunching on this again tomorrow. See, I have my ecologically-sound moments! Give me a moment while I rest gently on my laurels...
And as if I needed another reason to feel good about last night's meal, I was also kind of proud that it came from a part of the world whose cuisine we don't often see around these parts - namely North Africa. One of my favorite cookbooks is Slow Cooking From Around the World by Carolyn Humphries. Breaking out of one's comfort zone is another thing I wish I did more often, and which makes me feel great when I do. This is the kind of book that makes it easy to expose yourself and your family to unusual flavors and combinations of flavors. The side recipe that follows comes from one of those "Gosh, baby turnips, aren't they cute!" moments, followed by a "what the heck do I do with these?" moments. I honestly don't know what people did before google. One search for baby turnips, turned up the recipe below, which I tweaked only because I needed to use up some delicious purple carrots and asparagus as well.
Oh, and did I mention that the main dish is high in fiber too, with lots of barley? Sheesh, I'm on a roll here, people!
Barley Pilaf with Chicken and Feta
Serves 4
2 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
12 oz chicken breast, cut into strips
2 zucchini (courgettes), cut into chunks
8oz pearl barley
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
2/3 cup tomato sauce (passata)
good pinch of ground cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup (4oz) feta cheese, cubed/coarsely crumbled
2 cups turnip greens /tops, coarsely chopped (if you are cooking the side dish below as well - you could always use spinach as an alternative)
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
1. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic and chicken and sauté for a few minutes until chicken is getting browned. Add zucchini and then stir in the barley until it is glistening. Tip all of this into the slow cooker stoneware.
2. Add stock and tomato sauce/passata to the same skillet and bring to the boil. Pour into the slow cooker.
3. Add the cloves and cinnamon, and a little salt and pepper to taste, then stir everything together to combine.
4. Cook on High for 2 1/2 hours.
5. Stir in the feta and the chopped turnip greens, then cover and leave for 5-10 minutes so that the greens wilt.
6. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.
Roasted Vegetables with Parsley-Mustard Vinaigrette
from Food and Wine
1 TBSP white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp whole grain mustard
1 green onion (spring onion), finely chopped
1 1/2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
1 bunch baby turnips, peeled and halved (larger ones, quartered)
1 bunch purple carrots, peeled and cut into 1" lengths
1 bunch asparagus, woody lower stems removed, and rest chopped into 1" lengths
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In a bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, green onion, parsley and 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Toss the chopped root vegetables (not the asparagus) with the remaining oil on a large rimmed baking sheet, and season with salt and pepper.
4. Roast the vegetables for 10 minutes.
5. Remove and add the asparagus, tossing to coat in the oil.
6. Return to the oven and roast for a further 10 minutes.
7. Tip the vegetables on to a large platter and drizzle the vinaigrette over the top, tossing gently to coat. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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