Thursday, February 4, 2010

The Humble Lentil

I was grocery shopping the other day and picked up a bag of lentils. Two fellow shoppers where openly curious about this selection and asked me, "What are you going to do with those?" I said, "Cook them." Then it dawned on me that of course these people figured that the lentils would be cooked. The question was how they would be prepared. So I gave a small talk about the savoriness and diversity of lentils. I would like to share with you some of the great things about the lentils. 

The lentil is a bushy annual plant that belongs to the legume family. It is thought to have originated in the Near East and has been consumed by humans since Neolithic times. Twenty-six percent of a lentil's calories come from protein. They are also high in iron, fiber, vitamin B1, and folate.  Not only are they nutritionally loaded, but they are very appetizing. Lentils can be prepared in so many ways. Try cooking some in chicken broth, then drain and stir into couscous along with minced onion, tomato, cucumber, and salt and pepper for a great summer salad. I also like to simmer lentils in chicken broth, white wine, orange slices, bay leaves, and curry powder. Then stir in green onions and continue to simmer until they are tender. Sometimes I add spinach to this as well. Serve it with rice or couscous.

This is my Lentil and Sweet Potato soup recipe:

Saute a large yellow onion in butter until translucent, then add a cup of diced ham and continue to cook until the ham gets brown on the edges. Add five cups chicken broth ,two cups lentils, and two sweet potatoes peeled and diced. Add nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer until the sweet potatoes and lentils are tender. I never measure anything when I cook so these measurements are more like guidelines, not a scientific formula. Enjoy!