Tried something really outside of my wheelhouse with the mujaddara as I'm starting to experiment a little with lentils. Since beans and lentils are two staples of the winter cooking season, and I cook with beans year round, I thought getting a little more acquainted with the lentil might be fun. The mujaddara was pretty good, simple, semi-sweet and starchy. Even with the addition of some mace and allspice I'd have a tough time categorizing this as something I'd crave. The texture is a little mushy and so many caramelized onions provide a good contrast. My daughters liked it, sort of a middle eastern equivalent of rice & beans or dirty rice, but much more muted flavors.
All in all, it was a good companion to the robust blackstrap molasses flavor of the roast turkey legs. This was a very budget friendly meal that can be had for around $13.
What blew the budget on this meal was the appetizer, which really had nothing to do with the rest of the meal. Somewhat conspicuously out of season I found some beautiful chanterelles and gently sauteed them with olive oil, herbes de provence, and a little butter. Lovely, but the mushrooms cost as much as the rest of the dinner. Apparently the chanterelles were from oregon, so I thought maybe the season is getting a little longer, I had thought spring and fall were the blooming times. However, this site states that the growing season is late fall to almost spring. It also has what looks to be a good recipe for chanterelles with sesame & ginger.
Transformations
1 day ago
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