I used to be bored final weekend and needed to make an attention-grabbing salad for lunch, however the pantry cabinets had been fairly depleted, aside from a bag of lentils tucked again in a nook. In fact, similar to another DIY challenge, I would want to make use of the supplies available. After foraging within the crisper drawer, I added cucumber, inexperienced onion, orange bell pepper and feta cheese to my ingredient listing.
For these of you unfamiliar with lentils, they’re within the household of edible seeds often called legumes. Lentils are very small and spherical with a lens-shaped convexity on both sides. Based on meals historians, lentils are one of many oldest domesticated meals, eaten by people because the Stone Age. They provide a wealthy portfolio of dietary advantages, together with protein, micronutrients and excessive fiber content material.
Lentils are bought both break up or complete and differ in coloration, which is how the kinds are distinguished from one another: inexperienced, yellow, pink, brown and black. The final of those are also called Beluga lentils for his or her resemblance to caviar. One number of inexperienced lentils is the Puy lentil, a French product that has earned an AOC (appellation d’origine contrôlée) safety standing.
While you’re able to cook dinner lentils, step one is to rinse and choose by means of them to take away any small stones or different particles – irrespective of the supply, you’ll at all times discover one thing within the combine that isn’t a lentil. You additionally want to pick out the number of lentil based mostly on the dish you make. For a hearty soup, you’ll need pink lentils, which cook dinner down and change into mushy, thickening the broth. Beluga lentils have a wealthy taste and maintain their form.
For the salad within the photograph, we selected Puy lentils, that are greenish when uncooked and change into barely browner when cooked. Their delicate, earthy taste and tender texture are properly suited to take in a French dressing. Lentils cook dinner way more shortly than dried beans, sometimes in 15 to 25 minutes, relying on their dimension and age. Though lentils might be saved for months, in the event that they change into too outdated, they are going to start to shrivel.
Boiling is the simplest approach to strategy cooking lentils, however you’ll be able to add some taste curiosity through the use of broth or inventory as a substitute of water because the cooking liquid. You’ll want to throw in some aromatics, and don’t add salt till the ultimate couple of minutes of cooking to stop toughening the feel. You possibly can drain them in a colander or scoop them from the liquid with a slotted spoon, relying on the recipe.
Even in case you are making a salad, you’ll need to hold the cooking liquid for a future use in a soup or stew. To assemble the salad right here, I scooped out the lentils and transferred them to a serving dish, tossing them with olive oil and rice wine vinegar whereas nonetheless heat. Whereas the lentils marinated for a second, I finely diced the opposite greens and added them to the dish, folding gently with a spatula.
The mixture of substances will rely upon the textures you need to stability. Because the lentils had been smooth and starchy, the cucumber and bell pepper added crunch. Feta cheese contributes salty, savory notes, and the inexperienced onion provides some chew. As soon as all of the substances have been blended collectively, style a mouthful to see what else the French dressing may want to supply the proper levels of moisture and taste.
Most lentil salads might be served heat or chilled. I discover the flavors mellow and intensify after a while within the fridge. I’ve included directions for a salad, a soup, and a simmered dish of lentils and onions. As in most recipes, substitution can ship some attention-grabbing outcomes.
Lentil Salad
1/3 C Puy lentils
1 1/2 C vegetable broth
1/2 t salt
2 T olive oil
2 T rice wine vinegar
1/3 C diced cucumber
1/3 C diced orange bell pepper
3 sliced inexperienced onions
1/2 C crumbled feta cheese
1/2 t lemon pepper seasoning
Mix the lentils and broth in a saucepan. Convey to a boil over excessive, then cut back to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add salt and cook dinner till tender, about 5 minutes. Switch cooked lentils to a serving dish with a slotted spoon, reserving the cooking liquid for an additional use. Drizzle lentils with olive oil and vinegar; toss gently to mix. Add remaining substances and stir with a spatula. Serve heat or chilled.
Lentil Soup
1 T olive oil
1/2 C chopped onion
1 diced carrot
1 diced celery stalk
1/2 C diced pink bell pepper
6 chopped mushrooms
3 chopped garlic cloves
4 C vegetable broth
1/4 C pink lentils
1/4 C inexperienced lentils
2 T tomato paste
1 C stemmed, torn kale
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t thyme
salt, to style
Warmth olive oil over medium in a soup pot. Add onion, carrot and celery; sauté till softened, about 3 minutes. Add pepper, mushrooms and garlic; cook dinner one other 3 minutes, stirring usually. Deglaze the pan with broth, scraping up any browned bits. Add lentils, tomato paste and kale. Prepare dinner over medium till lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in paprika and thyme; season to style with salt.
Mess-of-Pottage*
1 C lentils
7 C water
1 T salt
3/4 C rice
3/4 C olive oil
5 onions
Place lentils in a big pot and add water. Prepare dinner over medium for quarter-hour. Add salt and rice; cowl and cook dinner one other quarter-hour over low. Peel onions and minimize into half-inch-thick slivers. Pour olive oil in a deep skillet; add onions and cook dinner over medium till golden. When onions are prepared, switch to the pot of lentils together with the oil. Prepare dinner one other 10 minutes over low, stirring to stop sticking. Yield: 4 to six servings. *Tailored from Scheherazade Cooks.
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