OK. Here’s the situation. It’s a cool, rainy day. There’s an hour to spare. You’ve got a fridge full of stuff that needs to be used. And, you’re busy for the next 3 days with no time to cook dinner.
This is what I had in my kitchen, some of which I needed to use immediately & some were just staples in the pantry. A scrumptious, multi-faceted dish was created! And it looked pretty good as well! Also, it’s very healthy.
The best part of this dish is that it can be used as three different meals over three days. You can add a little something every day to make it different.
Day 1 – Soup, hearty & perfect for a cool rainy day. Serve with grated Parmesan & a fresh baguette.
Day 2 – When you reheat, it will be a little thicker & drier than on day 1. Use as a sauce on pasta or rice. Top with your favourite grated cheese(s) – a mix of a little Asiago, Cheddar & Monterey Jack, is first-rate.
Day 3 – This gets better & better with keeping. Re-heat and add some spinach, fresh or frozen, and paneer (a block of fresh Indian cheese, which I buy, cut into 2 or 3 pieces and keep in my freezer). Cook till all newly added items are cooked through. Serve with Naan (Indian bread) or tortilla bread on the side. Or, microwave some potatoes, split in two and spoon the meat mixture on top. Finish off with a little sour cream & sprinkled, chopped green onions.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter – or use olive oil)
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 large clove of garlic, chopped (more if you like)
- Approx. 1 pound of lean ground beef
- 2 tsps ground cumin (Jerusalem, in this case)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano (fresh, if you have it)
- 1/2 tsp ground sumac
- 1/2 – 3/4 tsp chili powder
- 1 packet beef Bovril (bouillon)
- 1/2 tsp cocoa
- 3-4 small potatoes, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 large orange (or green) pepper, sliced & diced
- 1 large(540 ml) can of chick peas
- 1 large (796 ml) can of diced tomatoes (or fresh, if available)
- 1-2 cups water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 4 tblsps fresh cilantro, chopped roughly
Ingredients for later addition
- Baguette, Naan (Indian bread), pasta or rice, &/or tortilla bread
- A variety of grated cheeses
- Spinach
- Paneer
- Sour cream
- Chopped green onions
Method
- In a large saucepan, melt the ghee or olive oil. Add sliced onion and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally till golden brown (10-15 minutes). Add chopped garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add ground beef. Break it up and brown. While browning & stirring, add cumin, oregano, sumac & chili powder.
- Once browned, add the can of tomatoes. Add the water as well & stir.
- While bringing it to a boil, add the Bovril & cocoa, sugar & salt. Stir well.
- Add the chopped potatoes, drained chick peas & fresh cilantro. Stir.
- Once it comes to a boil, bring it down to simmer & cook for 1 hour.
Vegetarian option
Replace the ground beef with different beans, peas or lentils. Try black eyed peas or red kidney beans. Change the beef Bovril for vegetable Bovril.
Notes:
- the garlic came from a friend’s garden & was amazing.
- the Bovril is the best, if you can find it. Homemade stock is an option.