Today we cook with lentils | I'll show you my three favorite recipes with this
amazing ingredient - Let's GET STARTED!
As a first recipe, we make a lentil ragout, a perfect recipe for pasta or even
lasagna.
In a nice large pan or saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil then add
a finely chopped onion.
Let the onion fry for 3 minutes, add 1 stalk of celery cut into small pieces
and a large carrot always cut into small pieces. You can chop the vegetables with a knife or
blend them for a few seconds in a food processor.
Let the celery, carrot and onion sauté for about 5 minutes to flavor
our sauté.
Then if you want you can also make a sauté without oil. For example, we do it without
oil when we want to make a dish a little lighter and more digestible.
To make the sauté without oil, add the chopped onion directly to a
dry pan. Then we bring the pan to medium-low heat and let it heat slowly.
Onion contains natural oils that will be released with cooking. Let the onion cook
for a couple of minutes, moving it often so as not to burn it. Then add
the chopped celery and carrot and continue to mix.
When the onion is soft and begins to brown, add a sprig of rosemary
and also a bay leaf if desired.
Now we clean 250 grams of white mushrooms with a kitchen towel to remove the earth.
I don't recommend rinsing mushrooms under water unless really necessary.
Mushrooms are like a sponge and will absorb the water that will then come out during cooking,
watering down the flavor.
We grate the mushrooms with the large holes of a grater and add them to the pan.
This way the mushrooms will melt in the sauce, giving it a rich flavor and a texture
more similar to meat sauce.
Of course we can grate the mushrooms and cut the vegetables in advance if we want to
have everything ready before we start cooking.
We mix the mushrooms with the other vegetables, almost immediately they will begin to release some
of their water, then when the pan is hot and dry, add 80 grams
of dry white wine or red wine.
Let the mushrooms cook in the wine for a few minutes and in the meantime prepare about 220
grams of lentils.
In Italy we have many types of lentils and for this sauce we can use the green ones
or even the brown ones, here we use the green ones.
We put the lentils in a colander, then see if there are hidden pebbles, and rinse them
under running water.
The reason we do this step is to make sure there are no
foreign objects such as pebbles, earth and dust that could end up in the sauce.
We put the lentils in the pan with the mushrooms, mix, then when the wine has
evaporated completely, add 1 liter of vegetable broth, a bottle
of tomato puree which are about 700 grams, a teaspoon of salt and a few pinches of
black pepper.
We mix the ragù, and simmer until the lentils are soft.
Cooking time varies depending on the type of lentil, but for green
and brown lentils it usually takes 30 to 45 minutes.
We stir the lentils from time to time to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the
pot, then add more water if necessary.
Again, the amount of water depends a lot on their cooking time, if the lentils
need more time to cook then they will also need more water, so
if necessary we add a glass at a time until they are cooked.
Then when the lentils are al dente, add 80 grams of unsweetened vegetable milk.
We use soy or almond milk here.
Then, milk is also added in the original Bolognese ragù recipe to
help break down the fibers of the meat and to add a touch of sweetness to the sauce.
Here we use unsweetened soy milk to balance the acidity of the tomato sauce
and recreate that touch of sweetness from the original ragù recipe.
We mix, remove the bay leaves and rosemary, then take an
immersion blender and blend part of the lentils.
Blending part of the lentils will make the sauce thicker, creamier and more similar
to the consistency of the original ragù. So let's whisk a bit, but without exaggerating otherwise
we will end up with a lentil cream.
Let's have another stir then it's time to taste our ragù. Here we want
a thick, creamy and rich sauce with a full flavor. You will likely need to add
an extra pinch of salt at this point.
Also, and this step is optional, if we want to give an extra touch of umami
to this lentil sauce, we can add 80 grams of soy sauce.
Soy sauce is optional, but having tested this recipe several
times with and without soy sauce, we noticed a clear difference in taste, so we recommend
adding it.
We finish cooking the lentil ragù for a few more minutes, then we can use it
for all the preparations where the traditional ragù is used, from pasta to gnocchi
to lasagna. For example, with durum wheat semolina tagliatelle without eggs it's the end
of the world!
We put a little sauce in a pan, then we throw in the pasta cooked al dente,
add a ladle of pasta cooking water and finish cooking the tagliatelle
in the meat sauce, until they are completely covered.
We serve, put a little sauce on top, a couple of basil leaves, a drizzle of
raw oil and boom. A crazy dish that everyone will agree on.
And if we have time we can also make a lasagna using a sheet of durum
wheat semolina, a béchamel with olive oil, and our soy ricotta… but
for this recipe I would have to do a whole other video.
We store the leftover sauce in a container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days
or freeze it for up to 3 months.
Louise: "and this is how we do our dishes ..."
My second favorite lentil recipe is a nutritious and warm lentil soup.
In a large saucepan, put two tablespoons of olive oil, a coarsely chopped onion,
a coarsely chopped celery stalk and a coarsely chopped carrot.
We fry over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
Then also this recipe can be made with or without oil. To make it oil-free, add
the coarsely chopped onion, celery and carrot to the pot, stirring
constantly and over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until the vegetables release
their natural oils and begin to brown.
