french lentil and roasted squash soup

Ah, mid winter holiday. In celebration of Washington and Lincoln's birthdays, I paid bills, unpacked from my trip to Seattle, did laundry, and cleaned out the fridge (JR apparently survived on pizza and bacon in my absence). I also thought about what to eat in the coming day and coming week.

I came across the following recipe on 101cookbooks. It initially caught my eye because I thought I had a butternut squash patiently waiting to be consumed on the counter (though when I noted its absence, JR reminded me that I already used it to make aztec squash soup last week). But by that time, I'd already read through the recipe and was hooked. It meant trying a number of things for the first time:

1. Star anise - it's a beautiful spice and it smells amazing. I was curious how this would combine with ginger to flavor the soup. How much like black licorice would it taste, exactly?

2. Fennel bulb - this veggie has only entered my kitch twice before; I have never tried cooking with it, and was excited to see what would happen.

3. French lentils - how are they different from lentil lentils? No idea. Time to find out.

It turns out that my French lentil knowledge (or rather, complete lack thereof) was tested at the grocery store. I stood, staring at the shelves of lentils and beans, unable to see anything that said "French Lentil". iPhone to the rescue. Through this informative lentil site, I learned that French Lentils are also called French Green Lentils. There were green lentils on the shelf, but no French descriptor. Upon closer reading of the site, it was confirmed that green lentils are another name for brown lentils, which are the lentils I've used in curries before, and which are not the same as French green lentils. Still no French lentils to be found.

Just as I had resolved to stop by another grocery store on my way home, I thought to take a look in the bulk foods section. Bingo! French Green Lentils. They were dark and speckled, just like my handy lentil site had pictured. I also learned how they are different from brown lentils: they remain firm after cooking and have a rich flavor.

Enough about lentils. On to the soup!

French Lentil & Roasted Squash Soup

Serves 4-6

1 butternut squash*

1 c. French green lentils, rinsed

5 1/8-inch thick rounds of fresh ginger

1 whole star anise

6 c. water

1 tsp. sea salt

1/4 c. olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 leek, chopped

1 fennel bulb, chopped

red pepper flakes

*The original recipe calls for a kabocha squash. The grocery store didn't have any on hand, so I substituted butternut squash, which worked well.

Cut squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds and pulp. Oil cut sides and place cut sides down in a baking dish. Roast in 425 degree oven 45-60 minutes, until soft. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine lentils, ginger, anise, and water. Simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Add sea salt.

In a large soup pot, combine olive oil, onion, leek, and fennel. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until soft, 7-10 minutes.

Remove the star anise and ginger from lentils. Add lentils (with broth) and squash to veggies. Stir well. Cook an additional 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Season with additional salt if needed and a dash of red pepper flakes.

As I approached the "put it all together" step, I became concerned that this might be a really weird soup. But weird it was not. It was flavorful and hearty and is definitely something I will make again. Ah, mid winter holiday. :-)

One year ago: garlicky kale

cauliflower curry

I've been thinking about cauliflower curry for a couple of days (but Thai takeout and dinner with friends last night jumped ahead in line). Tonight's recipe started with one I found online (as they often do) on a blog called Oven Love. I made a few changes: omitted the potatoes (due to the large size of my cauliflower), added freshly grated ginger, coconut milk, and some cayenne pepper for a little spice. Here's how it went:

 

Cauliflower Curry

Serves 4-6

olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated

3 cups veggie stock

6 oz. tomato paste

1 cup dried lentils

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets

1 cup coconut milk (not lite)

Heat about 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add spices (including ginger) and stir and cook 2 minutes. Add tomato paste, lentils, and cauliflower. Stir, increase heat, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and allow to simmer 10 minutes.

Stir in coconut milk. Recover and continue to cook for 20-30 minutes, until cauliflower is tender. Serve over rice. 

We had ours over red rice, garnished with fresh kale from the garden.

1 pot coconut curry

"Something curry" was the request from JR for what he wanted to eat for dinner last night (ok, really it was two nights ago, but his initial request was bumped in favor of Rustic Cabbage Soup). So I took a quick scan of the fridge and pantry last night and decided that I could pull a curry dish off, and try out a new combination of ingredients all at the same time. Here's what I did:

1 Pot Coconut Curry

Serves 4

1 c. lentils, rinsed and sorted

4 c. vegetable stock

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. curry powder

1 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. cumin

pinch of salt

1 c. coconut milk (regular, not light)

1 bunch dino kale, chopped

12 oz. firm tofu, chopped

Cook the onions and garlic in olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until they begin to brown. Add the lentils and stock, bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add spices and coconut milk to pot, stir well. Cover and continue to simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add chopped kale to the pot. Don't mix it in, but rather let it sit on top of the lentils and cover the pot to allow the kale to steam for 5 minutes. Add the tofu to the pot. Mix well and continue to cook until heated through.

I served the curry over purple jasmine rice, which was a really pretty color combination.

Note: JR thought it could use a little more spice (though to put it into perspective, it's only when his nose starts to sweat that he thinks it's the "right" amount of spice). The curry powder I currently have on hand is mild. Next time, I may try mixing it up with a spicier blend. Let me know what you think!

the inauguration of lentils

The CSA box arrives on Wednesdays in my neighborhood. That means by Tuesday, I'm running low on fresh produce. Lately at this point in the week, I've been trying out new things with dried goods. And I should clarify - by new, I don't necessarily mean innovative, but rather using ingredients that I have not attempted to cook with before.

On the agenda tonight: my first time cooking lentils. Ever.

I planned to accompany my lentils with curried kale and apples (kale and recipe courtesy of the CSA). Which made me think that curried lentils would probably be tasty. I found a few different recipes online and decided to take some bits and pieces from a couple (based on what sounded good and what ingredients I had on hand) as well as throw in my own twists (in this case, homemade veggie broth and some tomato paste; I'm a rebel, I know).

The verdict? The meal got a "you should make this again sometime" from JR, which I like to interpret as "that was meal was fantastic - I'm happy to be married to such an amazing woman!" Here's what I did:

Curried Lentils

1 cup lentils

3 cups veggie broth or water

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp curry powder

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

pinch of salt

6 oz tomato paste

Veggie broth: I made mine out of the stems trimmed from the dino kale, a few sliced carrots and a quartered onion. Bring the veggies plus a clove (or two) of sliced garlic to a boil in 4-5 cups water. Lower heat and simmer for an hour or two. Viola - homemade veggie broth. Given all of the spices in this dish, if you're in a time crunch or lacking veggies for broth, water would probably be fine in this recipe.

Rinse and sort the lentils. Bring the lentils and broth or water to a boil in a heavy pot (I'm using my favorite Christmas present - my Le Creuset french oven). Stir, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the lentils are simmering, cook the onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until they start to brown. Remove from heat. After 20 minutes, add the onions and garlic to the lentils along with the spices and tomato paste. Mix well. Cover and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, for another 30 minutes or until the lentils are done.

I served the lentils over a bed of brown rice, with curried kale and apples on the side. A tasty inauguration!