the thin chef

Well hello there. I’m so glad you’re reading this, because it means two things: one, I didn’t lose every single reader I ever had during my little blogging hiatus, and two, it means I finished my first blog post in two months. I don’t usually post much (if anything) about my life outside of the kitchen here, but I figure that if you stuck around this long, you deserve an explanation.

Let’s see…it all started with a slight (but short) lull in my desire to cook. OK, pretty normal. We had pasta for a few nights. Well then the holidays hit, with after-work cocktail parties, dinners out, and days off. And I left my Canon in Florida when we were home for Thanksgiving, so the meals I actually did cook while I was cameraless went undocumented. (Bad excuse, you say? Sigh. I know.) Then came the Big Changes.

First, I decided to leave my job at the magazines to pursue a freelance career. That was Big Change number 1. Big Change number 2 came when we decided that since our families live in Florida and—aside from our incredible friends—the main thing keeping us in Birmingham was my job, we were ready to move back to the Sunshine State. Big Change 3 was the decision to buy our first house…which we found, put and offer on, and closed on within a month. We weren’t wasting any time!

So, all the changes afoot, the month of January became a whirlwind that is a cross-state move. That, along with numerous last dinners out and some lovely farewell parties, meant I didn’t cook a real meal in four weeks. Four! A whole month!

But now, we’re here. We’re officially Florida residents again, and we’re getting settled into our new (to us) bungalow. We’re still working on the cardboard-box-as-furniture thing, but one of my favorite parts of the house is the gorgeous kitchen. New appliances, great lighting, and granite countertops…oh, guys, it’s an absolute dream compared with our old kitchen. There are many culinary adventures to be had in there! I promise to show you soon.

If you’re still reading, this is where I will wrap things up, since I’ve been blathering on for paragraphs. I’m so happy you’re still with me…and I promise there are good things to come. For now, I’ll leave you with the first thing I made in the new house: healthy hummus. It’s a Cooking Light recipe, so I’ll link it and give you my modifications.

Classic Hummus
Adapted, ever so slightly, from Cooking Light magazine
Makes 3 1/4 cups

2 (15.5-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 to 3 big garlic cloves (depending on how much you like garlic), smashed and peeled
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste, find it on the ethnic food aisle of grocery stores along w/ matzah and other kosher foods)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Place beans and garlic in a food processor; pulse until chopped. Add the water, tahini, lemon juice, 3 tablespoons oil, salt, and pepper; run processor until very smooth, scraping down sides as needed.

Note: I like to stir in about a teaspoon of sambal olek into 1/4 cup of hummus and use cucumbers to scoop. It adds a nice tang and spiciness.

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After my somewhat anxiety-inducing msakkhan attempt, I felt like taking on a simpler Arabic dish. Fortunately for me, imjadara, one of Jason’s very favorite meals, is pretty fail-safe. A couldn’t-be-simpler combination of brown lentils and white rice is topped with a tangle of super-soft, golden onions that are cooked until melted and sweet and a crunchy little salad of cucumbers and tomatoes. The onions are, in the opinion of chez Thin Chef, what really makes the imjadara (say im-JUH-duh-ruh…roll the r) come together.

Fragrant cumin is the only spice my mother-in-law uses for this. (I think some recipes call for cinnamon, or other sundry warm spices.) This relies on very inexpensive ingredients that can be stocked and kept on hand at all times. A study in simplicity, this is a perfect meal for Arabic cooking 101.

Imjadara (Arabic Lentils + Rice)
serves 2 for dinner with leftovers
My in-laws serve this with plain yogurt for spooning on top. I love the yogurt added in, but it’s also perfectly fine without it.

5 large yellow or white onions, sliced thinly
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 cup white rice
2 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large, ripe tomato
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 small lemon

Combine onions and 3 T oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally and adding splashes of water when the pan looks dry, until onions are very soft and quite brown, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine lentils, rice, water, salt, and cumin in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Bring to a boil, then cover and lower heat to medium-low. Keep mixture at a bare simmer, stirring it every so often. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until water is absorbed.

While imjadara cooks, dice tomato and cucumber, and place in a medium bowl. Squeeze lemon over bowl (watch for seeds) and drizzle with 1 T oil. Add salt to taste, and stir to combine.

Fluff imjadara with a fork, drizzle with remaining oil, and taste for seasoning. Serve with a generous topping of caramelized onions, the tomato-cucumber salad, and plain yogurt, if you so desire.

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