Red Lentil Dal (with Potatoes if you like)

Another Monday, another dal recipe! This one for Red Lentils, which are one of my favorite dals because red lentils cook up fast and become beautifully soft and smooth. Of course, luscious Indian spices are part of the appeal.

The potatoes are optional. If you add them, you will surely have a dish hearty enough to serve as an entree.

I specify Korean or Aleppo crushed red peppers because I love the fruity flavor with just a touch of heat of both these peppers. You could use a whole hot dried red pepper instead – put it in at the start, when you cook the mustard seeds. You could use Italian crushed red pepper (what you might sprinkle on pizza) but it is much, much sharper so cut back the amount unless you want this to be very spicy.

Non-cooking Prep: 10 minutes
Active cooking: 15 minutes
Unattended cooking: 30-60 minutes

Red Lentil Dal (with optional potatoes)

Serves 6-8

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, cut into 1/4″ thick slices
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 whole clove
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon Korean or Aleppo crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 large clove garlic, minced
4 cups vegetable broth + 1 teaspoon salt if broth is unsalted
1 cup red lentils
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed (optional)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro and/or parsley
juice of 1/2 a lime
more salt to taste

Heat up a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Place the onions in the pan and cook until quite brown on both sides. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Set aside the Dutch oven while you toast the spices.

Heat up a small skillet over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and clove. Toast until fragrant, a couple of minutes. Grind in a spice grinder or crush with the bottom of a heavy pan. Mix with ground cinnamon, ground cardamom, and crushed red pepper.

Add the remaining oil to the Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds and cook them until they start to pop. Add the ginger, garlic, and all the spices. Stir for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the vegetable broth, red lentils, and tomatoes. If your vegetable broth contains no salt, add a teaspoon now. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover. Cook for 30-45 minutes. You want the lentils very soft so you can’t really overcook them.

While dal is cooking, coarsely chop onions and set aside.

If you want to make this dish even more hearty, add potatoes. Stir them in after the lentils are cooked, replace the cover and cook until the potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes.

Add chopped herbs-if you don’t like cilantro, use all parsley-chopped onions, and lime juice. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

Serve hot with naan or rice.

Lentil Tomato Soup

Whew! My life has been off to crazytown lately. Cooking has not been on the priority list. Actually, that’s not true. It’s just that cooking has become very very simple of late. Here’s hoping that changes soon because I’m a lot happier when I’m trying new recipes and playing in the kitchen.

Which brings me to my soon-to-be “new” kitchen. We recently purchased a townhouse near Boulder and the kitchen is oh so sad. An electric range from the late 90’s!! Horrors! A new induction range is coming (not soon enough for me). Until then, I must soldier on with a poor excuse for a stove.

Thing about soup, it’s easy to cook in one pot and an electric range is good enough. This recipe is adapted from the New York Times. The original is vegetarian. Mine is not, though you could leave out the bacon and it would still be darn good. But, I love bacon as a flavoring in bean soup. This is a very hearty, stick-to-your-ribs kind of soup.

Lentil Tomato Soup
(serves 4 as a main dish, 8 as an appetizer)

2 slices thick bacon, chopped
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 large stalk celery, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes in juice
2-3 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup brown lentils, washed and drained
5 cups water
leaves from 8 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese for garnish

Heat up a soup pot on medium heat. Add bacon and oil. Cook until bacon renders out fat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook for another minute. Add in tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, black pepper, and lentils. Stir to combine. Add in water, thyme leaves, and bay leaf. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cover partially and cook for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours until lentils are tender. Remove bay leaf. Stir in red wine vinegar and parsley. Taste; add more salt and pepper according to your taste. Serve garnished with grated cheese.

Even better the next day (as is true with so many soups and stews).

Adapted from Lentil Tomato Soup by Martha Rose Shulman, New York Times.

Lentil and Sauerkraut Soup

It’s winter! Kind of, sort of. There is snow on the ground at 8600 ft. finally. It’s been cold. Finally. This morning, a frigid negative something. Soup is definitely in season now.

