Name: Mujadara
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients: 1/3 cup olive oil; 4 or 5 large onions, halved and thinly sliced (use the slicing blade on your food processor, or a mandoline if you have one); Salt and pepper; N/A freshly ground black pepper; 1 1/2 cups brown or green lentils, sorted and rinsed; 1 1/4 cups long-grain white rice; Plain yogurt or sour cream, optional, for serving

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Lentils, rice, olive oil, and onions—this Middle Eastern standard is the ultimate pantry recipe. It's also the classic example of a dish that's greater than the sum of its parts. There are literally dozens of recipes for mujadara out there—each country, possibly even each family, seems to have its own version. The one I like best is adapted from Claudia Roden's Book of Jewish Food. The crispy onion topping is the best part, so go ahead and make a lot.

NOTE: Lentils, like all dried beans, vary in their cooking time depending on several factors, including age. Yours may take longer to become tender, but they shouldn't take much more than an hour. Hard water can also affect the cooking time—if your water is hard, use bottled water.

MAKE BABY FOOD:

Puree the entire thing with an additional splash of water. For finger food, skip the browned onion topping, which may be challenging to young eaters.

Recipe notes

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Recipe notes

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