andrew's Reviews
2 recipe(s) reviewed. Showing 1 to 2Sort by: Title 
| Date | Rating
The Best Recipes in the World
By Mark Bittman
Broadway - 2005
Bulgur Pilaf with Chickpeas : page 525
This is quite a good recipe, reminiscent of Bittman's tagine with chickpeas. It's a variation on Bulgur Pilaf with Meat. I cooked it exactly as written and it made a hearty vegetarian main dish. The cinnamon spicing is characteristic of this sort of dish, and gives it an interesting flavour. If I was cooking for adults I'd likely add a little spice to give this another layer of complexity, but this was for a meal including some kids, so I kept it heat-free.
I have a feeling it will improve after a night in the fridge. I'll probably make this every so often, as the family liked it, though it wasn't quite flavourful enough to make 4 stars.
Edit: I just upped this to 4 stars, as it definitely goes up a notch after a day of storage. I gave some to a friend who raved about it. As for myself, I'm still stirring in a little harissa for some heat, and definitely liking this one more.
useful (2)
Chicken and Chickpea Tagine with Vanilla : page 285
My wife loved this, and my 9-year-old gobbled it up (without chicken though, as she's not much of a meat eater). It has an unusual flavour with the addition of half a vanilla bean - really out of the ordinary if you've not experienced the use of what in the West are spices commonly used in sweet dishes being used in savoury dishes. With nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger plus raisins, it really does have a holiday sort of feel about it.
I would have added more heat, and when I served it I mixed in a little harissa paste, which was just perfect and brought it up to 4 stars in my view.
useful (2)