Friday Nights of Arabia

Friday Nights of Arabia

Virtual Vegetarian – Vegan Cooking Class – Bend, Oregon – Mediterranean Recipes

What you’ll need:

5 plum tomatoes

2 large Idaho potatoes

2 large handfuls green beans

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Marinade

¾ C extra virgin olive oil

¼ C tahini

¼ C white vinegar

1.5 T sea salt

5 T dried dill

1 tsp. ground black peppercorns

6 cloves chopped garlic

½ C white sesame seeds

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8″ x 4″ x 2-1/2″ loaf pan (and possibly a second pan for a potential casserole number two if you have any leftovers).

This recipe creates 4-5 entree sized servings.

1. First, tune into Arabic radio on your listening device to get your groove on and make this dish right. http://www.listenarabic.com

2. Consider ordering a bottle of arak, a wine made of fermented grapes and anise seeds, to serve with this dish, and of course, drink while preparing it. Read about arak here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arak_(drink)

Order here: http://www.missionliquors.com/arak/buy-arak.html

3. Wash the vegetables:

My method for doing this is to put all of the vegetables in a huge mixing bowl and fill with slightly warm water, then add 1/8 C salt and three drops of earth friendly dishwashing soap. I swish it around until the salt at the bottom is dissolved and let it sit while I do cooking prep (such as drinking wine and choosing cooking music). Give a few more swishes as you’re doing other things and then rinse three times and allow to air dry in a strainer.

2. How to cut them:

De-stem and chop the beans in half. Leave the skins on the potatoes and slice them into very thin discs. Slice the tomatoes.

3. Prepare the marinade:

This is what the vegetables will marinate and cook in, absorbing its tart nuttiness. Normally I’m all for substitutions and encourage it for creativity, but this is not the recipe for that sort of thing. I tweaked this one to exactness and the array of flavors is balanced just so.

Choose a bowl large enough to later toss all of the vegetables with the sauce in. Put the marinade ingredients in the bowl and stir until everything is dissolved and blended. Add the vegetables and stir until everything is doused sufficiently. Let it sit for 15 minutes and stir again.

4. Set up the dish:

Separate the tomato slices into one half of the bowl (this is just a loose organization for later ease).

Lightly oil your loaf pan(s) with olive oil. Put the beans and potatoes in the pan and press firmly to get rid or any air space. Keep pushing them down and adding more until you have about half an inch of room left to add the tomatoes.

*Note: If you’d like this to look really gorgeous when you cut it and want to put the time in, lay the potatoes in their own layer first in the pan, and follow with the beans in their own layer.

There should be some sauce left in the bottom of the bowl under the tomato slices. Pour some of it over the mass. Add as many tomatoes as you can in the same fashion, pressing, and then add as much sauce remaining as you can without going over the sides.

Throw a spray of sesame seeds over the top and bake at 375F for 45 minutes.

5. Set the stage:

Serve with a big bowl of steamed freekeh (http://www.freekehlicious.com/Health-Benefits.html) tossed with olive oil, caramelized onions, green olive and cucumber slivers, a big pinch of za’atar (or “zaatar”), grated lemon rind, salt and pepper. You can order these spices here: http://www.myspicesage.com (free delivery).

As you’ll read, freekeh seems to work well for some gluten sensitive people, but if you’ve got a severe case of Celiac’s don’t try it. This combination is just as delicious using millet instead of freekeh, but freekeh is loaded with protein, has a low glycemic index and is a new flavor to some, so why not try something new if you’re able?

As with all of the recipes and themed dinners on my blog, this is available as a cook-and-learn dinner party in your home, as well as a private chef service in Central Oregon, Bend, Sunriver, Redmond and surrounding areas. See http://www.cireelinsenman.tk and call 503-302-8103 for information.