Fun with Legumes

My husband enjoys cooking for adventure. He’s an explorer of flavor, ascending new culinary terrain "because it's there." Or just to say “I did that once.” (ahem, haggis). 

I don't cook for adventure, but there is definitely an emotional satisfaction in being the kitchen. As I stewed and stirred last week during our blizzard snow days, I felt a connection with people in other times and places who have cozied up in a steamy, fragrant kitchen on a cold winter day.  I like the feeling that I'm just another link in generations of cooks creating comfort food across continents and centuries: a legume, a grain, some root vegetables, dried fruit or canned tomatoes, local seasonings and time over the fire.

Here are three of the dishes our family enjoyed during the recent blizzard season. Most of the ingredients are things that can be kept on-hand in the pantry, and these are cheap, hearty foods. I don't think any of these cost more than $5 to make.

Lentil Soup
You knew there would be a lentil soup during Cheap Eats month, right? I am still looking for the perfect lentil soup recipe, but this is pretty good, and pretty easy. At this point this soup is a “whatever I have and what I’m in the mood to throw in” recipe, but I have to give credit to the Daily Soup Cookbook which (as it often does) provided the original recipe that I've tweaked over time.

1 head roasted garlic, cooled, skinned and pureed.

wrap whole head of garlic in foil. Roast in oven for 20 minutes until tender. Allow to cool. Peel and puree in food processor (or with immersion blender – doesn’t work as well, but I hate washing the food processor.)

Butter or oil, about 2 Tblsp. (note: you need the richness of some kind of oil or butter for the lentils – don’t skimp)

1 onion chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 tsp. rosemary

1 tsp. thyme

2 bay leaves
1 bag (1 lb) lentils, rinsed and inspected. (I use regular brown lentils as found in the grocery store)

Salt and pepper

8 cups vegetable stock, or water + stock, or water and Penzey’s vegetable soup base, or just plain water

1 large (28 oz.) can whole tomatoes that you have drained and diced.

½ -1 small can tomato paste

1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or fresh lemon juice

(optional) fresh parsley for garnish

In a stock pot or big sauce pan, saute the onion, celery and carrots for about 5 minutes until starting to get tender. 

Add the spices and stir.

Add the bay leaves, lentils, stock or water, tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover (leave lid slightly ajar or use a vented lid.)

Simmer for 1 hour. Check and add liquid if needed during the last half of cooking time.

At the end of cooking, add the roasted garlic and cook for a few minutes to blend flavor. 

Right before serving, add the vinegar or lemon and taste. Add more vinegar or lemon if needed. Garnish bowls with parsley if you like.

I like the heartiness of lentils a lot, and my kids like them too, but I find them to be kind of a one-note flavor, which is what the vinegar or lemon is for - to punch it up a little. Because the garlic and vegetables add sweetness, you will probably want to add salt at the table, and you should also put out vinegar and hot sauce for serving.

Serves 8

Curried Yellow Split Peas

I am going to be experimenting with yellow split peas in dahl more often – the flavor is rich, different from lentils. 

When the kids are underfoot and asking when dinner is, it's hard to get a decent photo!
It was delicious - much better than it looks here.

I followed this recipe from Viet World Kitchen http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2011/01/basic-yellow-split-pea-dal-recipe.html pretty closely, except that I left out the cayenne for the kids. We ate the dal with naan that I had in the freezer.

Arroz con Gandules (Pigeon Peas and Rice)

Halfway around the world again, back to the Americas and Puerto Rico. My friend David encouraged me to look for a pigeon peas and rice recipe when I was first exploring the world of legumes. It was the comfort food of his childhood, and I can see why – pigeon peas are a really yummy and easy ingredient to work with. 

Traditionally, this dish has ham or another smoky meat and I haven’t really tried to sub that. I feel like it has quite a bit of flavor without it.

1 tablespoon olive oil

¾ cup sofrito. You can buy sofrito (which looks to me like what I call “fresh salsa”) but I just make it by mixing:

Roma tomato, diced small

White onion, diced small

Bell pepper (green and/or red)

Fresh cilantro

(optional) fresh chile pepper (such as jalapeno, Serrano), chopped very fine

Salt and pepper

2 cups white rice (I haven’t tried brown, but you could use it – increase the water and cooking time.)

4 cups water

1 packet Sazón Goya, Sazón with Coriander and Annatto* (or, substitute seasoning of your choice – salt, pepper, garlic powder, and mild paprika is what I've used.)

1 15-ounce can Pigeon Peas (drained and rinsed)

               

*I confess: I used the MSG-containing Sazon this time. We had it in the house, and wow, it really does add that umami fullness to the flavor. If your kids, like mine, want the orange color, it is just annatto, which is a natural food coloring made from achiote seeds and you can buy it as a spice.

Heat olive oil in roomy skillet (I used a 10” cast iron frying pan).

Saute the sofrito briefly.

Add the rice, water, sazon and pigeon peas

Bring to a boil. Cover tightly and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 35-45 minutes, checking and adding water if needed, until rice is cooked and peas are soft. Serves 4.