4 onions, large
1/2 cup lentils, red, cooked
3/4 cup yogurt, plain
2 tbsp dates, stored & finely chopped
2 tbsp walnuts, chopped
1 tbsp raisins, or sultanas
2 tbsp bread crumbs
1 bunch parsley, fresh, chopped salt and pepper
Directions
" This is a vegetarian version of a Bedouin dish. If you serve it with
rice, try adding saffron or tumeric to the rice before cooking. It
adds a distinctive flavor as well as color, creating 'red' rice."
Peel the onions and place them in a large pan of boiling water.
Reduce the heat and let them simmer for 15-20 minutes, covered, until
they are fairly tender. When they are ready, take them out and set
aside to cool. Now remove the centre section of each onion, to leave
a shell about 3/4 inch thick. In a bowl, mix together the lentils,
pepper, salt, yogurt, dates, walnuts, raisins or sultanas and bread
crumbs. Fill the onions with this mixture. Keep any that remains and
mix it with the chopped discarded onion centres. Place the filled
onions in an oven proof dish, spoon any remaining mixture around them
and cook for about 20 minutes. Garnish with parsley ands serve with
bulgur or 'red' rice (see note above).
SERVES:4 SOURCE: _The New Internationalist Cookbook_ by Troth Wells
posted by Anne MacLellan
Servings: 4 servings
Basai Badawi (Onions With Lentils Nuts & Frui Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Bean; Nut; Vegetable
The History of Recipes
Recipes as an idea can be found back into ancient history, in fact as far back as the early Egyptians, and maybe even further. Interesting though that maybe, generally, these early recipes were just primitive hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for preparing meals.
In an interesting twist, the most ancient recipe discovered, according to food historians are a few ancient tablets in the Sumerian language which describe the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making those who drank it feel exhilarated and blissful. Moving our culinary historical trip onwards, we have some interesting books dating from the 1300s ; a book published under the title `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary named `Curye on Inglish`. Amusingly, these books have no connection with the curry that is served today, but instead recipes for the types of food cooked for the rich and wealthy people of those days. Over the succeeding few centuries, the upper-class families of Europe strove to offer the best banquets, and consequentially chefs and their recipe collections could command a high salary. Even so, it wasn`t until the 19th century that formal cookery and cookery books became popular. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, dedicated their lives to assembling, trying out, and recording recipes that were common in the better off homes of the day. When we get to the 20th century, cooking books are greatly in demand due to better eduction, increased leisure time and having more money to spend. |
We hope you enjoy this Basai Badawi (Onions With Lentils Nuts & Frui recipe.
