On Discovering Lentils

Rice, beans, pasta.  These are the ways we make sure we haven't incidentally fallen into the Calorie Restriction Diet .  They keep us looking flush and healthy and let us concentrate our attention on careful preparation of everything else on the plate.  Just about every recipe we've cooked has one of these ingredients incorporated so that we don't leave the table hungry.

Yet I've never even thought about cooking lentils before.  When I walk down the aisle of the gloriously ghetto C-Town , by the aisle of some 25 varieties of Goya dried legumes stacked neatly and carefully atop one another, I've only ever grabbed a bag of black or pinto beans and moved on.  The whole selection is just overwhelming and the only well-organized section of the grocery store.

But who knew that lentils are the lowest in fat, highest in protein and fiber, and cook in a fraction of the time as dried beans? Cooks Thesauraus knew. Wikipedia knew. BeansLentils.com knew.  Well I didn't know.

So I picked up a bag of these mysterious little gems, whose shape similarity to optical lenses gave that glass invention its name.  I couldn't find the highbrow French green lentils, which are more peppery and take a bit longer to cook.  Brown lentils did the job, though you have to be careful they don't turn mushy, which I wasn't, and hence they got mushy.  But I did my best to disguise this fact in the photo above, and I think you should forgive me because (did I mention?) this is my first time cooking lentils.  Jamie Oliver's Italian Cookbook had an intriguing recipe involving a cinnamon stick salsa and roasted Italian sausage, so I turned on the oven and set off.

Salsicce con Lenticchie Verdi e Salsa de Pomodoro
Sausages and Green Lentils with Tomato Salsa

For the sausages:

• 8 medium-sized Italian sausages
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salsa:

• olive oil
• 1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• 1 small stick of cinnamon
• 1-2 small dried red chillies, crumbled
• 2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes (the big can)

For the lentils

• 14 oz green or brown lentils
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1 bay leaf
• a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped, stalks reserved
• red wine vinegar
• olive oil
• handful of fresh thyme tips

Serves 4.  Adapted from Jamie's Italy .  Available on FoodTV Canada here .

Before you start, the sausages need to get going--they take awhile, and if you start the lentils first like I did, they will be mushy.  So ignore the picture above, preheat the oven to 400 or even 450, toss the sausages with a little oil, and start them roasting.  Now, heat some olive oil in a pot, add the onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and crumbled dried red chili, and saute for ten minutes or so over medium/low heat.  In the meantime, dump your can of tomatoes into a small mixing bowl, so
that they fit but are still under the liquid.  Reach both hands in and squeeze the tomatoes into little pieces.  This should be exceedingly fun.  Just know that you'll squirt tomato juice all over the kitchen if they're not under the liquid.

Once they onion is soft and sweet, throw in the red wine vinegar and turn up the heat to deglaze for a minute or two.  Next add the tomatoes, turn down the heat, and let it simmer.

The lentils: imitate this picture above, covering the lentils with water and adding tied up parsley stalks, bay leaf, and the peeled garlic.  Turn the heat to low and let it warm slowly, and then begin to simmer.  If you're using cheap brown lentils, like I did, they won't take all that long.  Maybe 20 minutes.

Check on you sausages--they should cook for 25 minutes or so and come out lookng like this.  I took them out, sliced them, and then stuck them back in the pan under the broiler, hoping for a richer, charred taste.  Keep a close eye on them and shake the pan under the broiler every few minutes.  Once the lentils are done, remove the bay leaf and parsley stalks, drain them, and put in a mixing bowl.  Crush the garlic (which should be very soft) and incorporate into the lentils, then add the red wine vinegar and a few tablespoons olive oil.  Mix in the parsley, season with salt and pepper to taste then serve onto the plates.  Top with the salsa, and then add the sliced sausages.  Sprinkle with fresh thyme.

Beans, italian sausage, Lentils, Pork, Sausage, Tomatoes