Prep time 5 minutes cook time 10 minutes
I don’t know about you but I crave carbs more often than I care to admit.
Other than comfort food on their own in a huge bowl of pasta, I need them to add a little substance to a dish. I also need them to soak up any other flavors or sauces my main dish might have and I often struggle to find a carb side dish other than potatoes or rice.
Don’t get me wrong. I love potatoes, baked, mashed, smashed or otherwise and rice has always played a large part of my childhood and travels in the Middle East. But they can get a little repetitive.
Asian cooking has over the centuries, mastered the art of using noodles as a main course, an ingredient and a side dish. Thin noodles, especially thin rice noodles satisfy any carb cravings without weighing down a meal.
Mediterranean cuisine on the other hand rarely uses noodles except for vermicelli which is often an ingredient rather than cooked on its own. For example Egyptian rice that I featured on this web side includes toasted vermicelli noodles. It also uses toasted pine nuts and raisins and without the rice those ingredients are delicious. The result is a light, toasty, crunchy and flavorful side dish that pairs well with poultry or fish.
Vermicelli comes in "nests". Toast vermicelli and nuts till evenly brown.
Toasted Vermicelli With Pine Nuts And Raisins
by
Derek Farwagi
Ingredients
- 2 vermicelli "nests"
- ½ cup palmfuls pine nuts
- ½ cup red raisins
- 1 cup chicken stock
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a small saucepan heat oil on a low heat, crush two vermicelli nests with your hand into the saucepan and coat with oil.
- Add the pine nuts and with the smallest long handed spoon you have ( or small pair of tongs) keep turning over the vermicelli and nut mixture until they are evenly browned. About 5 minutes. ( Don't stop turning over. You might burn some of the ingredients and others may not be browned enough).
- Add a cup of chicken stock, cover pot and let the vermicelli simmer for about 3 minutes.
- Drain any excess liquid through a sieve, salt to state and serve.
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