Liz Carlisle is the author of a new book, Lentil Underground, and she’s been kind enough to share with us her experiences and agricultural expertise, along with one of her favorite lentil recipes. Liz, you have the floor.
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When I started doing research with lentil farmers, in 2011, the only lentil recipe I knew was for soup. But when farmers Jerry and Kathy Sikorski sent me home with a gigantic black trash bag full of the protein-rich legumes, I knew I needed to figure out some alternative culinary strategies.
I already had a favorite lentil dish, which I had always assumed was too complicated to fix at home. If you’ve ever ordered the vegetarian combo at an Ethiopian restaurant, you know this dish: it’s the spicy red lentil curry called messer wot. Just for the heck of it, I got on my neighborhood Ethiopian restaurant’s website to see if they had a recipe. They did. And it only had five ingredients – one of which was water!
Once I found this out, I started eating messer wot every night, which lasted for about two weeks. Then I got bored. And I decided to start experimenting. It turns out that the basic recipe on the Ethiopian restaurant’s website wasn’t just a specific dish, it was a great template for lentil cooking in general, with endless variations. The only thing you absolutely must have (other than the lentils) are an onion and olive oil. Garlic is helpful, but not strictly necessary. From there, you choose a texture (firm or pureed), a favorite spice or blend, and you’re off to the races.
FOR THE PUREED TEXTURE
(Works best with softer lentils, like Petite Crimson, Harvest Gold, or Green lentils from Timeless Seeds)
- STEP I: Mince an onion, put it in a saucepan and just barely cover the onion layer with water
- STEP 2: Add your spice – about a tablespoon. For messer wot, the spice is berbere (ask your local Ethiopian restaurant where to find some). Other variations I like are turmeric and whole cumin; chili powder and whole cumin; or start with just garlic and cumin and you can add less hardy spices later.
- STEP 3: Cook the onions with the water and spice for 25-35 minutes until the onion gets soft
- STEP 4: Add olive oil and 1t salt, cook for another 3-5 minutes
- STEP 5: Add 1C lentils
- STEP 6: Add water gradually as the lentils cook and expand.
- STEP 7: As the lentils approach the texture you want, you can add more salt or olive oil to taste, and this is also a good time to throw in some black pepper or any spices that are best added at the last minute. For messer wot, you can use a 1/2 t of cardamom; if you’ve gone with just cumin and garlic, try garam masala (for an Indian flavor) or minced ginger and allspice (for a Moroccan flavor).
FOR THE FIRM TEXTURE
I recommend cooking the lentils first, following package directions, and being very careful not to overcook. Take them off the stove when they’re still a little chewy. Pardina and Du Puy lentils from Timeless Seeds are my favorite varieties for this approach.
While the lentils are cooking, do steps 1 and 2. Then add olive oil and salt and stir fry for 5 minutes. Then add lentils and stir fry for another 5 minutes. Then toss in salt, pepper, and any other spices to taste. That’s it.
Happy lentil cooking!
