Well, Hello Dahl-y

This photo shows hardly any Dahl, but this is the way I tend to eat -- veggies first -- in this case, with a hefty garnish of fresh cilantro and tomato.

The bowlful was inspired by one created by the lovely Sally Kitten at Of the Kitten Kind. When I saw Sally's recipe, I wanted it right away, but didn't want to make a trip to the market, so mine was made with what was sitting in my pantry: black and green lentils and green peas, instead of red lentils and yellow peas. As a result, mine took longer to cook and was still likely more "al dente" than one made from the more tender legumes, but I love it.

Dahl provides wonderful leftovers, since the flavors continue to meld and unfold with time. I'm still enjoying this batch. The warmly spiced curry concoction sustains as it calls to mind mystical scenes draped in shades of saffron and turmeric from a movie Wynne and I used to watch over and over again when she was tiny: "A Little Princess". Truth be told, my now nearly-17 year old and I still indulge in the film from time to time -- magic!

Homegrown

Here's a recent harvest from my garden, for which I am grateful, neglected as it's been this year. Look at those furry, knobby little carrots! There are also onions and yards of Chinese longbeans. Together these made a lovely veggie dish.

Ordinarily I'd have been all over these carrot greens, which dwarf the carrots themselves, but they were too strong in flavor, probably because it has been so hot here lately. I passed on the greens this time, but  they are making a nice contribution to the compost.

Here is the finished product. It was a little tricky as I started cooking before driving Wynne to band practice, came back while she was there, worked on it some more and then left it on the warm burner as I went to pick her up. I didn't throw the smallest, tenderest beans in until the end. The veggies were simply sauteed in olive oil and seasoned with a tiny pinch of salt and curry powder. Wynne LOVED these veggies. Score!

She said, "These are really good, what are the orange things?"
When I told her, she said, I've never tasted carrots like these before, this is really, really good!"  :)

I had a hankering for a pot-o-lentils, so I made some to go with the harvest. Here's the recipe:

French Lentils

1 C dry lentils

2 medium yellow onions, diced

2 Tbsp. Olive oil

2 C water

1 Tbsp Shoyu or Tamari

2 Tbsp Dry Sherry

1 Tsp. dry thyme or 5-6 stems of fresh thyme

salt and pepper to taste 

Saute the onions on medium heat until they become fragrant and almost transluscent. Stir periodically to  prevent burning. After rinsing lentils, add them to the pot along with the water and Shoyu or Tamari and thyme. If you have fresh thyme, you can put the whole woody stems in, then remove them later. The dry herbs are stronger in flavor than the fresh thyme. It would be fine to add more fresh thyme than I have here if you like the flavor, but be careful with the dry herbs. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer 25 minutes, covered. 3-4 minutes before the end of cooking, add the sherry, stir and simmer until lentils are tender but still hold their shape. Season to taste. Don't forget to remove the thyme stems before serving.


These lentils aren't really French. They were born in the USA. I just call them that since I was inspired by some wonderful flavors I tasted while driving across the French countryside in the winter, so very many moons ago. Good stuff!