After a recent trip to Japan I came back with tons of recipes, ideas, inspirations, and a fascination for this wonderful country. Needless to say that for someone like me who spends most of her time cooking, and who loves to cook, Japan is the place to go. Everything is perfection, to the quality of the products, to the gorgeous presentations, to the meticulous creations, Japanese strive for perfection and they do it better than any other country. Everything is an art, and people take pride in whatever they do. Many countries should take example on Japan.

Since I took pictures and notes on everything I ate, in order not to forget it, I have the goal to reproduce most of the delightful dishes I ate to the best of my abilities. So within the next month or two, the dishes will be Japan-inspired.

The amazing things about Japanese cuisine is that it seems simple, with simple ingredients, but it’s not that simple. It all depends of the cut of the ingredients (the types of knifes they have is incredible, almost one knife for one ingredient, definitely one knife for one particular type of fish). The herbs are cut very finely which gives a subtle and distinct flavor to the dish.

I ate this daikon dish in a small Izakaya (pub serving small dishes and sake, wine, beer and other types of alcohol) in Kyoto. I had no idea what to expect, but the owner told me that this would be good for me, so I let her decide.  Basically daikon is a big radish, some are smaller, some are bigger. Western supermarkets in San Francisco like Whole Foods carry them, but for this steak, you need a large one (about 10 cm diameter), available in Japan town at Nijiya supermarket.

The original dish in Kyoto was served without any herbs. I took the liberty to add herbs at the end. Adding them or not adding them would be your choice. I got this recipe from my Japanese neighbor, Rui. it tasted identical to the one I ate in Kyoto.

This dish is very simple to make yet delicious.

Ingredients for 4

• 1 large daikon, peeled and cut in 2 cm slices
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs butter
• 2 tbs soy sauce (I used the reduced salt one)
• salt
• 2 scallions, cut very finely
• 2 tbs mitsuba, cut very finely (Japanese parsley)

Preparation

In a large pot of salted water, cook daikon  for about 30 minutes, until soft (a knife should be able to go through the slice) but still firm. Drain. In a pan, heat olive oil, and brown daikon on both sides at high temperature (about 3-4 minutes). Add a little salt.

Add butter and soy sauce, stir well coating the daikon and serve. Sprinkle with herbs.

I am so happy about the time change, days seems longer, they are definitely brighter. I am very ready for spring and everything it brings us.

This recipe features one more addition to the vegetable galettes chapter, I love those ones, well you need to first like cauliflower to appreciate those galettes…actually, no you don’t need to like cauliflower to appreciate these, you just need to try them.

I used the orange cauliflower kind but of course any cauliflower would work. I just like colorful dishes. It’s a quick dish to prepare and you can use those galettes as a side dish to chicken or any other meat, and for a vegetarian option, they are perfect as is with a green salad. These are a great way to make kids eat their vegetables, they’re fun and don’t look like one.

Ingredients for about 10 galettes

For the galettes

• 1 head orange cauliflower, cut in florets
• 1 zucchini
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 5 tbs parmesan
• 2 tbs chives
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

For the carrots

• 4 large carrots, peeled and shredded
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1.5 tsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper

For the yogurt sauce

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, crushed

Preparation

Blanch cauliflower in boiling water for about 3 minutes. Drain and set aside. Using a mandoline slice zucchini finely, place in a drainer and add 1 tsp coarse salt and let it drain for about 15 min. Rinse under water and squeeze excess water.

Chop roughly cauliflower and place in a mixing bowl. Add zucchini. Add parmesan, chives, flour, baking power, salt and pepper.

In another mixing bowl, beat the eggs and add to the mixture. Mix well, the mixture should not be too liquid, if too liquid, add flour.

Heat olive oil in a pan, using your hand, form galettes (2 inches diameter) and place in pan. Cook until both sides are golden brown.

For the carrots and yogurt sauce, mix each respective ingredients together.

Serve galettes on a bed of carrots with yogurt sauce on top.

