Lentils And Rice With Caramelized Onions Recipes

Steps:

• In a large pot, sauté the diced red onion and minced garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add the water, green lentils, and salt to the large pot. Bring to a boil.
• Cover with lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
• To make the caramelized onions, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over low heat and add the onion slices, stirring occasionally until completely soft, dark brown, and caramelized.
• NOTE: This will take about 30 minutes. The onions should become very dark and tacky when finished. Stir often to avoid burning.
• Add the rice, cumin, cinnamon, and bayleaf to the lentils. Stir.
• Cook covered for about 15 minutes, or until rice is cooked.
• Serve lentils and rice topped with the caramelized onions, chopped fresh parsley, lemon wedges, and Greek yogurt if desired.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Peel and slice onions vertically.
• Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
• Add onion; cover and cook 15 minutes or until soft, stirring occasionally.
• Uncover and increase heat to medium; cook 25 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and keep onions warm.
• While onion cooks, bring water to a boil in a large saucepan.
• Add lentils; return to a boil and reduce heat to keep at a low boil and cook 20 minutes.
• Stir in 1/2 cup caramelized onion, rice, salt, and pepper. Cover, and cook over medium-low heat for 25 minutes, until lentils and rice are tender.
• Spoon lentils and rice into a shallow dish; top with remaining onion.
• Drizzle remaining oil over lentils. Serve with yogurt, if desired.

Steps:

• Throw the lentils into a medium saucepan. Fill with enough cold water to cover the lentils by about an inch. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn down to a simmer and cook until the lentils are tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, as the lentils cook, grab a large skillet. Pop it over medium-high heat and add the oil. Allow the oil to warm for a minute, then drop in the cumin seeds and cracked peppercorns and cook, shaking the pan once in a while until the cumin seeds darken a touch, about 1 minute.
• Add the onions, sprinkle with a dash of salt and cook until they turn dark caramel brown, stirring often. This will take about 15 minutes. Splash the onions with a little water if they stick to the bottom of the pan. You'll know they're done both by their deep chestnut color and by the slight crispiness developing on some of the onions.
• Using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove about half of the onions to a paper towel-lined plate; these are for garnish later. Sprinkle in the ground cumin, cayenne and then add the cinnamon stick; saute about 1 minute.
• Add the rice and cook, stirring often (but gently so you don't break the rice!) until some rice grains start to brown. Quickly, add the cooked lentils, 3 cups of water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt; bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low so that the pan is at a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes. The water should be completely evaporated and rice should be tender. (If there's still too much water in the bottom, put the lid back on and cook for another 5 minutes.)
• Turn off the heat, keep the lid on, and allow the rice to steam undisturbed for about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts, if using, in a small skillet over medium-low heat, shaking often, about 5 minutes.
• Taste the rice for seasoning. Serve with the reserved caramelized onions, toasted pine nuts, if using, and a little squeeze of lemon juice. I also like to serve this with some dollops of Greek yogurt.

Steps:

• Bring the lentils to a boil in the water and simmer, skimming, about 25 minutes, or until nearly tender. Drain the lentils, reserving 1 1/2 cups of cooking liquid. Add more liquid if necessary to make 1 1/2 cups.
• Cook the onions in the olive oil for about 5 minutes. Then remove 1 1/2 cups of the onions and cook the rest until they caramelize and begin to get crisp, about 5 to 7 minutes more. Drain the caramelized onions on paper towels.
• Add to the saucepan the cooked lentils, the reserved liquid, the softened onions, and the basmati rice, salt and allspice. Cook over low heat, covered, until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Top with caramelized onions.
• Recommended drink: Arak

Steps:

• Put the onions in a large skillet with a lid and turn the heat to medium. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are dry and almost sticking to the pan, about 20 minutes. Add the oil and a large pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions brown, another 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the lentils in a 4-quart or other medium saucepan and add 1 quart water; turn the heat to medium-high, then cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat if the lentils become tender before the onions are done.
• Coarsely chop half the onions, making just a few passes with a knife. Add these and the rice to the lentils and stir. Continue cooking until both the rice and lentils are tender and all the water is absorbed, another 15 minutes or so. If the mixture begins to dry out before it is completely cooked, add another 1/2 cup water, repeating as necessary. When the mixture is done, taste and adjust the seasoning; keep warm over low heat.
• Meanwhile, continue to cook the onions left in the skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until they are a dark brown and threatening to burn, about 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• Garnish the rice and lentils with the caramelized onions and serve.