Today you can buy lentils brown, green and red. Each grade has its own characteristics. When choosing green or brown, be aware that such lentils are characterized by a nutty flavor and that they retain their shape well during the heat treatment. It can be prepared as a side dish for pork or bacon, it is good in vegetable dishes and with curry. Red lentils have a spicy taste and are quickly boiled, so it is better to use it in soups and for such a dish of lentils as mashed potatoes.
In order to prepare lentils for heat treatment, it does not need to be soaked at all, but it’s still worth sorting out to remove the pebbles and other rubbish. Lentils absorb a lot of water, so when cooking dishes from it, always control the amount of water in the pan.
Lentil Dishes: Salad
Boil green lentils (330 g) in chicken stock, at the same time tossing a couple of garlic cloves, 4 feathers of green onion (chopped) into a pan, a slice of butter. Pour the broth as much as necessary so that it completely covers the cereal. When lentils are cooked, drain the water (if it remains) and refrigerate. Season the beans with red wine vinegar (tablespoon), olive oil (2 tablespoons) and mix with chopped baked bell pepper and a handful of crumbled feta cheese or feta cheese. Serve such a dish with rocket salad or any other leaf salad.
Lentil Dishes: Soup
Red lentils (300 g) pour chicken broth in a ratio of 1: 3. Also, add finely chopped onions and garlic cloves to the pan. Bringing to a boil, grind the lentils in a blender and return to the pan. Add a little fried bacon, a spoonful of sour cream and a little chopped hot chili pepper to the soup. Salt. Bring to a boil again, remove from heat and serve the soup to the table, seasoning with fresh herbs.
Hot lentil dishes
1. Sausages with lentils. Sausages (6 pieces) and strips of bacon (4 pieces) fry in a deep frying pan until brownish. Add lentils to the pan, a can of canned beef consom and mix. After boiling, cook the dish for another 30 minutes, that is, until the cereal is ready. At the very end of cooking, add a tablespoon of cream and the same amount of redcurrant jelly to the lentils. You can serve mashed potatoes at the side dish.
2. Ham stewed with lentils. Ham (1.5 kg) pour water and bring to a boil. Drain, pour new and bring to a boil again. Then cook the meat for another half hour, after which add lentils (300 g), finely chopped carrots (2 pieces), chopped celery (2 sticks), lavrushka, thyme (one sprig), shallots (8 onions) to the pan. Cook the dish for about an hour, and at the end add a tablespoon of sour cream to it, salt and pepper.
3. Cod with lentils. Boil green lentils (225 g) in chicken broth (450 ml) with the addition of parsley for half an hour, that is, until the beans are soft. Add finely chopped parsley to the finished dish. In the oven, bake cod fillet (4 pieces) for 20 minutes at 200 degrees. Arrange the lentils in plates, lay the fish on top and sprinkle with a mixture of olive oil and lemon juice.
Lentil Vegetarian Dish: Lentils with Mushrooms
Rinse the cereal (1 cup), put in a pan and pour water (3 cups). Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a minimum, add salt and cook for another 20-25 minutes until the beans are soft. Remove the resulting foam periodically. Finely chop a couple of onions and a couple of garlic cloves, grate the carrots (2 pieces). Thin mushrooms (300 g) finely chopped. In a preheated frying pan with oil, fry the onions and garlic for a couple of minutes, then carrots, and after another 3 minutes add the mushrooms. After 8-10 minutes, when the mushrooms are ready, pour the lentils and finely chopped fresh herbs into the pan. Pepper, mix everything thoroughly, and can remove from heat.
We hope that now you will not have a problem with what can be cooked from lentils, and these very nutritious legumes will take a firm place in your daily diet.