After a trip to Samiramis this weekend, one of my favorite Middle Eastern stores in the city, and after going through all the aisles, and through every product on the shelves (I have to refrain myself or I will buy all the store), I found this amazing wheat: Freekeh. What is freekeh? Well, it’s a green wheat, basically it’s young wheat that has been harvested at a green (not mature) stage. It’s then roasted and smoked, so you can definitely taste a subtle smokey taste. You can still see the greenish color of the grain when uncooked. The greatness of freekeh doesn’t only come from its delicious flavor but also from its nutritious value. Low glycemic index, high in fiber and anti oxidant, vitamins and minerals.

You can prepare it like you would prepare rice or any other grain. Of course, you can use other vegetables, but I though the sweetness of the squash would go perfectly well with the nutty flavor of freekeh. What really added a great flavor to it, was the lemon oil and parmesan, so don’t forget those two or you’ll lose some of the highlights of this recipe. Sometimes, I would say that the final drops of olive oil in a finished dish and parmesan would be optional, but not in this one, it really adds a beautiful touch to the finished dish.

I need to insist on using the best quality of the lemon oil, you need top olive oil with infused meyer lemons. These oils tends to be expensive but a lower quality would not work here. It’s easy to make this dish vegan, just don’t add parmesan et voilà le tour est joué!

Ingredients for 2

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 3.5 oz (or 100 g) freekeh
• 1/4 tsp four spices
• vegetable stock
• 1 tbs parsley, chopped
• 1 butternut squash, cut in 1 inch cubes
• shaved parmesan

Preparation

Soak freekeh in cold water for about 5 minutes. Heat olive oil in a pot, sweat onions until soft. Add four spices and stir well, then add freekeh, peas, salt and pepper and cover with broth. Cook at medium heat with lid for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, pre-heat oven at 400F. Toss squash with a little olive oil and vinegar, salt and pepper and bake in the oven until tender but not mushy (about 15 minutes).

When squash is cooked and freekeh tender, mix both ingredients well. Serve hot in individual plates with shaved parmesan and drizzle with lemon oil and fresh black pepper.

]]> http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2012/08/baby-wheat-freekeh-pilaf-with-roasted-squash-peas-and-lemon-oil/feed/ 0 http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2011/06/why-not-spaghetti-squash-with-artichoke-pesto/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-not-spaghetti-squash-with-artichoke-pesto http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2011/06/why-not-spaghetti-squash-with-artichoke-pesto/#comments Wed, 08 Jun 2011 02:12:06 +0000 silvia http://www.citronetvanille.com/blog/?p=13170 Perchè no? – Zucca spaghetti con pesto ai carciofini

Crushing these gorgeous baby artichokes into a pesto broke my heart. I have always wanted to make artichoke pesto but never really managed to turn the artichokes into a paste. They’re so cute and delicious as hearts that really putting them through a mixer, is something I hate to do. Today, I got the courage to do it. Here, we got something different and quite delicious. Honestly, I am not sure I will have the courage to to this again. I simply love to bite into an artichoke heart, I love the crunchy bite, it’s that simple. You could use this pesto on pasta of course, or as a sauce for grilled meats…or even to spread it on some country bread.

When you’re eating spaghetti squash prepared this way, you almost forgot, it’s not pasta. I undercooked the squash to get a crunchy bite, to get the “al dente” feeling. I loved this pesto. Now for the vegan crowd, you can omit the parmesan and add more walnuts. I use very little parmesan to enhance this pesto a tiny bit. You don’t want to add too much cheese either and overpower the natural delicious flavor of the artichokes.

This pesto tends to be lighter than regular basil/pine nuts pesto, its texture is more dense too, so I added a few tablespoons of water to make it creamier.

I am flying tomorrow for France, to go see my father who had a stroke last December, so I will try to post a few local recipes, in the meantime, have a nice and colorful June.

Ingredients for 2 as a main course

• 1 large spaghetti squash
• 1 lb artichokes, trimmed and cleaned
• 1/2 cup parsley
• 1/2 cup basil
• 2 tbs raw unsalted walnuts
• 1 garlic clove, crushed + 1 chopped
• 2 tbs parmesan (optional)
• 3 tbs olive oil
• water
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Cut the squash lengthwise, wrap in parchment paper and cook in a pre-heated oven at 400F for about 45 minutes to an hour.

