any lentil recipes?
Discussion
I make a vegetarian variation on something which a Spanish friend of mine used to make - which he called pottage. Nice in winter. Basically mostly green lentils, but also potatoes, onions and sliced sausage (veggie or not, is the choice). Usually some bay leaves as well to ferment on top for several hours. Something like this I would add a veg stock cube certainly - and cook until the lentils start to break down. Put in huge tupperware and have for lunch all week. Also the expression "season to taste" may apply!
lepetitoeuf said:
Did you want meat or vegetarian?
I like lentil based soups, there's a lot of those around. Slow cooked lamb with lentils is lovely as well. They also well with feta/lemon/coriander for a slightly more hearty salad in the summer.
Have a good search on recipe websites like bbc food, bbc good food, waitrose and see what comes up.
either but trying to be healthy - just dont want to be put off by the first one i try!I like lentil based soups, there's a lot of those around. Slow cooked lamb with lentils is lovely as well. They also well with feta/lemon/coriander for a slightly more hearty salad in the summer.
Have a good search on recipe websites like bbc food, bbc good food, waitrose and see what comes up.
petemurphy said:
and no i wont be reading the guardian
You'd miss this one then 
I just searched for it online for you, but it is in his Kitchen Diaries book and I've made it several times. Tasty
Nigel Slater in the Observer said:
.
Sausages with salami and lentils
A rough-edged casserole that gives the impression of having been cooked for hours, but which is pretty much ready to eat in 45 minutes. You could put it in the oven if you prefer, in which case you should let it cook for about an hour at moderate heat. This is the sort of food I like to put on the table for Saturday lunch, with a bowl of rocket salad by the side. Then you can swoosh the salad leaves around your plate to mop up the last bits of tomatoey lentil sauce. Serves 2 with seconds.
2 medium onions
2 tbsps olive oil
2 large cloves garlic
1 small salami (about 200g)
150g green or brown lentils
3 bay leaves
500g crushed tomato or tomato passata
350g fresh sausages
1 tbsp smooth Dijon mustard
Peel the onions and cut each one in half from tip to root, then cut each half into 4 or 5. Warm the oil in a heavy-based casserole, add the onions and let them cook over a moderate heat until tender. Meanwhile, peel the garlic, slice it thinly and add it to the onions. Stir the onions regularly.
Peel the thin skin from the salami, then cut the inside into fat matchsticks. Add this to the softening onions and leave for a couple of minutes, during which time the salami will darken slightly.
Start cooking the sausages in a nonstick pan. You want them to colour on the outside - they will do most of their cooking once they are in the sauce. Tip the crushed tomato into the onions, add the washed lentils and stir in 500ml of water. Bring to the boil. Remove the sausages from their pan and tuck them into the casserole with the bay leaves. Cover the pot with a lid and leave to simmer gently for about half an hour, until the lentils are tender.
Stir the mustard into the lentils and season with black pepper. You may find it needs little or no salt.
Sausages with salami and lentils
A rough-edged casserole that gives the impression of having been cooked for hours, but which is pretty much ready to eat in 45 minutes. You could put it in the oven if you prefer, in which case you should let it cook for about an hour at moderate heat. This is the sort of food I like to put on the table for Saturday lunch, with a bowl of rocket salad by the side. Then you can swoosh the salad leaves around your plate to mop up the last bits of tomatoey lentil sauce. Serves 2 with seconds.
2 medium onions
2 tbsps olive oil
2 large cloves garlic
1 small salami (about 200g)
150g green or brown lentils
3 bay leaves
500g crushed tomato or tomato passata
350g fresh sausages
1 tbsp smooth Dijon mustard
Peel the onions and cut each one in half from tip to root, then cut each half into 4 or 5. Warm the oil in a heavy-based casserole, add the onions and let them cook over a moderate heat until tender. Meanwhile, peel the garlic, slice it thinly and add it to the onions. Stir the onions regularly.
Peel the thin skin from the salami, then cut the inside into fat matchsticks. Add this to the softening onions and leave for a couple of minutes, during which time the salami will darken slightly.
Start cooking the sausages in a nonstick pan. You want them to colour on the outside - they will do most of their cooking once they are in the sauce. Tip the crushed tomato into the onions, add the washed lentils and stir in 500ml of water. Bring to the boil. Remove the sausages from their pan and tuck them into the casserole with the bay leaves. Cover the pot with a lid and leave to simmer gently for about half an hour, until the lentils are tender.
Stir the mustard into the lentils and season with black pepper. You may find it needs little or no salt.
As already alluded to, lentils take on bold salty (and fatty!) flavours well, so bacon, chorizo, smoked ham, quality sausage, cheap cuts of lamb etc. Cassoulets and stews are the way ahead, particularly for green or puy lentils.
For red lentils there are some nice dhal recipes out there too.
For red lentils there are some nice dhal recipes out there too.
