lentils

[Scarlette]

I've become a massive fan of lentils, in the New Year mission to be healthy. I have loads of them, of different types. Lately I've made a really nice lentil and prawn curry and used them for a base to serve salmon on.

Does anyone have any other nice things to do with them they can recommend?

Thanks!

 

[strung out]

all kinds of lentils? i've only ever used red lentils

 

[miss direct]

Dahl

 

[Scarlette]

I got green ones too, which I used with salmon and red for the curry and little dark green ones which Sainsburys calls lentilles verts, which surely also means green lentils.

 

[sheothebudworths]

Those are puy lentils, which are my faves! They're nice and firm and taste almost meaty!

 

[Scarlette]

Those are puy lentils, which are my faves! They're nice and firm and taste almost meaty!

Ooh, they're the fashionable ones, aren't they? What do you do with them?

 

[sheothebudworths]

Cook them and then eat them!

 

[sheothebudworths]

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=puy+lentils+recipe&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GBfficial&client=firefox-a

 

[sheothebudworths]

LOL @ the embarrassed smiley!

 

[Scarlette]

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=puy+lentils+recipe&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GBfficial&client=firefox-a

Ooh ta. I might have it with steamed chicken or something.

 

[toggle]

Ooh, they're the fashionable ones, aren't they? What do you do with them?

cook, add chopped toms, cucumber, onions, vinigrette.

 

[purplex]

lentil soup with chopped up sausages in is a fairly popular dish here in Germany

 

[RubyToogood]

I made this last night which was lovely: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/slightlysweetbengalg_86576.shtml

I also regularly do green lentils cooked in cider with mustard and honey, with sausages.

 

[Ms T]

Puy lentils are great in salads. A standby for work lunches for me is cooked lentils with spring onions, feta and sun-blushed tomatoes.

 

[Brixton Hatter]

any kinds of lentils are great in soup - all you need to do is fry up some onion and garlic as the base, add some stock and a chopped up potatoes, then add the lentils along with the veggies of your choice.

a fave of mine: Curried lentil and lime soup

 

[mrsfran]

Puy lentils go fantastically well with pork. Lentil and sausage casserole, pork chops and braised lentils, slow-cooked pork belly and braised lentils. All favourites of mine.

They're not quite lentils, but split peas are lovely. Make a lovely soup.

 

[Scarlette]

Idea of pork belly is making me salivate, but I'm trying to be really healthy!

 

[IC3D]

Nut roast, add your favorite nuts, herbs, spices and pour on some gravy and serve with veg. Its good your craving meat as it will fill you up.

 

[Maggot]

Dahl

There's a dahl recipe here: http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=7453540&postcount=148

 

[Schmetterling]

lentil soup with chopped up sausages in is a fairly popular dish here in Germany

Add a tiny amunt of white vinegar and Yuuuuuuuuuuum!

 

[pootle]

I'm going to have a stab at making a green lentil and spinach curry tonight.

Will report back/post recipe tomoz if it's any good

 

[kalidarkone]

Sheo's puy lentil and field mushroom casserole is the business and I have been eating it weekly for the last 6 weeks!!

 

[Infidel Castro]

Easy lentil bolognese/chilli affair! I sent this to a mate in work earlier:

Olive Oil (tbsp)
Red lentils (4 handfuls for me, not sure of weight)
1 Onion
1 Carrot
1 Celery stick
1 Garlic clove
Balsamic vinegar
Worcestershire Sauce
Carton of Passata or chopped toms
Veg bouillion/stock (1 pint approx)
Pinch or chilli powder
Pinch of curry powder
Pinch of chilli flakes
Sugar to taste
Pepper
Bay Leaf
Mixed herbs

Chop the onion, carrot and celery into a very fine dice, and put them into a pan (saucepan or sauté pan) over a medium heat with the olive oil, adding the garlic (minced/crushed/chopped, whatever). Soften and brown slightly, taking about 10-15 mins, then add a good shake of Worcestershire sauce followed by a couple of tbsps of Balsamic. Reduce the liquid till it’s mostly gone, then add the lentils like you would in a risotto, coating the grains with the oil/liquid in the pan. Let it sit in the pan for a few mins this way, stirring occasionally, till the lentils smell a little bit nutty. Then add the stock, passata, herbs, bay, spices and sugar, mix together, cover and simmer on the lowest heat for a couple of hours, stirring occasionally to make sure it’s not drying out. Add water if needed, and some more sugar if required.

