In a rich tomato sauce scented with bay leaves, this simple vegan dish is part of the traditional Greek foods we cook during Lent, hence the late, brilliant Martin Brigdale chose to photograph it at Meteora, the breathtaking site in Central Greece for my first book The Foods of Greece.
Serves 2 as main course, and 4 as side dish
Kaliope Delios, who, together with her husband, owns the tavern Castro in Avgonyma, Chios, makes delicious stuffed tomatoes. She uses plenty of wild fennel, together with fresh mint from her garden to flavor the simple rice stuffing. Since wild fennel is not readily available in the US, I substituted fennel bulb and dill, and the result was very good. Arborio rice is a good substitute for the common, medium grain Greek rice used in all sorts of stuffings. Prepare domates gemistes a day in advance and keep in the refrigerator. Let them come to room temperature before serving.
Fragrant and sweet, these stuffed tomatoes are delicious when accompanied by feta cheese and fresh crusty bread.
TO SERVE 6 (more…)
I have adapted for mung beans my mother’s simple recipe for lentil soup, a winter staple in our house for as long as I can remember. She added mustard to all the pulses believing that it helped tame the occasional digestive issues.
Somehow inspired by the bean’s origin I add turmeric and my mung beans became a richer and more flavorful soup than the original lentils, I feel! This is a very filling Vegan dish.
Serves 6 to 8
The soup is inspired by the description I found in an ancient text. Greek volvoi are no longer exported, so you can use the lampascioni from Puglia, either sold roasted or in vinegar. Alternatively you can substitute pickled pearl onions, avoiding the bitter taste… More about Greeks’ love of bitter taste.
Scroll down for the second day Pasta & Lentil I usually whip up with our leftover lentil soup.
See also the Lentil Soup with Pickled cabbage, and the Linguini with Spicy Lentils and Caramelized onions from my Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts.
Makes 4 servings (more…)