Remove seeds first, then the spaghetti pulp. Set aside and keep warm. Save eight artichokes quarters for decoration

Heat up a pan, add the crushed garlic, stir and add baby artichokes cut in quarters. Adjust with salt and pepper, add 2 tbs white wine, and cover, decrease heat and let cook until tender. Let it cool.

For the pesto, mix  artichokes with all other ingredients a mixer. Adjust with water if the pesto is too thick.

Add pesto to the spaghetti squash and mix well using your hands, to coat the squash with the pesto. Serve with an extra tablespoon of pesto on top and four artichokes quarters on each plate.

Originally I wanted to keep this vegan, then I could not resist to use that beautiful Greek yogurt I had in the refrigerator. Kale is quite THE popular vegetable these days, at least in California, and everyone talks about its health benefits, and how everyone should use it in its diet. It’s even used in juices along with other fruits and vegetables when doing a detox, I tried it in a “Green juice” and I have to admit that I tasted it and really liked it. It seems like juicing is quite in fashion too in California but its real health benefits have been questioned among experts.

I often ate kale growing up, it was regularly found on our table, since my grandfather grew it in the garden. I consider myself lucky enough that my parents always made me eat what they were eating, and there was no special “meal” for the kids. People might criticize this upbringing, and think it’s a little strict, but in retrospective, I think it helped me to develop a palate and tastes opened to so many different flavors and textures.

Kale and chick peas are a wonderful combination, their respective textures complement each other quite well. Tempeh is also a great alternative to chick peas in this dish.

Tzatziki is always a delicious appetizer dish (or meze), I like to serve it as a side dish sometimes like here, it’s always refreshing. Tzatziki is mainly a Greek specialty but often found in Turkey too. It’s made with goat milk yogurt, thinly sliced cucumbers, olive oil, mint, garlic. I would think that everyone has its own specific recipe. I do not consider myself to be an expert in Greek cuisine, and only been to Greece once, but this version of tzatziki is more than delicious. I will have to go and check at my Greek grocer if he has a family recipe to share with me…but I guess if it’s a family recipe, he won’t.

Ingredients for 2 as a side dish

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 cup cooked chick peas
• 2 tbs soy sauce
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 red chili, seeded and sliced
• 1 tbs olive oil
  

For the tzatziki

• 1 cup Greek sheep yogurt
• 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
• 1tbs mint
  
• olive oil
• salt

Preparation

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, cook kale for 2 minutes, drain and squeeze excess water.

Warm olive oil in a pan, add onions, stir for a few minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients except for the kale and chick peas. Stir well. Add vegetables and cook until fragrant.

Serve in small plates with tzatziki on the side.

For the tzatziki

Squeeze extra water using your hands from the cucumber. Add to the yogurt, then add remaining ingredients and let it rest for about 15-30 minutes.

For the pastry “connaisseurs“, Napoléon is a famous pastry from Eastern Europe, made out different layers of crème patissière (custard), and puff pastry. While in Lithuania, and during its Russian campaign, Napoléon fell in love with this dessert, and named it after himself. The rumors even say that he lost the battle of Waterloo, because he ate so many of these the night before the battle. But of course, those are earsay, and only historians can prove this fact.

This is my savory version of Napoléon. This savory Napoléon has different layers of king oyster mushrooms and eggplants. King oyster mushrooms are simply oyster mushrooms that are grown to a large size, just like portobello are cremini mushrooms grown until they reached a particular size. What I like about king oysters is their meaty legs that remind of the fresh porcini, you can just slice them and enjoy them saute with garlic and parsley or any way you like.

This savory version of Napoleon has manchego and a drizzle of a parsley/garlic/paprika/olive oil mixture in between the layers, which adds a pleasant note to each bite. The concassée finishes the dish with a nice balance of chili and slight acidity of the tomato.

These cute little bundles of vegetables can be served as an appetizer, then two would be perfect, but then there is no rule in the number want to add on each plate.