One I occasionally do is to brown smoked lardons in oil, pull out said lardons then brown diced venison (or mixed game). Once brown add a suitable stock, green lentils (previously brought to the boil, cooked for 10 minutes, drained, then rinsed), the lardons and then later some chestnut mushrooms. Cook slow and long.
I make a variation on Nigel's recipe with Puy lentils, but boggo brown or green lentils will do perfectly well.
MC's Toulouse Sausages with Puy Lentils
For four:
- Cut a few rashers of fatty smoked streaky bacon into lardons, and frazzle them in a heavy-based pan.
- Remove bacon and brown off six garlicky (Toulouse) sausages in the fat. Add a bit of goose fat or lard if there isn't enough fat from the bacon.
- Remove and sweat an onion, a carrot and two celery sticks (all finely diced) in the pan until these are softish and have stopped giving out any more liquid.
- Return the bacon and sausages, add two measuring cups of lentils, plus a few peppercorns, a bay leaf, and enough chicken (or vegetable) stock to cover.
- Simmer everything on a low heat until the lentils are tender (15 - 20 minutes).
- Serve with mash.
The other classic treatment for red (split) lentils or peas is dhal
For two:
225g red split lentils / yellow split peas
1/2 tsp turmeric
75g butter or ghee
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 red chilli, finely chopped
salt (or not)
- Simmer the lentils with the turmeric and salt (or not) in about 750 ml water until soft. Set aside.
- Meanwhile make the spiced butter: toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan until they smell 'nutty'. Melt the butter / ghee, add everything else and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are a deep golden brown. They don't want to burn, but you do want them far darker than for a European dish.
- Beat the lentils / peas with a wooden spoon to a smoothish consistency, then pour the spiced butter on top.
Serve with rice in warm bowls, and some chopped coriander over (or not).
MC's Toulouse Sausages with Puy Lentils
For four:
- Cut a few rashers of fatty smoked streaky bacon into lardons, and frazzle them in a heavy-based pan.
- Remove bacon and brown off six garlicky (Toulouse) sausages in the fat. Add a bit of goose fat or lard if there isn't enough fat from the bacon.
- Remove and sweat an onion, a carrot and two celery sticks (all finely diced) in the pan until these are softish and have stopped giving out any more liquid.
- Return the bacon and sausages, add two measuring cups of lentils, plus a few peppercorns, a bay leaf, and enough chicken (or vegetable) stock to cover.
- Simmer everything on a low heat until the lentils are tender (15 - 20 minutes).
- Serve with mash.
The other classic treatment for red (split) lentils or peas is dhal
For two:
225g red split lentils / yellow split peas
1/2 tsp turmeric
75g butter or ghee
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 red chilli, finely chopped
salt (or not)
- Simmer the lentils with the turmeric and salt (or not) in about 750 ml water until soft. Set aside.
- Meanwhile make the spiced butter: toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan until they smell 'nutty'. Melt the butter / ghee, add everything else and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are a deep golden brown. They don't want to burn, but you do want them far darker than for a European dish.
- Beat the lentils / peas with a wooden spoon to a smoothish consistency, then pour the spiced butter on top.
Serve with rice in warm bowls, and some chopped coriander over (or not).
I like this one which was the first one that popped up when searching for a curried lentil soup:
25g/1oz butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red chilli, diced
3 tbsp curry powder
1 litres/2 pints chicken stock or water (or a mixture of both)
250g/8oz puy lentils
100g/3 oz red lentils
Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt
Lemon juice
Chopped mint (optional)
To serve
Natural yoghurt
Sprinkle of cayenne pepper
Mint leaves
Naan bread
Heat the butter and oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic, chilli and curry powder and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Add the stock and lentils and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Season to taste, and stir through a squeeze of lemon juice and chopped mint.
Ladle into serving bowls and serve with yoghurt sprinkled with cayenne and mint leaves alongside naan bread.
Little better on a cold winter evening.
25g/1oz butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red chilli, diced
3 tbsp curry powder
1 litres/2 pints chicken stock or water (or a mixture of both)
250g/8oz puy lentils
100g/3 oz red lentils
Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt
Lemon juice
Chopped mint (optional)
To serve
Natural yoghurt
Sprinkle of cayenne pepper
Mint leaves
Naan bread
Heat the butter and oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic, chilli and curry powder and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Add the stock and lentils and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Season to taste, and stir through a squeeze of lemon juice and chopped mint.
Ladle into serving bowls and serve with yoghurt sprinkled with cayenne and mint leaves alongside naan bread.
Little better on a cold winter evening.
Dear PM,
With a nan it's a meal on its own,
regards,
Jet
RizzoTheRat said:
I make a Tarka Dhal occasionally as a side with a curry, very tasty. Loads of recipies online but the onle I use is half and hald red lentils and yellow split peas.
Chicken Dhanzak is always worth a go too.
Tarka Dhal dribble /HomerChicken Dhanzak is always worth a go too.
With a nan it's a meal on its own,
regards,
Jet
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