This recipe is adapted from one in Gourmet. The original called for a hunk of smoked pork butt. (Reminder: pork butt is not the posterior. The cut known as butt is the shoulder.) I couldn’t find any smoked butt so I used a hunk of smoked ham. You could use smoked ham hocks. The point is, you want something smoked and piggy. I enhanced the porky flavor further by using 1/2 water and 1/2 ham stock.

Lentil and Sauerkraut Soup
(serves 8)

1 1/2 pounds smoked ham or 2 smoked ham hocks
7 cups ham stock (Penzeys sells a very good concentrate soup base)
7 cups water
1 pound lentils, rinsed
3 carrots, thinly sliced
4 ribs celery, thinly sliced
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 cup drained sauerkraut, preferably the good deli stuff or homemade
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
salt

Combine ham, ham stock, water, lentils, carrot, celery, onion, and bay leaves in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and partially cover. Simmer for about 1 hour (an hour and a half at 8600 ft.) until lentils are tender. Remove pork and allow to cool 10 minutes. Cut into bite-sized pieces and return to soup. Add sauerkraut, vinegar, and black pepper. Taste for salt; the pork, stock, and the sauerkraut are salty so you may need very little. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaves and serve with a rustic crusty bread.

Red Lentil and Squash Curry

Meatless Monday again! Today, I’ll give you an important tip for up’ing the flavor in many meatless dishes. It’s a good tip for many dishes, actually. It’s extra-important in vegetarian food.

Brown your onions! It adds such depth of flavor. It’s a common technique in Indian food, meatless or not. Experiment with dishes containing bold spices. I bet they are even better with browned onions.

Red lentils cook up pretty quickly. They turn yellow when cooked and have a smooth texture compared to brown lentils. Red lentils have become easy to find. I found them in all the major supermarkets in town. Usually, they are in the bulk section. You can also get them in Indian markets. Many supermarket produce sections now sell prepped butternut squash. Butternut squash can be a bear to peel and cut up, so this is a boon for squash lovers who find the peeling/cutting up daunting.

Red Lentil and Squash Curry
(serves 4-6)

1 cup dried red lentils, rinsed
3 cups water
½ teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
pinch of cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
½ cup – ¾ cup low sodium vegetable stock
1 teaspoon salt (less if your stock is salty)

Combine red lentils, water, and ½ teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower heat to maintain a simmer, and partially cover. Cook until tender and nearly all the water is absorbed, about 30-40 minutes.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until nicely browned, about 15 minutes. As the onions brown, you may have to reduce the heat to assure they don’t burn. Stir often for even browning.

Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, and black pepper. Cook, stirring, for about a minute until the spices are fragrant. Add the squash, ½ cup vegetable stock, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the squash is tender. If the moisture cooks away, add the last ¼ cup stock. When the squash is cooked, add the lentils and any cooking liquid. Stir to combine. Check for salt. Serve over hot rice.

Adapted from a recipe in Kitchen Garden magazine, Dec. 1996/Jan. 1997.

Lentil-Mushroom Soup

What a pretty basket of mushrooms!

Here’s something warming for fall. Though most people don’t think of mushrooms as a fall product, it’s when many mushrooms varieties show up in the forest. Porcini (called Cepes in French, Steinpilz in German, Boletus edulis in Science) are my favorite fall fungi, though in our Colorado mountains, they show up after good rains all summer long. You don’t need fresh porcini for this soup – good thing, as they are not available in most places and they cost $30-50/pound when you can find them. Dried porcini are not inexpensive, but a little goes a long way. You need 1 oz. to make a big, rich, flavorful soup. Add some fresh mushrooms at the end for even more umami. You can use whatever kind you can find in the supermarket: button, cremini (baby Portobellos), oyster, or if you are feeling flush, some fresh porcini.

This soup is hearty enough for a simple dinner. Serve it with some crusty bread and a big salad.

