My wonderful friend, Lisa, shared this grain bowl recipe with me recently and I can’t seem to get enough of it. I simply crave the fresh healthy flavors of these herbs and spices bursting on my taste buds.

Besides, the dish is really easy to put together. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m sure it would be delicious with a substitution of ground turkey and another type of grain, like couscous or quinoa.

I love that the two main components of this meal in a bowl can be made ahead. Even the garnishes can be chopped earlier in the day, then everything can be assembled at meal time.

While you’re prepping the main dish, you may as well cut up some rhubarb and make a quick pastry for later, too. This galette is the last of my rhubarb offerings for the season. This recipe has just enough golden pastry to enrobe the sweet juicy rhubarb and hold it all together.

A galette is also a divine way to showcase all the other summer bounty yet to come. Peaches, plums, berries, tomatoes, summer squash, potatoes – you’ll want to keep a ball of this pastry chilling in the fridge at all times. You never know when you may need it.

Mediterranean Grain Bowls

1 lb. ground lamb

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1 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 cup onion, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. allspice

1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

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1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped, plus more for garnish

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add olive oil. When oil is hot, add onions and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add ground lamb and brown until cooked through. Add paprika, allspice, red pepper flakes, ginger, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in fresh herbs.

To assemble grain bowls, place a layer of rice in each serving bowl then add a layer of ground lamb. Garnish each serving with:

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1/4 cup tomato, diced

1/4 cup cucumber, diced

1/4 cup hummus

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1 tsp. each fresh mint and parsley

Serve with pita bread. Yield: 4 servings

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Turmeric Rice

1 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 cup onion, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup jasmine rice

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

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1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 tsp. turmeric

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil and butter. When butter is melted, add onion and garlic, sauté until softened. Add rice and turmeric. Stir until combined. Add chicken broth and bay leaf, cover pan. Increase heat and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, allow to simmer 15-20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf, fluff with a fork and serve.

Rhubarb Galette

Pastry:

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1 cup flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, chilled

2 tsp. vinegar

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1/4 cup very cold water

Filling:

3 cups rhubarb

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3 tbsps. flour

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1 beaten egg – for the egg wash on the pastry dough

Coarse sugar

For the pastry, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Add cubed, cold butter and cut into small pieces using a pastry cutter, or fork. The pieces of butter should be about the size of peas once you’re done.

Pour vinegar into a measuring cup then add water until the level reaches the 1/4 cup mark. Mix water into other ingredients, using a bit more if necessary.

Lightly flour work surface. Carefully work dough with your hands until it just comes together. Form the dough into a flat, round disc then wrap in plastic wrap. Chill at least half an hour.

Cut rhubarb into 1-inch pieces then toss with sugar, cinnamon and flour.

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Remove pastry from fridge and place onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a circle 1/8-inch thick.

Spoon rhubarb mixture onto the middle of pastry, leaving 2 inches of space around the edge. Wet your fingers and pastry with a bit of water and fold the edges up over the rhubarb a section at a time, gently pressing it into place.

Place the galette back in the fridge for 15-30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove galette from the fridge, brush pastry with beaten egg, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until crust is golden and rhubarb filling is tender and bubbling. Yield: 6 servings

Karen Schneider cooks and writes in the village of Cundy’s Harbor. You can reach her at iwrite33@comcast.net.

Ground lamb with parsley and mint will wake up your taste buds.


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