Mung beans and sausage stew

We've noticed we like sausage stew with some kind of beans!! This stew is very similar to the one we posted a few months ago but this time we used mung beans and it was delicious!

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 kilo of mung beans soaked overnight
6 long traditional sausages
1 big onion chopped
Spices (we used turmeric, cumin, salt and vegetable stock cubes)
Water.

1. Fry the sausages until they are cooked (we used fresh sausages so they were completely raw). Cut in bite sized pieces. Set aside.
2. Fry the onion in a pot big enough to fit the rest of the ingredients. Add the sausages and stir, add the spices and salt and then add in the previously soaked mung beans.
3. Add enough water to cover the ingredients and bring to a boil. Once it has been boiling for about 15 minutes, lower the heat and cook until the beans are soft.
4. Serve and enjoy! Can be eaten with rice, toast or by itself with yoghurt and a dash of lemon if you are like us :)

 

Borlotti beans and chorizo stew

Seems like Mr. F and I haven't cooked for ages! haha! Sorry, we're been caught up in other things like eating... ;)
So, it is now the beginning of summer in Australia but no...today the weather was rainy and it got down to 16ºC! Crazy!! And some argue climate change might not be real...but that's a whole different story and that's not why we are here. Back to business...on a day like that a warm, hearty meal is just what the heart (stomach) needs. So this is what we made:

INGREDIENTS:
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic (or garlic powder)
1/2 capsicum (green sweet pepper)
2 carrots
Sausages or chorizo
Ham
Chicken
A handful of cherry tomatoes
2 cans Borlotti beans
Tomato paste
Salt, pepper, cumin and whatever other spice you want to add (Cayenne pepper is a nice one if you like your food a little spicy).

WHAT WE DID:
1. In a large pot, brown the onion for a bit and then add the capsicum and carrots
2. Add the meats and brown a little
3. Throw the drained beans, tomatoes and tomato paste in the pot and season with salt, pepper and whatever spices you like (we added cumin because we love it!). Add water or stock to it just before it covers it all.
4. Bring to boiling point and then reduce heat to simmer. Cook until the meat is thoroughly cooked and simmer until the water is absorbed a little and the whole dish looks like a stew.

You can eat it by itself, with a dollop of yoghurt or over rice or pasta. We had it with a poached egg!! YUMMMMYYYY!

Chicken with spinach and prunes

So, Persians have made this meal and of course, this is our version of it.

INGREDIENTS:
1 medium onion diced
1/2 kg chicken filet (breast or thigh) diced
2 bunches of spinach (or more if you like) roughly chopped
The juice of a lemon
1 tbsp sugar
A handful of prunes (pitted is better)
Salt and pepper to taste
Spices (we used turmeric, cumin and a bit of chili)

1. Soften the onion in about 4 tbsp of hot oil in a large pot
2. Add the chicken and brown slightly. Season with your favourite spices, salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add the spinach and stir (the pot will be full from the spinach but don't be overwhelmed, spinach reduces considerably once cooked).
4. Once it has reduced a little, add the lemon juice and the sugar (you can leave the sugar out if you like. We added brown sugar to balance the sourness of the lemon).
5. Stir and throw in the prunes (you can add these last minute if you'd prefer them a little harder - we like them quite soft so we add them at this point).
6. Add about 1/2 cup of water or stock , bring to boil then reduce heat and let simmer for about 30 minutes or until the water has consumed to the desired point (juicy or less juicy) and the chicken is thoroughly cooked.

We served it on a bed of basmati rice.

 

Ghormeh Sabzi (herbs, beans and meat stew)

Every Persian cook has their own way of making ghormeh sabzi. We don't want you to think this is the traditional way to make it but we have seen Persians cook it and this is our version of this delicious stew. It full of greens and protein!

INGREDIENTS:
Oil

1/2 bunch of celery
2 bunches of parsley
A bit of dry mint and fenugreek*

1 medium onion diced
Meat on bone (we used 2 pieces of beef osso buco and diced it)
1-2 cans of red kidney beans
4 dried lemons* slightly broken for the flavours to come out (not too much because the seeds are really bitter)
The juice of 1-2 limes (depending on preference)
Salt and pepper to taste and any other spices you'd like to add (we use turmeric and ground cumin)
Water

1. Chop finely the celery and parsley and put in a frying pan with a bit of oil until it is soft. Remove from heat and save (you can fry it in batches days or even weeks in advance and store in the freezer in an airtight container or freezer bag).
2. Heat a large pot with some oil. Add the diced onion and slightly brown. Add the diced meat and the bone, and brown both sides.
3. Add the celery and parsley to the meat and stir in the mint and fenugreek**. Throw in the drained beans and stir.
4. Add the salt and pepper, the dried lemons and the lime juice. Add some water just to cover the stew. Once boiling, lower the heat, stir and simmer for about 2 hours, stirring every once in a while. Taste and adjust salt if required. Some people like to take the dried lemons out because they can be quite bitter (especially the seeds).

Serve with long grain white rice -we prefer basmati.

*You can find dry fenugreek, mint and dried lemons in middle-eastern stores.
** We added previously fried and frozen herbs without thawing so we reduced the amount of water added at the end. You can also add other herbs. We have added fresh chives when we had them.