Lentil-Mushroom Soup
(serves 4-6)

1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
2 stalks of celery, cut into small dice
½ medium red onion, cut into small dice
⅔ cup passata (see Note)
2 bay leaves
¾ – 1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
½ pound sliced fresh mushrooms
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Soak the dried mushrooms in 2 cups of hot water, until rehydrated, about 30 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and pour the soaking water through some cheesecloth to strain. Reserve the water for the soup. Chop the porcini and put in a soup pot with the lentils, celery, red onion, passata, bay leaves, and ½ teaspoon salt. Combine the mushroom soaking water with cold water to make a total of 6 cups and add to the pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer. Cook for about 45 minutes, until the lentils are tender.

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and mushrooms. Cook for 10 minutes until the mushrooms and garlic are lightly browned. Add to the soup along with the black pepper. Taste for salt and serve.

When reheating the soup, add a bit of water because it will thicken up when chilled.

Note: Passata is Italian tomato puree. Unlike American canned tomato puree, it is not cooked, so it tastes fresher. I like Mutti brand which is sold in bottles. You can find it at World Marketplace stores. Pomi brand is another good one. It’s sold in cartons and is available in supermarkets.

Adapted from Fagioli: The Bean Cuisine of Italy by Judith Barrett, Rodale, 2004.

Photo: By George Chernilevsky (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Daal: Red Lentils with Bengali Spices

My breakfast: dal and fresh whole wheat tortilla chips

I am a huge fan of Indian food. All regions, vegetarian, not vegetarian. Doesn’t matter. The spices in Indian food are sensually lush and totally addicting. The downsides of cooking Indian food are a) you need a lot of uncommon (to Americans) ingredients, and b) it’s time-consuming. But, when I do it from scratch (rather than run down the street for Indian take-out), it’s so so satisfying.

Daal means beans and vegetarian cooking in India is about richly spiced beans. Most people are familiar with lentil daal because it is served alongside the rice at many Indian restaurants. This recipe uses red lentils though you can substitute yellow split peas. Red lentils are smaller and more delicate than typical brown lentils. They do not cook up red – they cook up golden. They are bland on their own, soaking up Indian spices. They also cook down smooth so the daal is like a thick porridge. Serve as a thick soup, a side dish, or over rice as a main dish. It will thicken in the fridge but the flavors only get better.

Bengal Red Lentils with Spices
(serves 4-6)

Daal
1 ½ cups red lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 hot green chile, such as a small Thai chile or serrano, stemmed
½ teaspoons ground turmeric
4 ½ cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Onion/Tomato
1 small onion, minced
¾ cup diced peeled tomatoes (canned is fine)
1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Spiced Oil
1 ½ Tablespoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
½ teaspoon whole fennel seeds
½ teaspoon whole black mustard seeds
½ teaspoon black onion (kalonji or kalaunji) seeds
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (or same amount ground)
2 bay leaves
1 Chinese dried hot red chile pepper, stemmed

To cook lentils, place all dal ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent clumping and sticking to the bottom of the pot. Once it reaches a boil, turn down to medium-low and partially cover. Cook for 25 minutes.

While lentils are cooking, heat up the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often. When the onions start to brown, turn down heat to medium-low. Continue cooking until onions are toasty brown. Add tomatoes and ginger. Cook for a few minutes. Remove from heat. When the daal timer goes off, add this to the daal and mix in. Set the timer for another 10 minutes.

Heat oil in a small skillet. Add all the remaining ingredients and fry the spices until they are fragrant and the chile and bay leaves start to brown. Remove chile and bay leaves. Add seeds and oil to the dal when timer goes off. Check seasoning; add more salt if necessary. Serve hot.

Recipe can be doubled. Leftovers freeze well.

Recipe adapted from Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking by Julie Sahni, William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1985.

Photo of Red Lentils: By Sudeshna Banerjee (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Meatless Monday: Italian Lentils and Polenta

Leftovers! Polenta reheated by panfrying

This is stick to your ribs wintertime comfort food, vegetarian style. Check the end of the recipe for the best way to reheat the polenta if you have some leftovers. Or, make this ahead so you can use the polenta reheating tip to make this dish even better.