Adding other things like sweet chilli sauce makes things a little different too, especially with a bit of Tabasco.

Serve with spaghetti and some cheese.

 

[kittyP]

Can I also put a shout out for the Gungo/Pigeon Peas.
Lovely in a veggie chilli, curry, stew etc.
Yum

 

[crustychick]

I made a sausage and lentil stew last night with veggie saussies. it was loverly....

the recipe called for green lentils but we subsituted half for brown lentils for a bit of variety. worked rather well

 

[tarannau]

I've got to admit that puy lentils are my least favourite. To be fair, my favoured lentil dishes tend to more spicy and asian in influence - I'm not half as keen on them used on plainer, more Euro style dishes in the main. Bit bland, would prefer the taste and texture of other pulses.

Gungo peas definitely get my thumbs up though.

 

[Maggot]

I'm going to have a stab at making a green lentil and spinach curry tonight.

Will report back/post recipe tomoz if it's any good

How did it go?

 

[Roadkill]

Longdog has a superb recipe for bacon and lentil stew. My version of it goes something like this:

Ingredients:
1/2 onion
1 clove garlic
1 small carrot, chopped finely
1 leek
about half a pound of bacon scraps - I prefer smoked
handful of frozen peas
red lentils
chicken stock

Simply soften the onion, add the garlic and then the bacon and fry gently for a few minutes, then add the carrot, the leek and the chicken stock, stick the lid on and simmer, stirring occasionally until the leeks have pretty much dissolved. Then add the peas and lentils and a bit of water if needs be, turn the heat right down and simmer gently, again stirring occasionally, until the lentils are soft. Then eat.

 

[Infidel Castro]

I did this beauty yesterday, minus the compote and with belly pork instead of chops, using cider in place of wine:

Ingredients

Pork Chops

4 pork chops
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
3 sprigs thyme
Coarse salt
Coarse pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil


Pre-Cooking Lentils

1 cup dried lentils, rinsed and drained
1/2 small onion
1 small stalk celery
1 small carrot
2 bay leaves


Braising Lentils

1 teaspoon vegatable oil
4 slices double-smoked bacon, diced
1/4 cup finely diced carrot, about .5 piece
1/3 cup finely diced leek, about 1 small piece
1/3 cup finely diced onion, about .5 small
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons creme fraiche
1/4 cup chopped parsley


Warm Apple Compote

2 fuji (or matsu) apples, peeled, cored, diced
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup calvados
2 tablespoons butter
small pinch brown sugar
salt and pepper




Directions


Pork Chops

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Pick and roughly chop thyme leaves. Smear a good amount of Dijon mustard on chops and season well with chopped thyme, coarse salt and pepper.
Heat vegetable oil in large wide oven-safe pan over medium heat. Carefully place chops in pan and sear each side until browned, about 1 minute.
Finish chops in oven on middle rack; test for doneness and rest at least 5 minutes before serving.


Pre-Cooking Lentils

Combine lentils, onion, celery, carrot, and bay leaves in a medium saucepot.
Cover with cold water to measure 1 inch above level of lentils. Simmer, uncovered until lentils are cooked and liquid has mostly evaporated, about 20-25min. Season with salt and pepper.


Braising Lentils

Heat vegetable oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon pieces and cook until slightly crispy.
Add carrots, onion, leek, and garlic and gently sweat for a few minutes.
Add wine to deglaze, scraping any crispy brown bits.
Add chicken stock and lentils; bring to simmer and reduce until liquid reaches a light sauce consistency.
To finish, gently stir in butter, creme fraiche and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.


Warm Apple Compote

For apple compote, gently heat calvados and raisins in a small saucepot.
Heat butter in a large pan over medium high heat. Add apples and brown sugar; saute until light golden, about 3 minutes.
Take pan off heat, add calvados and raisins, and return to heat.
If desired, light pan and let alcohol burn off. Otherwise, let liquid simmer, reducing slightly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, divide lentils onto serving plates. Place pork chops on top and spoon over any collected pan juices. Serve with apple compote

....

I took the rest of the lentils to work today and they held up well. I didn't put all that butter in there either, putting a little more creme fraiche in its place. It was whizzer!

 

[Badgers]

For some reason I have a hankering for lentils today. Have a bag of green lentils, bacon, garlic, mushrooms, chicken stock and a fair mix of herbs/spices to chuck in.

Will add an onion to this. Anything else?