Moroccan Carrot Soup

This easy to prepare carrot soup is delicious. It appeared in the April 2010 issue of Bon Appetit and won rave reviews on the Epicurious website. Although the recipe supposedly serves four, I would double it for that number of hearty portions. If there's a bit extra, enjoy it the next day.

2 tbl. butter

1 cup chopped white onion

1 lb. large carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch dice (about 2 2/3 cups)

2 1/2 cups low salt chicken broth

1 1/2 tsps. cumin seed

1 tbl. honey

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1/8 tsp. ground allspice

1/2 cup plain yogurt, stirred to loosen

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion and saute for 2 minutes. Mix in carrots. Add broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes.

Stir cumin seeds in small skillet until fragrant, 4-5 minutes; cool. Finely grind in spice mill.

Remove soup from heat. Puree using a submersible blender or puree in batches in a blender until smooth. With soup in saucepan, whisk in honey, lemon juice and allspice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle soup into bowls, drizzle yogurt over soup and sprinkle generously with cumin.

Serves 2-3

Notes: I used olive oil instead of butter. If you have only ground cumin, use that. The taste won't be as striking but it will still be good. If the honey doesn't appeal to you, omit it; same for the allspice. You can also substitute another spice if allspice is not your cup of tea. Cinnamon, ginger, cardamom or fennel are possibilities.

Fennel, Bean and Tuna Salad

If you like these ingredients you will enjoy this salad. Some people aren't fond of fennel's licorice flavor but I love it. I'm having some friends over for brunch this Sunday and was thinking of what to serve that could be made in advance. This salad may be on the table along with some others. I found the recipe in The Farm to Table Cookbook by Ivy Manning. If you aren't into cooking dried bans from scratch, please feel free to use 2 cans of cannellini beans, well drained, rinsed and dried. I like Eden Organic brand.

1 cup dried cannellini beans

7 cups cold water

1 bay leaf

2 tsp. salt

1 garlic clove, peeled

1 small fennel bulb

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 6 ounce can tuna in oil, undrained

1 tbl. extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

1 tb. apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Soak the beans in cool water for at least 8 hours, or overnight. Drain, rinse well and put in a large saucepan. Add the water, bay leaf, salt and garlic; bring to a boil. simmer until the beans are tender, tasting frequently to determine doneness. They should be done in about 40 minutes. Drain the beans and refrigerate until cool.

Halve the fennel lengthwise, separate the feathery green fronds form the stalks and finely chop the fronds. Remove the tough fennel core. Slice the bulb and stalks as thinly as possible.

In a large bowl, combine the beans, fennel, onion, tuna and its oil, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar and parsley. Toss together gently; add salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad

The days are finally getting warmer and it's time to begin thinking about spring and summer foods again. This very easily prepared salad is a staple on my table. It goes well with chicken, fish, all kinds of main dish salads and deli meats. Dill, scattered throughout the salad, looks lovely against the pale green cucumbers. This version comes from Anna Pump's recipe found in Summer on A Plate.

2 seedless cucumbers, unpeeled, very thinly sliced

1 tbl. kosher salt

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Place the sliced cucumbers in a colander, sprinkle with salt, toss to coat, and set aside for 15 minutes. give them an occasional stir to distribute the salt.

Combine the vinegar, dill, sugar and pepper in a large bowl. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved.

Drain the cucumbers and pat well to dry. Add to the dressing and stir to blend well. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes or up to 2 hours. Serve cold.

Serves 6-8 as a side dish

Note: I use less salt and slightly less sugar when making the salad

Wild and Basmati Rice Pilaf

This dish combines some of my favorite foods-rice, mushrooms and dill. For me, the combination is sure to please. I served the pilaf recently with salmon with orange balsamic sauce. The extra sauce spooned on top of the pilaf tasted heavenly.

