Gravedigger Pilaf (Black Rice & Lentil Pilaf)

My 'Summer of Halloween' is in full swing, and this compost-inspired Gravedigger Pilaf is the next installment of festive Halloween dishes on my list this year. A fun follow up to the sinister Roots of All Evil side dish I posted last month. A deliciously dark and mysterious Halloween dish made with roasted purple carrots and a maple tahini sauce and topped with pistachios and pomegranate seeds. Yum!

So, as I planned the meal around these gorgeous tubers, I wanted to play with the idea that carrots grow in dirt. So my goal was to create a side dish that looked like a platter of worm filled dirt with weeds and mushrooms. A delicious creation of earthy goodness of mushrooms sauteed with shallots and garlic. And layers of flavor with lentils cooked in chicken broth, red wine with a touch of fennel; Add the chewy texture and nutty flavor of Forbidden® rice cooked in chicken broth and garlic intertwined with worm hued pasta and we have the perfect Halloween side dish loaded with savory flavor and hearty texture. Enjoy!
 
                            🎃🎃🎃105 days until Halloween🎃🎃🎃

Gravedigger Pilaf (Forbidden® Rice & Lentil Pilaf)

Serves 8-10

Prep Rice:
1 cup Forbidden® Rice (*substitute wild rice but prepare according to package directions)
2 cups chicken broth
1 clove garlic, minced
~Cook forbidden rice in rice cooker with chicken broth and minced garlic. Keep warm.

Prep Lentils:
1 cup lentils (rinsed and picked through)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup red wine
1 tsp fennel powder
~Add lentils, chicken broth, red wine and fennel powder to a medium saucepan and simmer for 30-40 minutes until lentils are tender. 

Prep Pasta:
1/2 cup cut fideo pasta (substitute with broken spaghetti)
salted water with added red food coloring
~Prepare pasta according to package directions in red water. Drain and toss with olive oil.

Prep Mushrooms and Onions
2 T Olive oil
5-6 shallots, sliced (substitute with 1 cup diced onions)
1 large clove garlic, minced 
4-5 cups of mixed mushrooms, sliced(I used baby bellas and oyster) 
3 T sherry
Thyme leaves
salt and pepper

Saute shallots, mushrooms, and garlic in olive oil until mushrooms soften and shallots are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add cooking Sherry and continue to heat until sherry is absorbed. Add thyme leaves and salt and pepper to taste.

In a large bowl combine the lentils, rice, pasta and the mushrooms and toss until combined. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper and thyme leaves. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter and garnish with thyme sprigs. 

More Halloween recipes:

Nightcrawlers con Fungi

Amputated Appetizer

Decomposed Deviled Eggs

Spicy Pork, Red Pepper and Lentil Soup

I woke up yesterday, the day after Thanksgiving, to the quiet, rhythmic tapping of rain on the roof and windows. I could hear the drips on the backdoor threshold and I stayed in bed, listening and enjoying the sounds. I love rain. Unfortunately, it doesn't rain much in California and when it does, two things are certain. One, no one knows how to drive in the rain here; two, the local news stations will over-report a light drizzle as Storm Watch 2013. It's a breaking news story when we have actual weather in Southern California. Anyway, confronted with the reality of rain and not wanting to drive with all those crazies, we changed our plans to visit my husband's family and stayed home instead. 
I was happy because there's something about a rainy day that makes me want to stay home and make a big pot of soup and luckily that's exactly what I did. I enlisted my two boys to help with preparation. Gotta keep the kiddos busy when they are "rained in". They were a great help. I let them peel garlic and cut up red bell peppers and carrots. They had a lot of fun too. My oldest, who has stated on many occasions that he wants to be a Marine Biologist, has now changed his future profession to chef. :) 
Like most of the soups I make, they're a little bit of this and that. Basically, I use whatever I have on hand at the time and this one is no different. I had some leftovers of my Crockpot Pork Verde in the freezer and decided to put it to good use. I also like to use spaghetti sauce in my soups, it makes for a great base that you can doctor up. For this soup, I used a jar of Classico Spicy Red Pepper Sauce. It's the main soup flavor and the spicy ingredient in this soup. Add some chicken stock, vegetables, lentils and Pork Verde and you get this delicious Spicy Pork, Red Pepper and Lentil Soup. Enjoy!

