Ingredients: 2 red onions, 1 garlic clove, curry, 180 grams of tofu, 250 grams cherry tomatoes, 1 jar marrowfat peas, 1 tablespoon apple spread
Number of persons: 2
Cook 2 chopped red onion with 1 clove finely minced garlic clove and curry until the onions have softened. Add 180 grams tofu and stir briefly. Add 250 grams cherry tomatoes, 1 jardrained marrowfat peas and 1 tablespoon apple spread. Heat a bit more. Serve with rice or baked potatoes for example. Enjoy!
Lentils are way under-appreciated. Especially for vegetarian cooking, they offer a delicious source of protein, texture, and rich earthy flavors. Granted, they might take a little while to cook, but they are always well worth it. We’ve done plenty of lentil soups and stews, salads and even sandwiches, but this is the first pasta I’ve seen that utilizes these nutritious legume. Apparently, lentils have the 3rd highest levels of protein in a plant, right behind soybeans and hemp.
As far as varieties of lentils, our supermarket only carries one, the precise variety of which I am unsure. They are little khaki colored brownish things, so I’m assuming they are the common brown lentil (I’m a genius, I know). We’ve also found the red variety at an International Foods store, though I don’t recommend substituting the red ones in this dish: the reds cook much quicker and you might end up with a pot of mush. Have some red lentils lying around? Try this easy and delicious red lentil soup. I have yet to find actual French Green Lentils (though I admit I haven’t looked all that hard), but the brown ones worked just fine in this recipe (just be cautious not to overcook them – they can get mushy, fast!)
This dish was surprisingly hearty, yet still fresh and delicious. Definitely something we’ll be making again.
Orecchiette with Lentils, Onions, and Spinach
Makes 6 servings. Recipe from Epicurious.
INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup olive oil
3 large onions (2 pounds total), thinly sliced (7 cups)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
1 cup French green lentils
1 pound orecchiette, fusilli, or penne
2 (5-ounce) bags baby spinach
1 1/2 ounces finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons)DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then stir in onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Reduce heat to moderately low and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until onions are very tender and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Discard bay leaf.While onions cook, cover lentils with water by 1 inch in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan and boil over moderate heat, covered, until lentils are just tender and most of water is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and let stand, covered, until ready to use.
Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander and return pasta to pot.
Add onions, lentils, and spinach to pasta, then toss with just enough reserved cooking water to wilt spinach and moisten pasta. Add cheese and salt and pepper to taste, tossing to combine.
It’s been two and half years since we started this here blog. In that time I’ve posted nearly 300 recipes. Some good, some great, but what about the so-so dishes? The dishes that are perfectly satisfying and edible, but don’t necessarily make you say, “Wow.” I feel as if every post I write has to be something special, something I know you all would enjoy eating as much as we did, and so these mediocre meals often times fall by the wayside.
In recent months I’ve realized just how much this blog affects our eating habits. This blog has become my virtual cookbook, my food diary, where we can revisit our past through our palettes (can you remember what you ate last Wednesday? I sure can’t.) I can re-read whatever coy comments I wrote about such and such a pasta, what suggestions Taylor had for improving the hum-drum flavor of that fish. I can remember, relive, and reprint these recipes again and again and again.
And I’ve also realized that if a recipe is not posted here, for whatever reason, that recipe might as well have fallen off the face of this earth, because no way is it ever going to be made again. Why? Well, laziness, usually. The light is not good, or I’m too hungry, or we’ve just been cooking too darn long and I don’t want to take a picture. “It’s ok,” we say, “We’ll make this again next week and I’ll photograph it then.” Yeah. Right.
We have a fairly predictable eating pattern. We’ll usually try 3-4 brand new recipes a week, sometimes more if I happen upon a wealth of new deliciousness on the world wide web. I then fill the rest of the week with things we’ve already made before, usually browsing the ‘quick’ or ‘healthy’ recipes that I’ve categorized. But never do I flip back through the three-inch-high stack of paper that sit in the kitchen, our recipe ‘inbox’ for lack of a better word. It’s where the printed pages of recipes go after dinner, complete with grease stains and smeared sauces. To be honest, it’s out of control. I need to reign it in and get it manageable again, and maybe there won’t be any more forgotten recipes.
It is also for that reason that I’m making an effort to post it all. Even the mediocre recipes. Because I want to remember these dishes, even if it’s just for the things we’d change about it next time. Because I want there to be a next time. And my memory sucks.
On to the food!
Give me pasta. Give me goat cheese. Throw in some cherry tomatoes. And you know what? I’ll be happy. Even better if you get a nice rotisserie chicken on sale to add to the mix. All on a bed of fresh baby spinach, and I’d say you have yourself a pretty darn good dinner.
Farfalle with Chicken, Tomatoes, Caramelized Onions, and Goat Cheese
Makes 4-6 servings. Recipe from Epicurious.
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large red onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
8 ounces farfalle
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup low-salt chicken broth
6 heirloom tomatoes, cored, chopped (about 5 cups)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (from 1/2 rotisserie chicken)
1/2 cup thinly sliced basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram
3 cups baby spinach
3 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, crumbledDIRECTIONS
Heat oil in heavy large skillet over mediumhigh heat. Add onions; sprinkle with salt and cook until beginning to brown, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in vinegar and sugar; cook until onions are browned, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Transfer caramelized onions to bowl; reserve skillet.Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain.
Add wine to reserved skillet. Boil until reduced to 1/2 cup, 3 minutes. Add pasta, onions, broth, and next 4 ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Stir over medium heat to warm through, about 3 minutes.
Divide spinach among plates. Spoon pasta over spinach. Top with crumbled goat cheese.
