Red Split Lentils With Cabbage

This post comes to you straight from the very hot and humid East Coast of the US of A! I've been in Maryland for almost two weeks now, and my parents have done their darndest to usher me back into this Atlantic stronghold by welcoming me with crabcakes, crab soup, frozen custard, and beach time. Let me tell you, a girl could get used to this!

After a few, er, hiccups in the apartment searching process, I lucked into finding a funky apartment with a fantastic roommate in a neighborhood that boasts a library, bakery, and Mexican restaurant all within 1/2 block of my front door! Moving day is Sunday, and I am about as excited as someone can be to get to lift lots of heavy boxes. 

This recipe is a "capital K" Keeper. It takes a good chunk of time (figure about 1.5-2 hours total), but the taste is complex and so flavorful. I substituted red pepper flakes for the original recipe's chile peppers, and if you opt to do the same, feel free to lower the heat to your liking.

I promise this tastes better than it photographs!

Red Split Lentils With Cabbage (Masoor dal aur band gobi)

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 1/4 cups red split lentils (masoor dal), picked over, washed and drained
5 cups water
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into fine slices
1 head cored and finely shredded cabbage
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 medium tomato, diced
1 teaspoon peeled, finely grated fresh ginger

Put the lentils and water into a heavy pot and bring to a boil. Remove any scum that collects at the top. Add the turmeric and stir to mix. Cover, leaving the lid very slightly ajar, turn heat down to low, and simmer gently for 1 1/4 hours. Stir a few times during the last 30 minutes.

When the lentils cook, heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the cumin. Let infuse for 3 to 4 seconds. Now put in the garlic. As soon as the garlic pieces begin to brown, put in the onion, cabbage and pepper flakes. Stir and fry the cabbage mixture for about 10 minutes or until it begins to brown. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Turn off the heat under the frying pan.

When the lentils have cooked for 1 1/4 hours, add the remaining 1 1/4 teaspoon salt, the tomato and ginger to the pot. Stir to mix. Cover and cook another 10 minutes. Add the cabbage mixture and any remaining oil in the frying pan. Stir to mix and bring to a simmer.

Simmer uncovered for 2 to 3 minutes or until the cabbage is heated through.

Battling with collards

Collards, let's talk. You're healthy. You lower cholesterol, prevent cancer, and fill me up with loads of vitamins. You're even cheap, to boot.  I *really* want to like you. But you're bitter. Oh, so bitter. Maybe you didn't get hugged enough as a child.

I've tried them a million ways, grudgingly choking them down each time, but I think I might have found a keeper with this recipe. The acidity of the tomatoes and the flavor from the spicing helps mask the bitterness of the collards. Only taking about 30 minutes to make, this can easily be thrown into the weekday rotation of 'easy to whip up when you're feeling whipped' meals.

Collards with lentils, tomatoes, and Indian spices

Adapted from Whole Foods, Serves 4

Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 heaping tablespoon garam masala
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1 bunch collard greens, thick stems removed and leaves sliced into 1-inch-thick ribbons
1 cup lentils

Directions
Bring 1/2 cup water to a simmer in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook 5 minutes or until onion is translucent. Stir in garam masala and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes and their juices with 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in collards. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine lentils and 2 cups water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook about 20 minutes or until lentils are tender (green lentils will take longer than red). Stir lentils into skillet with collards and serve.

Spicy? Not so much.

This has been a root vegetable-filled week.  The potluck I went to on Friday had butternut squash casserole with leeks, butternut squash risotto, roasted butternut squash soup…an amazingly delicious, but slightly uniform smorgasbord.  Of course, what’s staring at me from my counter?  No other than a butternut squash.

I had high hopes for this salad, and while it was certainly filling, and had tasty elements, it wasn’t quite the fantastical experience I had expected.  A few ideas as to why:

• Too much spinach. I upped the spinach to try and include a few more leafy greens in my day, but the spinach seemed to take away from the flavors of the squash.
• Not enough spice.  The original recipe I used was light on spices in an effort to not overwhelm sensitive taste buds.  For this spice-loving girl, it was too bland.
• Not crumbling the goat cheese enough.  The goat cheese was one of the best flavors in this mix, and the bites that didn’t have any were really lacking luster.

The good:

Photo: Smitten Kitchen

• High in fiber, protein, and iron, this meal is dynamite on a plate, especially for vegetarians.
• Goat cheese. Ohhhhhh goat cheese.
• Mixing in the roasted squash seeds when serving makes the perfect contrast in textures and adds a savory kick to the taste combination.

I’ll be making this again, just with a few tweaks next time!

Spicy Squash Salad with Lentils and Goat Cheese
Adapted from Bon Appetit

To toast the seeds, simply clean them off, rinse and pat them dry and toast them in the oven or toaster oven on an oiled baking sheet, sprinkled with salt.

Serves 6 as an appetizer, 3 as a main

3/4 cup black or green lentils
6 cups peeled, seeded and cubed butternut squash or sugar pumpkin (1-inch cubes)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
4 cups baby spinach
1 cup soft crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves (optional; I didn’t use this, but maybe it would help enhance the flavors?)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, plus additional to taste
Roasted seeds (about 1/2 cup) from your butternut squash

Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss squash or pumpkin cubes with 2 tablespoons oil, cumin, paprika and salt. Arrange in a single layer on baking sheet and roast 20 minutes. Flip pieces and roast for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until tender. Cool.

Meanwhile, soak lentils for 10 minutes in a small bowl, then drain. Cook lentils in boiling salted water until tender but firm, about 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water, then drain and cool.

Combine lentils, pumpkin, any oil you can scrape from the baking with spinach, if using, half of goat cheese, mint, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt, pepper and extra vinegar, if desired. Sprinkle with remaining goat cheese to serve.