The combination of grains and beans is common to all cuisines with a tradition of vegetarian meals. In this delicious one-pot main dish, ground coriander and cinnamon and dried apricots add a Middle Eastern flavour.
Reader's Digest
Ingredients
2 eggs
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
pinch of dried red chilli flakes (optional)
1 can butter beans, about 400 g, drained and rinsed
100 g dried apricots
1 3/4 cups (300 g) burghul
150 g thin green beans, halved
salt and pepper
fresh coriander leaves to garnish
Preparation
Place the eggs in a saucepan of cold water, bring to the boil and boil gently for 10 minutes. Drain the eggs and cool under cold running water. Set aside.
While the eggs are cooking, heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole. Add the onion and garlic and fry for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the ground coriander, cinnamon, turmeric and chilli flakes, if using. Stir for a further 1 minute.
Add the butter beans and apricots, and stir to coat them with the spices.
Stir in the burghul and green beans, then pour in enough water to cover by about 2 cm. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to its lowest setting. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed.
While the stew is cooking, peel and slice the eggs. Fluff the burghul with a fork and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
Serve hot, garnished with the egg slices and sprinkled with coriander leaves.
Here's a great new way to scramble eggs – cooked in a double saucepan or in a bowl over simmering water, without any butter, then mixed with crème fraîche for a creamy result. With strips of smoked salmon and fresh dill, this is the ultimate luxury brunch dish.
Flakes of smoked trout, cream cheese and fresh dill combine to make a well–flavoured filling for this light spinach roll. It is much simpler to make than it looks – just make sure that the spinach is squeezed really dry before adding to the sauce base.
The hollows in hard–boiled egg halves make perfect containers for a tasty filling – here carrot and chive – and the eggs look attractive served on a bed of ribbon vegetables and lamb's lettuce. All you need is some bread to make a satisfying lunch.
For these delectable chilli–flavoured omelettes, the eggs are whisked with cornflour to give them a slightly firmer texture, suitable for folding round a colourful and tasty filling of stir–fried vegetables and rice noodles.