Ingredients for 4-6 pieces

• 1 medium size eggplant (seedless), sliced
• 1 large king oyster, sliced
• 1/2 cup manchego, sliced
• 1 zucchini, sliced lenghtwise
• 1 tbs olive oil
• Fleur de sel
• pepper

For the herb-oil

• 1 tbs parsley, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• salt and pepper

For the tomato concassée

• 2 medium sized, heirloon tomato, chopped, peeled and seedless
• 1 tbs extra virgin fruity olive oil
• cayenne pepper
• fleur de sel

Preparation

Grill eggplants on a grill pan or cast iron grid. Set aside. Saute mushroom slices in 1 tbs olive oil. Slice zucchini with a mandoline, making ribbons. Grill zucchini on a grill pan. Set aside.

For the herb-oil, mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

For the tomato concassée, after peeling the tomatoes, crush one tomato, with a mixer to make a purée. Cut the other tomato in small pieces. Mix both tomatoes, add cayenne, pepper and fleur de sel. Add olive oil. Mix well.

Start assembling the napoleon. In a flat surface, place one slice of eggplant. Add 1/2 tsp of herb-oil. Place one slice of mushroom on top. Add manchego. Proceed with another slice of eggplant, mushroom and manchego. Wrap it all with two slices of zucchini (one might be too short to be wrapped around). Place in a pre-heated oven at 390F until the manchego has melted.

Serve in a plate with one tbs of tomato concassée. Drizzle extra olive oil on the tomatoes, and add some cracked black pepper.

]]> http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/08/a-little-bundle-of-joy-napoleon-of-eggplants-king-oyster-mushrooms-and-manchego-tomato-concassee/feed/ 28 http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/07/back-to-provence-tian-provencal-and-tapenade-tartine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=back-to-provence-tian-provencal-and-tapenade-tartine http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/07/back-to-provence-tian-provencal-and-tapenade-tartine/#comments Sat, 24 Jul 2010 03:04:23 +0000 silvia http://www.citronetvanille.com/blog/?p=11821 De retour en Provence – Tian Provençal et tartine de tapenade

Tian is a traditional dish from Provence, and should be made in a clay dish…since I just broke mine, I had to use a Pyrex one. The vegetables are sliced thinly, placed upright and cooked in the oven for a long time. You can add goat cheese as well, but I wanted to keep it vegan and light, so to get additional Mediterranean flavors, I served it with a tapenade tartine. This is a very simple dish to make yet delicious due to the slow cooking of the vegetables and all the herbs that have infused in it.

Of course, there are various recipes for tian, some people don’t add onions, but fennel, or potatoes, but tomatoes, zucchini and eggplants should always be around. You can play around with herbs, cheese, etc…but I wanted to keep it simple. Sometimes I like simple flavors and don’t want to add too many intricate and complex flavors into a dish. The slow cooking turned the vegetable almost “confits” in the herbs and own juices.

Usually tians are served with grilled meats or fishes, they add wonderful aromas to a dish. I have to admit that I ate the whole tian by myself and was still hungry. Usually this would be sufficient for four, if you serve it with a fish or meat, or also rice in case you want to keep it vegetarian. It really depends on how much vegetables your guests can eat. Quand on aime, on ne compte pas, that’s what the French say, when you love, you don’t count…which is true for many things. The tapenade tartine is a nice element if you want to keep your meal vegan, that olive spread is simply divine with this tian.

Ingredients for 3-4

• 3 large tomatoes, sliced crosswise
• 3 zucchini, sliced crosswise
• 2 medium eggplants, sliced crosswise
• 1 onion,
• lavender salt
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
• 1 tsp basil, chopped finely
• 2 tbs olive oil
• pepper

For the tapenade, see recipe here

Preparation

Spread some olive oil, all over the dish, preferably a clay dish.

Place all vegetables upright in the dish, alternating between a slice of tomato, two slices of zucchini (since the zucchini tend to be smaller), one slice of eggplant, and onion. The vegetables need to be tightly arranged so they stand still.

Add herbs and garlic, sprinkle with lavender salt and pepper. Add olive oil all over the vegetables.

