Two

On the topic of kitchen mistakes, Cal Peternell in Twelve Recipes writes: “There’s no losing them, so we invite them to the table to teach us what they can.”

Wise words. This is how two-lentil dal materialized in my kitchen. One night I scrounged two cups of assorted lentils from several near-empty, many-months-old bags, threw them in a pot and crossed my fingers. But the result, a happy mix of creamy and chunky, like a partially puréed soup, was very welcomed at the table, even more so than subsequent purebred dal attempts.

Now, I realize, the texture I am describing may push this dish out of the category of dal altogether, but it’s delicious nonetheless and couldn’t be simpler to throw together: sweat an onion, add spices (cumin, coriander fennel, turmeric and crushed red pepper flakes) and lentils, cover with water, simmer until done. As I noted above, I like to use a mix of lentils such as petite French green lentils, which hold their shape, along with red, brown or yellow lentils, which quickly dissolve to mush, but experiment with what you have on hand and tailor to your liking.

This is another great cooking-from-the-pantry recipe, which I welcome you to complicate by making your own flatbread.

Baked on the Baking Steel :

Incidentally, the same friends who gave me Twelve Recipes , taught me the coolest trick: Swaddle just-cooked flatbreads in tea towels, which will cause them to steam and soften, making them pliable, perfect for scooping up dal or cradling chicken souvlaki . More on this shortly.

This is becoming one of my favorite cookbooks: Twelve Recipes . See Fried Greens Meatlessballs .

Description

Slightly adapted from Cal Peternell’s Twelve Recipes.

I know it’s fussy to call for a.) a specific lentil and b.) two different types of lentils, but I love how the green petite French lentils hold their shape while the red lentils (or brown or yellow) dissolve into mush.

Also, only once have I made this when I actually had all of the proper spices: whole cumin, coriander, and fennel, etc. I’ve used ground cumin. I’ve made it without fennel. I’ve used curry powder in place of the turmeric, and each time it was delicious. So, feel free to improvise.

Finally, in the book, Peternell says that often dal is served with a “sizzle,” which is a mixture of melted butter, garlic, and a pinch more each of the spices used in the dal sizzled together for 30 seconds and spooned over the dal. I’ve yet to make the sizzle, nor have I served this with cilantro or yogurt, all of which sound like delicious additions.

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon crushed whole cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon crushed whole coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon crushed whole fennel seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1 cup French green lentils (see notes above)
• 1/2 cup brown, yellow or red lentils
• yogurt, for serving, optional
• cilantro, optional

1. Heat a soup pot over high heat. Add the oil and then the onions and salt. Stir, turn the heat to low, and cover the pot. Check and stir after a few minutes, letting the moisture on the lid drip back into the pot to keep things steamy. Lower the heat if there is any browning going on, and re-cover. Cook like this until the onion is tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Add the cumin, coriander, fennel and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for 1 minute to toast the spices. Add the turmeric and stir for 30 seconds more. Add the lentils and 4 cups water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils give up their earthly bodies and become one with your dinner, about 30 minutes. Taste, and adjust seasoning as necessary. I’ve been adding at least another 1/2 teaspoon of salt as well as at least a cup (maybe 2) more of water to the pot as needed while it is simmering. If you are using the French lentils, it may take as long as one hour for the lentils to cook through.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hours

Description

Slightly adapted from Cal Peternell’s Twelve Recipes.

I know it’s fussy to call for a.) a specific lentil and b.) two different types of lentils, but I love how the green petite French lentils hold their shape while the red lentils (or brown or yellow) dissolve into mush.

Also, only once have I made this when I actually had all of the proper spices: whole cumin, coriander, and fennel, etc. I’ve used ground cumin. I’ve made it without fennel. I’ve used curry powder in place of the turmeric, and each time it was delicious. So, feel free to improvise.

Finally, in the book, Peternell says that often dal is served with a “sizzle,” which is a mixture of melted butter, garlic, and a pinch more each of the spices used in the dal sizzled together for 30 seconds and spooned over the dal. I’ve yet to make the sizzle, nor have I served this with cilantro or yogurt, all of which sound like delicious additions.

