Semi-Fail

So I was trying to recreate the creamed lentils Paul and I ate at the Bay Leaf - an indian resurant. I totally failed to recreate the dish but what I made was really good. I took the little I knew about making indian style lentils, making indian curries, and combined that with internet suggestions for making creamed lentils. One of the recipes on the internet required 8 hours of simmering lentils which mildly flabergasted me. That recipe discarded, the rest of the recipes were very similar: onions, garlic, hot peppers, ginger, 4 different lentils, mung beans, tomatoes, cumin and corriander.

Four-Jewel Creamed Lentils or Lentil Slop (makes 14 cups)

1 onion, chopped

1 garlic head, minced

1 hot pepper, minced

3 Tbs ginger, minced

1 c red lentils

1 c brown lentils

1 c green lentils

1 c mung beans

2 28 oz. cans of crush tomatoes

1 Tbs cumin seeds (3/4 tsp if ground)

1 Tbs corriander seeds (3/4 tsp if ground)

Saute onion, garlic, ginger, and hot pepper in oil until begining to brown. Add lentils and mung beans. Cover with 2 inches of water above the lentils and simmer for ~30 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and salt to taste. Simmer until thick enough to eat over rice.

Green Bean Scene

 It's time again for our annual inundation of green beans. During this season we have: the traditional green beans and potatoes, green beans teriyaki, green bean curry, green bean salad, green bean tempura, roasted green beans, and green bean satay. Though I love green beans (ours are actually purple), I eventually tire of the texture of green beans and made up this soup for those times.

Green Bean Soup - French Style 

2 onions, chopped

5-7 garlic cloves, chopped

2 Tbs thyme leaves (use 1 tsp if dried)

1lb potatoes, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

2lbs green beans, trimmed

1/2 c parsley, chopped

6-8 c stock or water

1 lemon, juice and zest

Saute onions, garlic and thyme in oil until the onions are softened. Add and brown potatoes, carrots and celery. Add and simmer green beans, parsley, and stock for ~30 minutes or until green beans are soft. Add lemon juice and zest. Puree soup until smooth. Salt to taste.

Makes ~14 cups.

What makes this "French Style" are the mirepoix, thyme, parsley and lemon. If I had wanted to do "Mexican Style," I would have changed the carrot and celery for some type of chile (probably chipolte since I love them), the thyme for oregano, the parsley for cilantro and the lemon for a lime. The style depends mainly on what mood I'm in, what I have on hand, and which nationality I wish to offend with my generalizations on their cuisine.