Cover with aluminium foil and cook in a pre heated oven at 365-370 for about 40-45 minutes. Remove the foil and let the vegetables get golden brown.

I bought a new mandoline before I would slice a few of my fingers, one day I cut the tip of my index while shaving fennel and had to go to the emergency room, so my new mandoline is much better and safer, and in the kitchen safety is somehow an important part of the whole game.

With my new De Buyer (being faithful to European made utensils because I know them better, I had to buy a French one, actually I have Japanese knives that are incredible) and one of the great feature of this mandoline is that you can adjust the thickness of the cut by twisting the handle from left to right or right to left. The blade is lightly dented so you can get a very thin and sharp cut, or a thick (and still sharp) cut, even on soft fruits and vegetables like very ripe kiwis or oranges.

So to try out my new mandoline, I wanted to make a whole dish with sliced vegetables because I just felt like playing with it. I’m sure I am not the only one who loves to play with a brand new toy. When I buy new clothes, I have to wear them right away, even if I have to run to the store buy salt, I can wear a brand new silk shirt just for the simple pleasure to wear something new. When it comes to kitchen utensils, it’s the same. What to do with 12 zucchini and a mandoline? well you just go crazy and slice them to make tagliatelle. So here they are…

My mom makes an traditional Italian dish made with pasta and chick peas so I used her tomato sauce twisting it around a little and used it on the zucchini tagliatelle. I really loved this dish, it’s savory, fragrant due to the oregano, light and nutritious, so how can you say no to that? This is a fairly simple dish, with a few ingredients which most of the time, if you have great quality ingredients, turns out delicious. You can taste all the ingredients in one bite and it all blends in a beautiful symphony of flavors.

For the tomato purée, I used the imported Italian tomato sauce from Parmalat, it’s just crushed tomatoes with nothing else added, they have quite a un-acidic flavor unlike some other tomatoes. Parmalat is a very famous brand in Italy and I knew them for their dairy products and mainly milk that was sold in card board like here they would sell orange juice, which healthier to use than canned tomatoes. I was excited to be able to find the Parmalat tomatoes. Grazie Parmalat! You can use fresh tomatoes too, but they need to be of good quality or the sauce will not be as good.

Ingredients for 2-3 as a side dish

• 6 zucchini sliced lengthwise
• 7 oz (or 200 g) cooked chick peas
• 10 oz (or 300 g) good quality crushed tomato or fresh tomatoes
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 garlic clove
• cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper
• fresh shaved parmesan for garnish

Preparation

Start preparing the sauce. In a small pot, heat olive oil, add garlic, stir for about 30 seconds, then oregano. After about 1 minutes (watch out not to burn the garlic) add 1 cup tomatoes, salt, pepper and cayenne.  Add wine. Let the sauce cook until the water has evaporated, add chick peas and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Using the mandoline, slice zucchini lenghtwise in about 2mm ribbons. Bring salted water to a boil, add zucchini and cook for about 30 seconds. Drain, and carefull pat dry with a towel, making sure not to break the zucchini. Add to the tomato sauce, stir carefully. Add extra oregano, and serve with sahved parmesan on top.

I forgot how DMV can be a nightmare, waiting for your number 389 when the current number is 210 can be the story of an afternoon. So people bring balls to play with, and all kinds of entertainment to spend three to four hours.  I somehow like to observe people, it’s certainly more interesting to observe people sur la terrasse d’un café, in a cafe terrace with a coffee in your hands, so when your hands are holding nothing more than a number, patience becomes a virtue and people looking becomes one too.

I had prepared this gratin in advance so it just needed to be gratiné when I got home and that’s the beauty of gratins, you can prepare them in advance and throw them in the oven when ready to be served.

I have used goat milk in soufflés and in the béchamel when preparing gratins that turned out lighter with a more delicate touch than with cow milk, and partly due to the fact that goat milk is lighter to digest than regular milk. You can slightly taste to goat milk which is not as strong as in cheeses. Basically you can replace goat milk in many dishes using cow milk. Gratins are very common in France and can be made with any vegetable.