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon crushed whole cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon crushed whole coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon crushed whole fennel seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1 cup French green lentils (see notes above)
• 1/2 cup brown, yellow or red lentils
• yogurt, for serving, optional
• cilantro, optional

1. Heat a soup pot over high heat. Add the oil and then the onions and salt. Stir, turn the heat to low, and cover the pot. Check and stir after a few minutes, letting the moisture on the lid drip back into the pot to keep things steamy. Lower the heat if there is any browning going on, and re-cover. Cook like this until the onion is tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Add the cumin, coriander, fennel and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for 1 minute to toast the spices. Add the turmeric and stir for 30 seconds more. Add the lentils and 4 cups water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils give up their earthly bodies and become one with your dinner, about 30 minutes. Taste, and adjust seasoning as necessary. I’ve been adding at least another 1/2 teaspoon of salt as well as at least a cup (maybe 2) more of water to the pot as needed while it is simmering. If you are using the French lentils, it may take as long as one hour for the lentils to cook through.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hours

Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2016/01/22/two-lentil-dal/

Made from pantry staples, including canned chickpeas and tomatoes, Leblebi, a North African chickpea stew, comes together quickly and is incredibly flavorful thanks to spices, herbs, aromatics, and a smoky swirl of harissa just before serving.

I’ve been cooking my way through the bean chapter of Twelve Recipes , which unsurprisingly has been a joy: last week I discovered dal and over the weekend, a black bean soup flavored with orange zest, a subtle but bright touch to a wintry dish. Most recently, I made the leblebi, a North African chickpea stew, swirled with a smoky harissa.

Each of these recipes is made with water (as opposed to stock) and none calls for cream thanks to Peternell’s techniques: slow sweating of the onion, brief toasting of the spices, and thoughtful layering of herbs and garnishes.

I know little more about leblebi than what I’ve read in Twelve Recipes and the few recipes I’ve found online, but from what I gather it originates in Tunisia, is typically served at breakfast, and welcomes many a garnish: poached or hard-boiled eggs, a sprinkling of cumin or capers, a drizzle of olive oil or harissa, toasted bread, preserved lemon, tinned fish, or pickled vegetables.

I served it solely with Peternell’s simple homemade harissa (see recipe box) and mopped it all up with homemade naan .

How to Make Leblebi, Step by Step

First, gather your ingredients.

Next: sweat the onions; then add the spices and cilantro.

Stir to combine.

Then, gather your chickpeas, home-cooked or canned.

You’ll need a can of crushed tomatoes.

Add the tomatoes and chickpeas to the pot.

And simmer until thickened to your liking.

Cal offers a simple harissa recipe (see recipe box for details).

Serve with naan .

Description

Leblebi is a North African chickpea stew made with sautéed onions, garlic, spices, herbs, and tomatoes. A swirl of harissa adds a spicy, smoky kick.

Notes:

The original recipe calls for chopped or grated tomatoes or 1/2 cup of roasted tomato puree. I find the canned, crushed tomatoes to work just as well.

Chickpeas: I love my slow cooker for cooking chickpeas from scratch , but you can also cook them on the stovetop or simply use canned.

Peternell suggests a few other serving ideas: croutons, a poached egg or hard-boiled egg, a sprinkling of ground cumin, oil, and capers. I keep it simple and swirl in some harissa, which is now readily available at most markets.

You can also make your own: See Simple Homemade Harissa . Peternell offers two simple recipes as well:

1. Make a paste with 2 tablespoons paprika and 3 tablespoons hot water. Add 2 teaspoons crushed garlic, 3 tablespoons olive oil, a splash of vinegar, and, if you wish, ground cumin and cayenne.
2. Mix together 3 tablespoons sambal oelek, 1 to 2 cloves crushed garlic, and 6 tablespoons olive oil.

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro stems and leaves
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced or chopped
• 3/4 cup crushed tomatoes, see notes above
• 6 cups cooked chickpeas, see notes above
• harissa for serving, see notes above
• flatbreads for serving

1. Heat a large pot over high heat. Add the oil, then the onion and a pinch of salt. Stir, turn the heat to low, and cover the pot. Check and stir after a few minutes, letting the moisture on the lid drip back into the pot to keep things steamy. Lower the heat if there is any browning going on, and re-cover. Cook like this until the onion is tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Add the cumin, paprika, pepper flakes, cilantro and garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes more, stirring occasionally. Add 6 cups of the cooked chickpeas and enough of their cooking liquid to cover by 2 inches, raise the heat, and bring to a boil. (You’ll need about 4 cups liquid total: all of the cooking liquid, which was 3 cups plus 1 cup extra water — the chickpeas may not be covered by 2 inches, but it will be fine.) Season with salt to taste — I always add another teaspoon, but you may want to start with 1/2 a teaspoon and add more to taste.
3. Lower to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Put 2 ladles of soup in a blender or food mill and purée — careful: it’s hot. (I used an immersion blender and puréed partially.) Return to the soup pot and stir in to thicken the leblebi slightly. Taste for seasonings and add water or any reserved cooking liquid if it’s too thick. Note: When reheating, you most likely will need to add water to achieve desired consistency.
4. To serve: ladle the leblebi into bowls. Pass a bowl of harissa on the side. Serve with warm flatbreads.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hours 20 minutes
• Category: Soup
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Moroccan, North African