More delicious Lenten recipes. The first was taught to me by my auntie in Saudi Arabia, and the second is one I make all the time and is super flexible. The third is a super simple and delicious side dish.

Vegetarian Waraq 'Ounab

My dear auntie cuts the grape leaves in half and makes them super small and tight. One day, I will reach her ability and talent, but for now, it's almost always a matter of trying to get them made as quickly as possible. This is a little work intensive, but now that I know that you can freeze the rolls in a single layer and bag them up to keep for when you want them in your freezer, and that you can cook them in an electric pressure cooker for much less time, I have been freed. We already do that to make our meat version for Pascha and other times, so now I will start making a couple batches of these, too. Maybe each quarter I will just designate a waraq 'ounab day and have us fill and roll two to three batches of each version for the freezers, and then have them at the ready for any time we want them that season. Rich wants to start preserving our grape leaves, too, so we no longer have to buy any from the store. I think we can blanch the fresh ones to use right away, like we do for cabbage rolls (malfoof), but I will try that next spring and let you know. As for the lemon salt, my aunt sent me home with a small package of the best quality she had, which looks like crystal meth by the way, and went along with the calcium carbonate my father's wife sent home with me looking like cocaine. I carried them in my carry on and wasn't hassled at all, but I was kind of waiting for customs to be weird about it.

1 quart jar prepared grape leaves, or equivalent amount fresh or home preserved, drained
1 - 2 potatoes (Yukon Gold or German Butterball), peeled and thickly sliced

2 cups basmati rice (or other medium to long grain rice), rinsed and drained
2 large bunches parsley, trimmed and finely minced
2 large bunches mint, leaves finely minced
2 bunches scallions, trimmed and finely minced
1 medium white onion, peeled and finely minced
1 1/2 teaspoons + 1 teaspoon flake salt (and more to season the potatoes)

3 - 4 large tomatoes, quartered
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground Ceylon cinnamon (substitute cassia if you don't have true cinnamon)
juice of one lemon, strained to remove seeds
1 teaspoon lemon salt (crystallized citric acid - optional)

Mix rice, parsley, mint, scallions, onion, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. In the bottom of a medium to large pot, lay the potato slices on the bottom. Start with one potato, and use the second, if necessary to cover the bottom of the pot. Season lightly with salt. Set aside.

Make a fresh purée of tomato, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, cinnamon, and lemon salt.

Trim stems off of grape leaves, place with veins up, and to fit the grape leaf, and fold in the sides, then roll up to form a tightly wrapped package, tucking in sides and edges as you roll. Layer in the pot over the potatoes, circularly, until you finish filling all the grape leaves. If there is extra filling, you can freeze it, or add it to a pot of rice later. If there are a few extra grape leaves, freeze them or lay them flat over the rolls. Pour tomato purée over the top of the filled grape leaves, and rinse the container with water to get the last of the sauce out and add to the pot. Invert a small plate over the top of the food and cover with a lid. Bring liquid to a boil, reduce heat and cook for about 30 minutes, or until rice is cooked and soft.

To make this in a pressure cooker, layer the potato sliced, waraq 'ounab and any extra leaves as above. Pour in the sauce and water, then cover with the lid. Set to high pressure, and cook for 5 minutes. Allow to release pressure naturally for another 5 minutes, then manually depressurize.

Serve with rice, spooning sauce over, and duqqus, if you like it, and a salad.

My auntie covers in public, so I cropped this to preserve her modesty. She made every dish she could think of to laud and honor me while I was there. I am so grateful to have received her generosity. I m not worthy even to touch her wooden spoon. Her cooking is the pinnacle of cookery.

Thai Style Coconut Rice and Vegetable Salad

I love this because it is so quick to put together and is really delicious. It is easy to use short cuts, or use what is in your fridge, without any real extra work. I like to serve it with fruit, which makes it more than filling enough for a family. Make the coconut rice earlier in the day, if you can, and you can make the dressing a day or two early and keep it, sealed, in the refrigerator. These vegetables are suggestions, use what you have in a commensurate amount. You can top this with grilled or poached shrimp, if you like, and still keep it Lenten, or add some leftover slices of steak or grilled chicken as a meat dish.

Coconut Rice:
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 can coconut milk
1 1/2 cans water

Ginger Peanut Dressing:
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons garlic ginger paste
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Salad:
3/4 pound red cabbage, cored and shredded finely
3 carrots, peeled and shredded
2 red bell peppers, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 bunch cilantro, trimmed and minced
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups roasted and lightly salted cashews, finely chopped

lime wedges, to serve

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add rice and garlic and stir until translucent and fragrant. Pour in coconut milk and water, stir in salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook, without lifting the lid, for 15 minutes. Allow to sit for 5 - 10 minutes with the heat off and lid still on before serving.

Make dressing by whisking together all ingredients. Set aside.

Toss coconut rice with red cabbage, shredded carrots, bell peppers, and red onion, until evenly combined. Drizzle with 2/3 of the dressing, and toss to coat. If that seems sufficient, save the remaining dressing to pass at the table. If the salad seems too dry, add more of the dressing. When ready to serve, top with cilantro, scallions, and cashews. Toss and immediately serve with lime wedges and passing any remaining dressing at the table.

Blitzva (Potatoes with Swiss Chard)

This recipe comes from the Dalmatian coast of Croatia. There are myriad versions of this simple dish, but this is how we had it served to us in Split. This is one of the simplest of the truly delicious side dishes we ate all over Croatia. It is most often served with seafood, but we like it with vegetarian main dishes, chicken, or other meats, as well. It has the benefit of being made of ingredients we can easily grow here and that are available just about year round for us. Like so many recipes from Croatia, it is really based on good ingredients treated respectfully. Many recipes I found for this didn't include the drizzle of balsamic vinegar, but that is how it was served to us most of the time in Split.

3 pounds Yukon gold or similar potatoes, washed, peeled and cut in large cubes
1 large bunch Swiss chard, stems sliced thinly, and leaves chopped
3 - 4 shallots, peeled and finely minced
2/3 cup good olive oil, plus more for serving
1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes (we usually use Aleppo pepper flakes)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
balsamic vinegar, to serve

Place potatoes in a pot of salted water, bring to a boil, and cook about 10 - 20 minutes, until just tender. Drain and place pot back on stove. Immediately add chard stems and minced shallots to the pot and toss to heat.

Add chard leaves to pot, along with olive oil, red chile flakes, salt and pepper. Toss together. Cover to wilt chard. Taste to adjust seasoning.

Serve with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Labels: Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen