Lentils and Once Upon A Tart
April 13, 2007
I can't believe I've never posted a lentil salad recipe here. I have two in my arsenal, and one I just modified from that fantastic cookbook/pastry shop Once Upon A Tart. I also happen to have a Zjirushi rice cooker from Japan that makes excellent lentils in a hurry. If you don't have a rice cooker, you can always cook the lentils over the stove top, ration is 1:3 (lentils:water). Rules of rice cooking apply: bring to a rapid boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 45 min - 1 hour. No peeking!
You will need:
- 4 c cooked French Lentils (dark green)
- 1/2 small red onion finely diced
- 4 carrots, shredded on the cheese grater
For the dressing:
- 7 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp masala curry powder
- juice of 1 lemon or lime
- large handful of Italian Parsley, chopped
- 1 thumb sized piece of ginger, freshly grated
- salt to taste
Step One: Clean lentils (pick out rocks and rinse); cook in rice cooker or over the stovetop. Ration is 1:3, boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 min - 1 hour or until lentils are soft but not mushy. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.
Step Two: Place all ingredients for dressing in a bowl, minus the olive oil. While using a wire whisk, slowly drizzle in olive oil until fully incorporated. Toss in lentils, onion, and carrots.
Step Three: You can eat these warm, cold, whatever - they are fantastic. I ate them as a main course with a side of asparagus. Mmm. Soooo good.
Curried Carrot Soup
September 05, 2006
I wasn't sure how to rescue the baby carrots that were wasting away in the "rotter bins" as my roomie likes to call them, so I undertook the task of making them into a carrot soup puree. Rather than find a recipe, I did my usual stroll through Whole Foods Market and wrote down the ingredients in their carrot soup sitting in the deli section. I added my own touch, namely curry powder, turmeric, and white wine, and was pleased with the result. This soup has a heavy root taste that is cooled down by the spicy curry powder. Carrot soup isn't for everyone, but if you would also like to put those party favors to use, here is one way to do it.
You will need:
- 2 cups of baby carrots
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 thumb size pieces of ginger, grated with a zester (this is not essential, but takes away the heavy taste of the carrots)
- 3 tbsp of butter
- 1 tbsp of curry powder
- 1 tsp of turmeric
- 1/2 c of white wine
- 4 c of vegetable stock
- optional 1/2 c of cream
- salt to taste
Step One: In a heavy bottom stock pot, heat butter, onions, garlic, ginger, and carrots over medium heat. Cover pot with a lid, stirring every few minutes until carrots are tender (about 15-20 minutes).
Step Two: Add white wine, turmeric, and curry powder and cook for five minutes. Ladle carrots into a food processor or blender and puree. If the mixture is too thick to puree, simply add some vegetable stock to loosen. Puree all carrots and return mixture to stock pot, slowly pouring in vegetable stock (add cream if using optional ingredient). Cook until warmed through, serving with a side of warm bread or a simple salad.
Overall I have to admit that this soup was a bit "rooty" for lack of a better description, however, cooking the carrots through until they are very soft is important for reducing this taste and getting a sweeter flavor from the carrots. Also, very old and dry carrots will be bitter, resulting in a not-so-pleasant taste.
