• preparation

1. Rinse the lentils. Simmer them in 2 cups of water, with the bay leaf, until they are soft but not mushy. Depending on the quality of the lentils, this might take 30-40 minutes. Do not add salt. Add more water if it looks like they’re drying out, but if they finish cooking and there’s water left over, just drain them and return them to the pot.
2. Add salt to taste after the lentils are done. Remove the bay leaf.
For the rice:
1. Rinse the rice and allow it to drain almost dry.
2. Heat the oil gently and add the rice, stirring to coat the grains with oil.
3. When the rice has become transparent, add the garlic. Stir half a minute, then add the salt and the water.
4. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and cook over low heat. Cook the rice until all the water has evaporated and the grains are tender and separate.
5. While the rice is cooking, slice the onions thinly.
6. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a non-stick pan and caramelize the onions over medium heat, stirring once in a while until they are very soft and golden, not brown and crisp.
7. When the onions are done – in 10-15 minutes – add the cumin, cinnamon and a little salt and pepper.
8. Final step: Fluff the rice with a fork. Combine the cooked lentils and the rice, mixing gently with the. Stir some of the caramelized onion in, and top the dish with the rest of the onions.
9. Serve warm, with cucumber yogurt sauce or tzatziki if desired.

• preparation

Beat eggs and cream until just blended. Season with salt and pepper. In a medium nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Pour in the beaten egg mixture, increase the heat to medium-high, and stir with a wooden spoon until the eggs thicken. Remove from the heat.
Divide the eggs between two warmed plates and top with caviar. Serve immediately, accompanied with the toast points.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Combine water, milk, and yeast into bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Stir with a spoon to dissolve the yeast. Add flours, salt, molasses and honey. Attach dough hook and mix at low speed for 10 minutes.
Scrape dough into a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise for an hour at room temperature.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface and gently punch to remove most of the air.
Cover dough with a clean cloth and let rest for 15 minutes. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Stretch, or roll with a rolling pin, each piece to paper thin.
Brush each piece with olive oil, and sprinkle with seeds or salt. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of dough and roll seeds in with a rolling pin. Let rest for 15 minutes.
Place pieces on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 7 to 10 minutes.
Cool and break into random pieces. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap.

• preparation

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot on medium-high heat, add the rice and boil for about 8-10 minutes or until rice grains are soft on the ends and firm in the center. Drain and pour some cool water over it to wash away the starch and to separate the rice grains. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large mixing bowl combine yogurt, yolks, salt, saffron, water and turmeric. Mix well.
Add the rice to the yogurt mixture, blend well.

In a nonstick pan, add 3 tablespoons oil and a tablespoon of liquid saffron. Move the pan in a circular motion to cover the bottom uniformly. Ladle the rice into the pan, flatten with a wooden spoon while pressing down. Pour 2-3 tablespoons strained vegetable stock, 2 tablespoons oil or melted butter and the remaining liquid saffron over the rice.

Place the pot on medium-high heat. When you notice a steam coming up, lower the heat, cover and bake for 30 minutes.
To serve this dish let it cool for a few minutes, this way the crust comes off easier. Place a round serving platter that is larger than the diameter of the pan. Hold firmly while wearing mittens, then gently turn the pan over. Garnish as you like.