Gratin can be considered a plat unique (a one meal dish), and universally appreciated, it’s certainly a meal in itself with a side salad. If you feel like something hot with a golden crust, stop thinking, this is it. Some people are fighting to eat the crispy crust while others are fighting to get to the soft melting middle. What type of gratin eater are you? I am definitely a crust lover, but would not mistreat the middle either. No matter how you eat it, gratins always evoke a comforting and warm cuisine that everyone loves.

I would use premium gruyère cheese that melts well and leaves a nice golden crust the quality of the cheese is important and will make a great difference in the texture of your gratin. Also, you could add a little goat cheese as well instead of adding gruyère in the mixture but gruyère on top is a must if you want a golden and melting crust.

Ingredients for 2-3

• 1 medium cauliflower, broken into florets
• 1 leek, cut in 1 inch chunks
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 3 tbs butter
• 1.5 tbs flour
• 1.5 cup goat milk
• 5 tbs imported Gruyère cheese
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a pan, add shallots and brown them. Add leeks, adjust with salt and pepper and cover with lid until leeks are tender.

Cook cauliflower in salted boiling water until cooked but still firm. Drain and set aside.

Start preparing the béchamel by melting butter, then adding flour. Stir well. Add milk, salt and pepper and reduce temperature to medium heat. Keep stirring until the mixture starts thickening. Cook for a few minutes until it has reached a nice consistency, but should not be too thick.

Using individual ramequins or one larger dish, add one layer of leeks, then add one layer of cauliflower and end with another layer of leeks. Sprinkle with 1 tbs gruyère cheese (or goat cheese for each ramequin) and pour béchamel. Try to coat your vegetables with cheese and bechamel by mixing the vegetables carefully. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese, grind fresh pepper and cook in a pre-heated oven at 370F for about 30 minutes or until the gratin has reached a golden brown color.

It’s time for some rice…rice and potatoes are two ingredients I rarely use, French people eat a LOT of potatoes, at my parents my mom rarely made them, Italians are more pasta eaters than potato eaters. A while ago, I started buying all the different kinds of rices I ran into, from black rice, to bamboo rice, any shape and color rice I saw. It seems like the excitement faded away, but I don’t want to leave rice aside, because I love it. It’s nutritious, healthy and can make wonderful side dishes.

The world of food has so many items to explore than sometimes, you get caught trying out new ingredients, and leaving aside the ones you know too well.

This rice has a rich and deep yellow color you get with combining saffron and paprika or pimenton as they say in Spain but I found Spanish pimenton to have a more smokey flavor.

Basically the rice is steamed in a vegetable broth with saffron and paprika, so it comes out almost orange. Such a vibrant color to have in ones plate.

Plain white rice is great with spicy dishes, it enables to decrease the powerful and strong flavors of the spices and balances everything perfectly. Sometimes I enjoy some more intricate rice dishes like this one, you can just eat it as a main dish and as is, because it’s a whole meal in itself and full of fragrant flavors. I certainly don’t want to call this vegetarian paella, which would be so wrong, but it has some similarities in some of the spices and cooking method, even though I did not use a paella tray, nor used Spanish rice.

Ingredients for 2-3

• 5.29 0z (or 150 g) brown rice
• one dose saffron
• 1/4 tsp Spanish pimenton
• vegetable broth (rice x 2)
• 1 shallot
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbs mixed oregano, very finely chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, cut in very small cubes (1/4 inch)
• 1 cup fresh peas (or frozen)
• 1/2 bunch asparagus, cut in small chunks (1/2 inch)
• 1 tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preparation

In a rice cooker or regular pot, mix broth, rice, saffron, pimenton and salt. Let it sit for a few minutes until the saffron has dissolved.  For broth quantities, I use about twice the amount of rice, in this case, since it’s brown rice, which takes harder to cook, I use about 3 times its quantity. If using rice cooker, broth needs to be at 2 cm above the level of the rice.

Heat olive oil in a pan, add shallots and let them soften. Add all the mixed vegetables and stir well. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked but still firm, add garlic and oregano and cook for a few additional minutes to get the flavors out.

Mix in the rice, stir well until all the vegetables are well incorporated into the rice.