3 tbl. olive oil

1 large shallot, finely minced

1 cup wild rice

3 1/2 cups water

1 bay leaf

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup basmati rice

2 bunches carrots, scraped and cut at an angle

1 lb. shitake mushrooms, stems removed and quartered

1/2 cup nuts (pine nuts, pecans or sliced almonds)

handful of dill, finely chopped

Melt 1 tbl of the oil in a large saucepan. Saute the shallots for 2 minutes. Add the wild rice and stir well. Add the water, bay leaf, salt and pepper and bring to boil. Cover, lower heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Stir in the basmati rice and return to simmer. Cook and cover another 20 minutes.

While the rices are cooking, cook the carrots in boiling water until tender. Drain well and set aside.

In a skillet heat the remaining 2 tbl. of oil, add the mushrooms and stir frequently over medium heat until mushrooms are softened. Add the nuts and saute for about 3 minutes. Add the cooked carrots and heat through (about 3 more minutes). Add the dill, blending well into the cooked veggies. Add the vegetables to the cooked rices and transfer to a serving dish.

Serves 6-8

Ginger Vinaigrette for Fish (or Tofu)

Seeking an interesting way to perk up plain broiled fish? Try this vinaigrette; it packs a jolt. Although the idea of putting salad dressing on top of broiled fish sounded strange, I did what Pierre Franey suggested in his cookbook Pierre Franey Cooks with Friends. As always, he was right. Pierre used mahi mahi but most fish fillets or steaks would work well.

1 tbl. dijon mustard

1 tb. grated fresh ginger

2 tb. finely chopped shallots

1 tsp. finely chopped garlic

2 tbs. red wine vinegar

2 tbl. chopped fresh coriander

dash of Tabasco

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup olive oil

Place all ingredients except the oil in a small mixing bowl. Blend well with a wire whisk. Add oil slowly, whisking rapidly until well blended. check for seasoning. Pour over broiled fish.

Sufficient for 4 fillets or steaks

Note: Many herbs would work well so if you don't like (or don't have) coriander, try oregano, mint or whatever you fancy.

I used less oil than called for and the fish had plenty of flavor.

I have not tried this but imagine that the dressing would be great over sauteed tofu.

Megadarra-Brown Lentils and Rice

Lentils are comforting, homey, extraordinarily versatile and cheap. I first tasted them as a teenager when I was invited to a neighbor's house for dinner. The family's background was Middle Eastern and the food they ate was a world apart from my mother's Eastern European cooking style. The combination that I tasted that night: lentils, rice and fried onions topped with a dollop of cool, tangy yogurt was a revelation. Here is a version of that classic Middle Eastern dish. It is based on a recipe from Claudia Roden's extraordinary cookbook, The Book of Jewish Food. Ms. Roden explains that megadarra was regularly served on Thursday nights as part of a dairy meal. The recipe calls for lots of onions. Don't be alarmed. They cook up crisp, brown and heavenly.

3 large onions (about 1 1/2 lbs.), cut in half and sliced

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 cups large brown lentils

1 1/4 cups long grain rice

Salt and pepper, to taste

Fry the onions in the oil, stirring often, until they turn golden brown.

Rinse the lentils and cook them in a large saucepan in 4 1/2 cups of water for 20 minutes. Add half of the fried onions and the rice. Season with salt and pepper and stir well. Put the lid on and cook on very low heat for another 20 minutes, or until the rice and lentils are tender, adding water if the mixture becomes too dry.

At the same time, put the remaining onions back on the fire and continue to fry them, stirring often, until they are a dark brown and almost caramelized.

Serve the megadarra hot or at room temperature with these onions sprinkled on top. I usually top with yogurt.

Serves 4-6

Notes: Ms. Roden's recipe calls for 1/2 cup of olive oil.

My neighbors served a chopped salad of lettuce, radishes and tomatoes dressed with olive oil and lemon juice along with the megadarra.

My neighbors served a chopped salad of lettuce, radishes and tomatoes, dressed with olive oil and lemon juice along with the megadarra.