Italian Lentils and Polenta
(serves 6)

Lentils
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 roasted red peppers, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
¼ dried red chile flakes
1 ½ cups lentils
2 ⅔ cups stock
⅓ cup white wine
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
½ onion, diced

Polenta
6 cups stock
salt if your stock is unsalted
1 ½ cups yellow cornmeal or corn grits

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Heat up oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the peppers, garlic, fennel seeds, and chile flakes. Cook for 5 minutes. Add  lentils, stock, wine, salt, pepper, and vinegar. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes. Raise the heat to medium high and cook until lentils are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and stir in onion. Cover and set aside while you cook the polenta.

In a large pot, heat up the stock over medium-high heat. Whisk in the cornmeal slowly. Switch to a large heavy spoon, reduce the heat to medium-low and stir every few minutes. The polenta is done when it is very thick, thick enough so that stirring it is work. Taste for salt and add some if the polenta is bland. Spoon polenta into bowls and cover with lentils. Garnish each serving with 1 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese.

You can reheat polenta in the microwave but the best way to reheat it is by panfrying it. You need a non-stick skillet and a couple of teaspoons of oil per serving. To facilitate future panfrying, spread it out on a rimmed baking pan in a 1″ layer right after you cook it then refrigerate until firm. Heat the oil in the skillet then fry the polenta until lightly browned all over. The outside will be a little crunchy-crispy and the inside will be delicious creamy. Absolutely the best way to reheat polenta.

Adapted from a recipe in The Best 125 Meatless Italian Dishes by Susann Geiskopf-Hadler and Mindy Toomay, Prima Publishing, 1995.

Unstuffed Cabbage

This recipe is my grandmother’s, passed on to me via my mom. Stuffed cabbage is a complicated process: make the filling, blanch the leaves, stuff and roll up the leaves, braise for a long time. Delicious it may be, but you will spend a chunk of your day pulling it off. I haven’t made this recipe in years because it’s so much work. It is so good and very special…

Six months after my grandmother died, I found a stash of stuffed cabbage buried in the freezer. She had come to visit after the birth of my daughter, and left me with her wonderful stuffed cabbage. Finding that stuffed cabbage was a pretty emotional experience and I relished every bite of my grandmother’s last food production in my life.

Besides simplifying the stuffing process, I have modernized the recipe by cutting back on the meat. I replaced some of the meat with cooked lentils. It’s still a stick-to-your-ribs, sweet and sour dish. It may not remind you of your grandmother, it will give you some idea of my memories of my dear grandmother.

Unstuffed Cabbage
(serves 8)

non-stick cooking spray
1 large green cabbage
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Lentils
½ onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup lentils, rinsed
4 cups water

Stuffing
1 pound ground meat (beef, pork, turkey)
½ onion, chopped
1 cup cold cooked rice
1 egg, beaten
1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon black pepper

Sauce
1 ½ Tablespoons oil
2 Tablespoons flour
2 cups commercial beef stock
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
2 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained
¾ cup raisins
½ cup crushed gingersnaps (about 6 2″ cookies)
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar.
juice of 1 lemon, about ⅓ cup
1 teaspoon kosher salt (see Note)

Place all the Lentils ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes until lentils are tender. Drain well and set in the fridge to cool slightly.

While the lentils are cooking, peel off the large outer leaves from the cabbage and set aside. Cut the remaining cabbage into quarters, core, and slice. Spray a large Dutch oven with non-stick spray. Put all the sliced cabbage in the Dutch oven and sprinkle with the salt. Lay half of the big leaves over the sliced cabbage. Set aside while you make the stuffing.

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Wipe out the lentil saucepan. Heat the oil in the pan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for a few minutes until the roux is golden. Whisk in the beef stock and dried thyme. Bring to a boil and whisk until the stock thickens slightly. Set aside.

Combine all the Stuffing ingredients in a large bowl. Add the lentils and mix to combine. Spread the stuffing over the cabbage leaves in the Dutch oven. Lay the rest of the cabbage leaves over the stuffing.

Combine the beef stock sauce, and the remaining sauce ingredients in the bowl you mixed the stuffing in. Pour over the top of the cabbage, poking the cabbage at the edge of the pot so that some of the sauce drains down along the edge.

Cover the pot and place in the oven for 2 hours. Remove the cover and cook for another 30 minutes until the cabbage is very tender and the sauce has reduced. This is a dish that improves with reheating. Make it ahead, chill it down, then reheat it. The flavors become more harmonious and smooth.

