Caramelised Onion Lentil Patties Recipes

CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND LENTIL RICE

Steps:

• Melt the butter with the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, sugar, and some salt and pepper. Cook until the onions become deep brown and sticky, about 20 minutes, stirring every 4 or 5 minutes (if the onions color too quickly, reduce the heat to medium-low).
• While the onions caramelize, make the rice. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the rice and stir, cooking it until the grains begin to turn opaque, about 2 minutes. Add the water, lentils, and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the rice is tender and has absorbed all of the liquid, about 20 minutes. Serve topped with the caramelized onions.

SPICED LENTIL AND CARAMELIZED ONION BAKED EGGS

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the center of the oven, then preheat to 350°F.
• In a medium, oven-safe pan, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 large, thinly sliced onion and ½ tsp. Kosher salt. Cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 25 minutes.
• Add ½ tsp. turmeric, 1 tsp. cumin, ¼ tsp. Aleppo pepper (or ⅛ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes), and 2 Tbsp. tomato paste. Cook and stir constantly until the onions are coated and the tomato paste has darkened slightly, about 2 minutes. Add ⅓ cup water; stir and scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the liquid looks thickened and saucy. Add one 14-oz. can of lentil soup; cook, stirring to combine, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and season with salt, pepper, and more Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes to taste.
• Using a spoon, create 3 wells in the lentil mixture. Carefully crack 1 egg into each well. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the whites of the eggs are just set, 11 to 13 minutes.
• While the eggs bake, in a small pot or butter warmer, heat 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, ghee, or olive oil over medium heat. Add ½ tsp. cumin seeds; swirl the pan until the seeds start to sizzle and brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
• Drizzle the finished eggs with the butter mixture, season with salt and pepper, and garnish with parsley before serving.

LEBANESE LENTILS, RICE AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS (MUJADARA)

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.

CARAMELISED ONION & LENTIL PATTIES

Steps:

• Cook lentils in a large pot of boiling water for 10-12 minutes or until tender. Drain.
• Heat half of the oil in a large frypan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until brown and soft. Add brown sugar and water. Stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes. Cool.
• Place lentils, onion, carrot, breadcrumbs, flour, eggs and spices in a large bowl. Mix well and shape into patties.
• Heat remaining oil in a non-stick frypan over medium heat. Cook patties for 5 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on absorbent paper. Makes 18 patties.