Now add a finely chopped leek and mix. This is optional but I
love the taste of leek in soups so I almost always recommend it.
Now let's add the aromatic herbs, which in our case are a few sprigs of thyme,
a couple of sprigs of rosemary, some sage leaves and one or two bay leaves.
In order to remove the herbs from the soup, we can hold them together with kitchen twine,
making a bouquet garni that we can tie to the side of the pot.
This way the herbs will release their aroma, but without getting lost in the soup.
Now add 1 liter of vegetable broth, half a liter of water and 1 can or 400 grams
of chopped tomato pulp. We rinse the can with some water and add
that to the pot as well.
Now we can add the lentils, green or brown. We put 220 grams of lentils
in a colander, then make sure that there are no pebbles hidden in the lentils,
and rinse them under running water before adding them to the pot.
Season with a teaspoon of salt and a little pepper, bring to a light boil, and
partially cover the pot with a lid. Let it simmer for about 30-40 minutes,
depending on the type of lentils.
After 30 minutes, when the lentils are almost cooked, remove the bunch of herbs,
and whisk a part of the soup.
I use an immersion blender, a few smoothies will be enough to make the soup tastier
and creamier.
When we are satisfied with the consistency of the soup, we add our
favorite vegetables.
Here we can really use almost any leafy vegetable like spinach, kale,
kale, broccoli, bok choy, chard, Chinese cabbage, savoy cabbage or whatever.
I put in a mix of fresh spinach and black kale as they are in season and delicious
with lentils.
We chop the vegetables with our hands before adding them to the soup. 400 grams of vegetables
are enough. We mix and let it cook for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables become
soft.
Let the soup cool a bit before serving it with toasted bread rubbed
with garlic, chopped fresh parsley and a drizzle of raw oil if desired.
This lentil soup is delicious, nutritious and truly fulfilling. It is perfect as
an everyday dinner but also as a lunch the day after as we can keep it up
to 4 days in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer.
Finally, my favorite lentil recipe is a curry, rich in spices, and
with that oriental flavor that we love so much.
For this recipe we can use a saucepan, but here I use a low-sided saucepan
to show you better.
Then in a pot or pan we put two tablespoons of olive oil and a chopped onion.
We cook the onion for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally, then add
two cloves of garlic, grated or minced, and about 2 cm of peeled and grated ginger.
We fry the onion, garlic and ginger for about 3 minutes, then if we want to
make this recipe a little lighter, we can also prepare it without oil.
To do this, we just have to fry a chopped onion over medium-low heat, moving
it often in the pan until it is lightly browned.
Then we add two cloves of garlic, grated or minced, and about 2 cm of
grated peeled ginger.
We stir until the garlic and ginger release their aroma, it should take about a minute,
then lower the heat and add the spices.
For this lentil curry we use: 2 teaspoons of curry powder, 1 teaspoon
of cumin seeds and a pinch of chili flakes, depending on your taste.
These spices would already be enough to make a good curry, but if we want a curry
of the really authentic ones, then we also add 1 teaspoon of turmeric, ½ teaspoon
of ground coriander, 1 teaspoon of garam masala (which I love so much) and a few
pinches . of black pepper to facilitate the absorption of turmeric and improve its
anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Lightly toast the spices over low heat, stirring constantly, for just one
minute, until they release their fragrant aroma, then add half a liter of
vegetable broth.
Now in a colander we put 220 grams of peeled red lentils, those with an orange color
so to speak, let's make sure that there are no hidden pebbles, rinse them under
running water and add them to the pot. We
also add 1 jar of chopped tomatoes, a teaspoon of salt, mix
and let it simmer until the lentils are soft.
Then towards the end of cooking, after about 20 minutes, add 1 can of coconut milk which will
sweeten the spices in the curry and create a velvety and creamy consistency, and a bright
orange color.
We mix the coconut milk until it is completely dissolved in the curry and we finish
cooking for another 10 minutes until the curry has thickened a bit and the lentils
have finished cooking.
In total, the peeled red lentils should take around 30 minutes to
cook.
In addition, this lentil curry can be more or less cooked according to your preferences.
You can leave the lentils al dente, or you can cook them completely and have a
more soupy, porridge-like texture.
Either way is fine, so choose the one you prefer. Keep in mind that
peeled red lentils cook faster than non-peeled red lentils
and are more suitable for this type of preparation.
Let the curry cool for 10 minutes before serving it with basmati rice cooked
in boiling water for the time indicated on the package.
Then add a sprinkle of chopped fresh cilantro - parsley is fine too
if you don't like fresh cilantro - and a lemon wedge squeezed on top.
Finally, we really like this curry with a spoonful of unsweetened soy yogurt on
top to make the dish even more creamy and to create that hot-cold effect
that goes great with curry.
And there you have it, a simple and delicious curry lentil recipe that is sure to make you
fall in love with red lentils and all these irresistible oriental spices.
Curry is one of our favorite lentil recipes as it's easy to make,
can be frozen for those midweek lazy evenings, and is bursting with flavor, vitamins
and antioxidants thanks to the spices and red lentils.
Thank you so much for watching the video. Subscribe to the channel, if you like what we do. That's it for today, see you
next week with a new video. CIAO!