As you probably figured out from my story above, stuffed cabbage (or unstuffed cabbage) freezes very well.

Note: I used commercial beef stock (Better Than Bouillon is my preferred brand in instant broth). If you use homemade or unsalted stock in the box, you will need to add more salt to the sauce.

Indian Lamb and Lentil Stew

This recipe is based on this one at Epicurious.com. They look similar but are really quite different. Garam masala is sort of curry powder, but it lacks turmeric (the spice that gives curry its distinctive yellow color). Many of the spices are the same (cumin, cardamom, black pepper, coriander) but without turmeric, garam masala is sweeter. Sounds good to me! Nowadays, a well-stocked supermarket carries both so you don’t have to make your own or find a specialty shop. I do make my own (because I’m crazy like that) and have included the recipe at the end.

I also added the lime juice. This is a very earthy dish. Though the tomatoes add some acid, they really aren’t very bright after cooking with the lamb and spices for an hour. The lime juice brings back some of the high notes. I happen to believe that acid is a very under-rated ingredient. Salt is important but you can only go so far before the dish gets too salty. Acid enhances many flavors in another way, making it complementary to salt

Indian Lamb and Lentil Stew
(serves 4-6)

1 pound lamb, cut into ½” pieces (from the leg or sirloin is best)
salt and pepper
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon garam masala 
1 ½ cups tomatoes (diced, pureed or crushed will all work)
2 cups water
1 cup brown lentils
3 carrots, cut into 1″ chunks
1 cup frozen green peas
juice of 1 lime or lemon

Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Heat a dutch oven over medium-high heat until very hot. Add oil, then the lamb. Cook until the lamb is browned. Add onions, ginger, and garlic. Lower heat to medium. Cook until onions start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add garam masala and mix in to onions and lamb. It will become fragrant within 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, water, brown lentils, carrots, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and carrots. Mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat, cover, and simmer for at least an hour, but longer won’t hurt. Five minutes before serving, mix in peas. Cover and cook about 5 minutes to warm up peas. Mix in lime or lemon juice. If served as is, this will serve about 4 people. If you serve it over rice, it will serve 6.

Garam Masala
(makes ¾ cup)

the seeds from 1 Tablespoon green cardamom pods
1 4″ cinnamon stick, broken into small pieces
½ Tablespoon whole cloves
2 Tablespoons black peppercorns
¼ cup cumin seeds
¼ cup coriander seeds

Grind the cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, cumin, and coriander until the mix is an even texture. Store in a tightly sealed jar. Will lose its pungency over time but keeps surprisingly well.

Recipe from Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni, William Morrow and Company, Inc.,1980.

Lamb, Lentil and Kale Soup

I derived this soup recipe from a lamb stew recipe in The Gourmet Garage Cookbook. I wanted a soup, not a stew, but the flavor combination was intriguing. It is originally an Iranian recipe and full of wonderful herbal flavors. It is substantial from the lamb and lentils but the flavor is light and refreshing.


Lamb, Lentil & Kale Soup
(serves 8)


2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound stew lamb, cut into small dice
3 medium leeks, white and light green part, cleaned well and chopped
3 scallions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch of kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons fresh dill, coarsely chopped
2 cups fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 cups chicken stock
1 cup lentils, rinsed
2 teaspoons lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice


1. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Fry lamb in two batches until browned. Remove lamb with a slotted spoon and reserve.
2. Melt remaining butter with remaining olive oil in soup pot, and reduce heat to medium. Saute leeks, scallions and garlic until tender.
3. Add kale, dill, and parsley and cook until kale is wilted.
4. Stir in turmeric, pepper and salt and cook for a minute or two.
5. Add cooked lamb, chicken stock and lentils. Bring soup to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
6. Add lemon zest and lemon juice, cover, and cook for an hour or until lentils are tender.
7. Taste for salt before serving.


Note: You can substitute 1 pound of ground lamb for the diced lamb. I prefer the texture of the diced lamb.


Link to PDF of Lamb, Lentil and Kale Soup Recipe