Lentils

courtesy of Wikipedia

posted by topjabot

illustration of lens culanaris, 1885

red lentil soup

appliances

large pot

large spoon
collander
bowl with lid or cover

ingredients

about 2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 medium to large yellow onion, chopped

1 24 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 medium to large sized red garnet yam, cleaned and chopped

1 cup of dry red lentils, cleaned (in collander)

water by canful

seasonings, to taste, unless otherwise indicated

sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
garlic cloves (5-7 or less)
sprinkling of basil, rosemary, and thyme

curry powder to taste
a small dash of cinnamon (but no more than that)

2-3 bay leaves

optional variations: 

add -

chopped peppers, fresh or frozen mixed varieties. 

a bunch of greens, cleaned and chopped, and mixed or by themselves. possibilities include:

- collard greens
- kale
- broccoli leaves
- cabbage
- dandelion greens

celery and/or celery leaves



courtesy of Wikipedia

photographer: Victor M. Vicente Selvas

lentil plants in the field before flowering

procedure

1. sort and clean your dry red lentils in a collander, and put aside. 

2. put your olive oil in the large pot, add chopped onions and garlic cloves. sprinkle some rosemary and thyme, a little salt and pepper. sauté on a low heat until softened or slightly browning. stir frequently, and so not to allow the ingredients to stick or the garlic to brown, in this case. (otherwise fried garlic is delicious, but that is not the objective here.)

3. add your tomatoes, basil, continuing to stir.

4. add your red lentils, chopped yam, any optional vegetable additions, and 2-3 cans of water, depending on taste and if you are adding other ingredients.

5. stir some more, adding curry powder, cinnamon (careful - not too much), and your bay leaves. 

6. add some more salt and black pepper, rosemary, thyme, and basil, still stirring.

7. bring covered pot to a boil through a medium to medium high heat, stirring frequently. then lower to a simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour.

enjoy! serve over brown rice, garnished with grated cheese, chopped fresh parsley, or cilantro, even a kalamata olive or two. you can also splash with lemon or lime, and include croutons or a nice bread, and a glass of red wine. 

light a candle for your meal.

courtesy of Wikipedia

photographer:  Justin Cormack

red, green, and puy lentils

additional thoughts

red lentils cook rapidly, and combine very well with the favored red garnet yam.  it is easily refrigerated, and reheated in a microwave during the week, only improving with the days (though of course it goes bad eventually like any food).  you can also prepare this soup with carrot in lieu of red garnet yam, in which case, the proportion of lentils to water would be about 1 standard measuring cup of beans to 4 similar cups water.  if you wish to cook it longer intially, it combines well with beef stew pieces.

all varieties of lentil are very nutricious, high in soluble and insoluble fiber, and low in calories.  i'll be posting more lentil recipes in days to come.

more here on red garnet yam stews, that recipe initially arising as a variation of this simple soup.

- o.s.r.