Koshary

Ingredients

• Tomato and Garlic Sauce
• ½ tablespoon olive oil
• ½ tablespoon garlic, chopped
• one 16-ounce can tomato sauce
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup vinegar
• Koshary
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 6 ounces dried brown lentils
• 8 ounces elbow macaroni, or any other compact pasta shape
• 2 cups long-grain rice
• 3 cups water
• 2 sticks cinnamon
• 3 cardamom pods
• ½ teaspoon whole cumin
• ½ teaspoon whole coriander
• 4 ½ tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. For the tomato and garlic sauce, warm the olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and let it cook just until it smells fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato sauce and let it bubble gently until it tightens up a bit, about 10 minutes. Stir in the water and vinegar, then raise the heat to high. As soon as the sauce reaches a boil, take it off the heat. Spoon it into a medium-sized bowl, add salt to taste, and put it aside.
2. For the koshary, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a heavy-bottomed 12-inch stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion and stir to coat it. Turn the heat down to low and cook, stirring often, until the onion is deeply caramelized, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
3. While the onion cooks, heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Fill a medium-sized pot with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Add the lentils, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until they are cooked but still al dente, about 15 minutes. Drain the lentils and set them aside to cool.
4. Fill the medium-sized pot with fresh water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook it according to the package directions. Once it is al dente, drain it and transfer it to a medium-sized bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and toss to coat.
5. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the cinnamon sticks and cook until fragrant. Stir in the cardamom, cumin, and rice. Cook, stirring well, until the spices smell aromatic and roughly half the rice has turned opaque. Pour in the water, bring everything to a boil, stir well, and cover the dutch oven. Transfer it to the oven and cook for 13 minutes. When it is done, fluff the rice with a fork and season with salt to taste.
6. Set another skillet over medium-high heat and add ½ tablespoon of oil. When the oil shimmers, add the pasta. Leave it alone for about a minute, until the underside gets crusty. Toss it well and continue cooking until it is toasted and a little chewy, then move it to a bowl. Add another ½ tablespoon of oil to the pan. Once it shimmers, add the lentils and cook until lightly toasted, about 30 seconds a side. Transfer the lentils to another bowl.
7. Spoon some rice onto a plate. Add a scoop of pasta, lentils, tomato sauce, and a few caramelized onions on top.