Sunday, May 18 (and 19), 2008
When it comes to quick-cooking legumes, you cannot bet lentils. They are delicious plain and simple or dressed up. They need no soaking to cook in under 40 minutes like their cousins, the dried beans. Sure, you can cook beans without soaking but they will take a long time. This lentil dish was a spur of the moment dinner for Sunday, after we came home from a trip to San Antonio. We ate a lot of beef on our trip and I really was craving something light.
The lentils were cooked with a chopped tomato, onions, garlic and olive oil. Right before serving I added in a couple of hard cooked eggs. This is a trick I learned from my wife who makes Colombian lentils with sausage and hard-cooked eggs. The eggs add another layer of texture and more protein. I served this with nothing other than a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
The next day, we had lentils again, the same lentils, but not quiet. By heating them up with a bit of cumin, some dried mint and extra black pepper they became more middle eastern. To serve I spooned them over rice, topped them with a healthy dose of yogurt, chilli flakes and a handful of shredded fresh mint from the garden. Talk about versatile. These were delicious and made for a completely different dish than the day before.