Lentils are a member of the legume family which are plants bearing pods with rows of seeds inside. They are ideal as a quick source of protein, fiber, amino acids and are low on the glycemic index. They are very low in saturated fat and cholesterol and are also a good source of iron, folate, and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. For one cup of cooked lentils you get a whopping 18 grams of protein and 16 grams of fiber! That means they fill you up. They cook very quickly, and depending on which type you are using some faster than others. You don’t need to soak lentils like other beans, and it there is much controversy as to salting before or after the cooking process. It has been my experience that after soaking, adding salt to the cooking water can slow things down a bit, but because beans contain calcium and other minerals, these make the cell walls sturdy anyway. Adding salt can sort of fill in spaces  in the cell walls, and make it take a bit longer, but with lentils it doesn’t really matter. It can produce a more flavorful result and since they don’t need to be soaked prior to cooking go ahead and add salt. Now, regularly I would say to cook your beans in a pressure cooker, as I am a huge fan of these. Lentils, however, will not fare well in a pressure cooker, and will become mushy and paste-like as an end result.
The most common varieties of lentil you have eaten are probably the delicate and peppery French green, or “Puy”, and the earthy Brown lentil. Split peas are considered to be a lentil as well. In Indian cooking “Daal” is a common dish and is another name for lentil, as well as “Gram”. The delicate yellow or red variety is used most commonly for this cuisine and while they don’t retain their shape very well after cooking, they are delicate and flavorful with a velvety texture that is very enjoyable.
Dried lentils are best because of their quick cooking and that they don’t need to be soaked beforehand. You can find most types I have mentioned in any grocery store, and also in the store’s “international” or “ethnic” aisle. My go to for varieties of any kind of food is “Cooks Thesaurus” on the web.
If you are dining out, and you are searching for the lentil, your best bet would be Middle Eastern, Greek, or of course, any Mediterranean type restaurant. You can easily find lentils added to many dishes, or alone in a salad, and are most likely prepared with unsaturated oils, like Olive oil.
To cook simply pour the amount of lentils you are going to use into a clean bowl, and rinse them with cold water picking out any debris, or stones, or discolored ones. There usually aren’t many of these these days anyway. Then drain them into a colander, and using a ration of : 1 part lentils to 3 parts water or stock, simmer until they are tender. Usually for brown or green lentils this takes about 15-20 minutes. For the more delicate red, or yellow “daal” I mentioned, it takes a whopping 5-10 minutes! Woo Hoo! Split peas can take another cup of water as they swell a bit more than their cousins.
Lentils love assertive flavors like citrus, garlic, onion, spices and fresh herbs. They stand alone or compliment vegetables, poultry, or fish, especially Salmon.

A simple dish you can make quickly would be a red lentil salad, with spinach, lemon juice, fresh parsley and minced garlic with some extra virgin olive oil.

• 1 pound fresh or frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
• 4 cups cooked red lentils
• juice of 1 fresh lemon
• 1 cup rough chopped flat leaf parsley
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed or minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

You can also take some cooked, puy lentils and make the same. Or make a hardy stew with crushed, low-sodium tomatoes, garlic, pepper and oregano.

• 4 cups cooked lentils (or 2 cups raw)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups vegetable stock (or 6 if cooking the raw lentils as is)
• 1 can low-sodium crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 white onion finely chopped
• 2 or 3 cloves garlic, smashed or finely minced
• 3 tablespoons fresh, chopped oregano, or 1 tablespoon dry
• salt and pepper to taste

In a sturdy pot on medium heat, sweat the onions with a little sprinkle of salt until they become translucent, add the garlic and tomato paste and stir for about 1 minute and quickly add the stock and lentils. Cook for about 10 minutes or until it comes to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer a bit and add your oregano or fresh herb of choice. A dash of red wine vinegar, or lemon juice will brighten up this stew.

These are just two simple examples of quick and healthy ways to prepare lentils. I hope you will consider them a lot more in your diet as they are one of the easiest ways to get both high protein and high fiber in an easy way.

Comments(0)

Oh yes, I said it. Anchovies! And any other yummy, cold-water, oily fish too! Like sardines or herrings! Oh now, forget that thought of crusty little pieces of brown, bony, stink on a pizza! I am talking about plump, juicy, fleshy, white sardines that you can get on any good Spanish tapas plate called “boquerones” or “anchoas”. They are super high in Omega-3’s, and are lightly cured in salt and vinegar, and packed in olive oil, so they last about a month refrigerated once you open them. I dare say they won’t need to make it that long though.

They are filleted and make the perfect snack, or ingredient for salad dressing. Just stay with me here.Yes I know some of you out there love your brown anchovies in a can, more power to you. With those I prefer to use them as an ingredient, ground to a paste, and not as a snack food. If you like them, eat them! Today, however,  I want to focus on the small, oily, fatty, little fishies that frequent the Mediterranean diet. We are, after all, modeling our diets to the Mediterranean one, and what better than little, flavorful fish? These are becoming trendy and it’s likely you have had them in any restaurant that serves Tapas, or if you have traveled to Spain or the Mediterranean. They aren’t difficult to make at home, and require a minimum prep time of 45 minutes to 1 hour. You can get frozen fillets but I recommend fresh. If you ask your fishmonger to gut them perhaps they will, otherwise it is a bit of a job to do but so worth it! Since they are so tiny you just wash them well, clean and gut them by slicing their bellies open head to tail, pinch the heads off with your thumb and fore-finger and pull the back bone out. Watch out for a tiny bone underneath near the head too. Soaking them in either white wine, or Sherry vinegar, lemon juice, and fresh water helps soften any bones you might have missed. For an example for about one kilogram or, 2.2 pounds of Boquerones, you would use:

1 cup Sherry or Wine vinegar

1 large lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon sea salt or Kosher

1/4 cup fresh water

You can layer them in a dish and sprinkle the salt over them before the vinegar and lemon. You can also omit the lemon and just do the vinegar.Once marinated for about 1 hour, or just until they are no longer translucent, but opaque and white, you can drain and rinse them, and pack them in good olive oil to cover completely, overnight, before using. This helps preserve them. Feel free to add garlic cloves, or slices, and chilies or freshly chopped parsley. Then when you want, just pull however many you want out of the oil and serve on a slice of baguette, or on a lavash cracker and have a little wine, maybe some Cerignola, or Lucques olives, a couple almonds. . . you get the picture.

I must admit though, as easy as it is to make them yourself, they are just as good bought from the store, or online from a specialty foods store. Another one of my favorites is pickled Herring. You can find these easily, and they make a great snack food as they are sweet, vinegary, and satisfy any meat cravings you might have. Try either one of these, and if you make the Boquerones at home let me know how they turn out!

Spanish white anchovies or "Boquerones" with Parsley and Olive Oil

Comments(0)