Bigger-than-me snow piles, single-digit temperatures, impassable sidewalks, a beleaguered MBTA, and forget parking a car anywhere….we’re all a little stuck in the Boston area. Looking for a way to pass the long hours at home?  There’s reading, and then there’s cooking.  And then there’s combining your reading AND cooking (ideas here at The Art of Eating Books).

Chelsea Market, New York City

From Jerusalem: A Cookbook, a cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi, I give you a recipe for Mejadra, my new, most comforting winter meal.   Mejadra, also called Mujadara in other parts of the Arab world, is a very old Middle Eastern staple, good served hot or at room temperature, as a stand-alone or as accompaniment.   Bonus: the recipe features turmeric, which is good for aging brains.  I use brown basmati rice (which you need to cook longer than the amount of time specified in the recipe).  Add the lentils, fried onions and fresh Greek yogurt, and you’ve got a satisfying, healthy comfort food.  Frying the onions is probably the most labor-intensive part of this recipe, but don’t skip it – the salty, crunchy onions make the dish!