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On Saturday, I went to a beautiful baby shower for Brooke, a dear friend from college who also happens to live in San Francisco. Since a few friends would be coming in from out of town for the festivities, plus the local ladies, we figured it was the perfect opportunity for a girls night on Friday…which we opted to make a girls night in.
It was a weeknight, plus just good practice, so I kept things super easy – and called in back-up for apps and dessert. Tessa picked up pâté and other goodies from Fatted Calf and made great {and super simple} date, goat cheese and proscuitto bites.
I went for a version of something that has popped up on our table all summer — spicy spatchcocked chicken with salsa verde and heirloom panzanella. But to ‘catch’ the wine that was likely to be accompanying dinner, we needed something else warm (plus – it was chilly come Friday evening) and a bit hearty too.
Earlier in the week, in honor of Julia Child’s what-would-be 100th birthday, I spied a zucchini tian on Food 52 that seemed perfect. Two of the ladies are gluten-free, so the rice component was ideal (no fear – they had a separate, and equally delicious panzanella). And since it was primarily zucchini, even the liquid added for the rice to cook was drained zucchini juice, it was also much lighter and healthier than it seemed.
Dessert was truthfully more wine, plus a summer favorite of grilled peaches and vanilla ice cream. We topped it with a little dusting of coconut sugar and smoked salt for fun, but it needs nothing else. I just can’t help adding some flaky salt to dessert.
Such a fun evening catching up with old friends…nights like these are the reason I like to cook!
For the recipe for the zucchini & rice dish
I have been on quite a lentil kick lately. First there was palak daal, then lentils with bacon and now mujaddara.
Mujadarra is a lentil dish with rice (or wheat) and cooked onions that is often found in many Levantine cuisines. I have always loved the flavors of Lebanese (and it’s neighbor’s) cooking, and after a two-part trip to Beirut courtesy of No Reservations and Netflix, I couldn’t get that food out of my head.
So I decided I would make Smitten Kitchen’s Lebanese-style stuffed eggplant which I first recalled eyeing way back when, but then the sun came out and it seemed a bit heavy.
The ground lamb could easily become lamb meatballs and a mujadarra that I spotted on Food 52 seemed to be the perfect compliment. Bonus that the spiced yogurt from the lentil dish would also work with the meatballs. Perfect!
This was my first time making mujadarra, but it will definitely become a regular addition to meals around here.
Man, I forgot how good jasmine rice is! Thankfully the lentils upped the ‘health’ ante, so I didn’t feel too bad about having a big heaping of white rice. And with the charred onions, yes please!
As for the spiced yogurt, I didn’t have fresh cumin or any coriander, nor spiced paprika, so I added a pinch of cayenne to regular paprika, went with ground cumin and threw in some sumac, which is often found in Middle Eastern dishes. To be honest, it was a teeny-bit gritty, almost like the ratio of spices was too heavy, but I think freshly ground could’ve eliminated that, and maybe the sumac wan’t really needed. So all that means is the original recipe I gather was better than my substitutions. 
I have been trying to add to my spice cupboard, so I am excited to try it next time with my new aleppo pepper.
A quick side note about the meatballs, Read the rest of this entry »
When I made the spice-crusted lamb, I mentioned the grape-almond port sauce from the Sunday Suppers winter dinner. I love being surprised by things, and the grapes in the sauce definitely did that for me. And I left that dinner wanting to make it again.
Only the next time I made lamb, I couldn’t give up my mint. So I switched the sauce to a side and was equally happy with the result.
We didn’t have port on hand, and I am not sure if I would have used it in the rice regardless, but wine we do have and I figured it would amp up the rice … it works great it risottos. I subbed half the water (or stock) that I normally use in rice for red wine, giving the grain a vivid color and bright taste.