Spicy Pork, Red Pepper and Lentil Soup 
Serves 8


1 small onion, diced (~1/2 cup)
1 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 cup red bell peppers,chopped
2 T olive oil
1 cup white wine 
3/4 cup green lentils
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 jar Classico Spicy Red Pepper Sauce
4 cups chicken broth
1 t cumin
1 t coriander
1/2 t smoked paprika
salt and pepper (to taste)
1-2 cups leftover Pork Verde, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
cilantro, garnish

In a dutch oven, add olive oil, onions, carrots and red bell peppers and saute until onions are translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Add white wine, tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, chicken broth, spices and lentils, cover and simmer on medium heat for 30 minutes to cook lentils. Add chopped pork and heat for additional 10-15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir in frozen peas and serve. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

I also made some Cheese Pita Bread to have along side this soup. Lightly brush pita bread with olive oil and sprinkle with Queso Fresco, heat in 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. Cut into wedges.

For another recipe using leftover Pork Verde, try Pork Verde and Hominy Stew.

Indian Spiced Lentils

I went out to dinner last month with a few girlfriends and we had the most delicious Indian food and it inspired me to try to make some at home. I figured that this is probably not food my kiddos would venture to eat but I would keep the hot spices out of it and see if I could get them to try it. Served with Rice, they're basically the Indian equivalent to rice and beans and my kids love rice and beans so what could go wrong?  Well, the look of it for one. "What's that red stuff?" "What's that sauce?" My kids judge everything on how it looks. If it's unfamiliar they won't even try it, usually.

So this is what I did. I knew they would like it, the spice was mild and had the most comforting flavor so I knew if I could get them to try it I'd have them. I caught them while watching TV, their attention more focused on Ninjago than what I had in my hand. I took a small piece of Naan Bread and put a small spoonful of lentils on the bread. Without showing them what I had, I said, "I'll give you a dollar if you try this?" Of course my kids eyes and mouths opened at the mere mention of cold hard cash. (They're saving up for some NERF guns that they want so they are always looking for ways to earn more money) Before they got second thoughts, I quickly placed the bite sized lentils with Naan bread in their mouths. 
I was so surprised, as they didn't make any faces, no squinting eyes, no gagging, no spitting out...They chewed and swallowed and gave me a smile with a thumbs up! Yay! They liked it! I couldn't believe it! Of course, it has already back-fired on me because now anytime I want them to eat their dinner, no matter if it's something they like and are familiar with, they say, "If you give me a dollar I'll take a bite!" Ugh! Oh well, I still consider it a success that they tried something new!

I served these delicious Lentils with Tandoori Chicken, Basmati Rice and some Whole Wheat Naan Bread. I even had lentils with rice for breakfast the whole week after too! This is one of my new favorite dishes for sure!


Indian Spiced Lentils (recipe slightly adapted from The Diva Dish)
Serves 6

1 cup lentils (I used green lentils)
2 1/4 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup white wine

1 sweet potato, peeled and diced

1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers, diced

1 small onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 15oz. can of tomato sauce

1/2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground turmeric

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper(add more for heat)

2 tsp paprika

1 T ground coriander

1 tsp garam masala

2/3 cups vegetable broth

juice of one lemon

salt and pepper (to taste)

Rinse and sort lentils. Add 2 1/4 cups vegetable broth, wine and lentils to medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender, approximately 35 minutes. Makes about 2 1/2 cups of cooked lentils. Set aside.

Add onion and garlic into a skillet with a little oil and saute until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add sweet potato, bell peppers, tomato sauce, spices, 2/3 cup of vegetable broth, lemon juice, salt and pepper and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add cooked lentils and simmer an additional 20-25 minutes. Add additional salt to taste as needed. Serve.