It's been a while, I'm back.

Well. No fireworks and bangs. Just like that, simply and quietly- I'm back. Hello there!  It has been nearly 

half a year since I last visited this place, and time went by quickly. Where have I been? Many of the same places. A couple of new ones as well. Sometimes busy, sometimes less so. For the most part, life has carried  on in its normal, ongoing pace, that is- at times flowing rapidly, at others dripping slowly drop by drop, but all in all, I have absolutely no complaints.

On the contrary. But I missed you. I missed sharing recipes, and thoughts of food and other yummy things with you. Needless to say, much food has been cooked over the past six months. Several dishes even yielded an excited  "I MUST put this one on the blog!!!" categorization in my little brain, and so photos were taken and recipes scribbled down, and perhaps the time might come to share some of what has been cooking.

 But to start, I'm making lentil soup. Right now, that is. A pot of red, tangy, warmly spiced lentils are bubbling away on the stove behind me as I type. My friend Yonatan made this soup last week and brought it in to the studio, where he folds wonderful Origami creations, I throw pots, and the both of us share the  thrills and delights of two avid food lovers with each other, gushing over what each of us cooked and turned out "Amazing!!!". So, Yonatan kindly invited me to a cup of soup, and that soup in return got me excited. I asked him to share the recipe and he happily and generously agreed, describing the ingredients he gathered into this particular soup  with the eager excitement that only a true food lover could feel towards carrots and the like. And so, I'm not even waiting for the soup to be ready to begin writing this one. I added a little tweaks of my own in the shape of smoked paprika and lemon juice, just so I could get a creative. It was delicious without them as well. I know it will be good, I just know it. Trust me on this one.

Yonatan's Red Lentil and Coriander Seed Soup

1.5 cups red lentils*, soaked over night

2 medium onions, diced

1 large carrot, diced

3 garlic cloves, sliced

2 celery stalks, leaves coarsely chopped and set aside, stalks diced

1/2 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed 

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsps tomato paste

3 tbsp olive oil

small bunch of cilantro, chopped

pinch of cayenne pepper

a squeeze of lemon juice

In a large pot warm olive oil, add onions and saute for several minutes, stirring occasionally. just before they begin to turn golden add carrots, garlic and coriander seeds- I used a mortar and pestle to slightly crush mine, but you could try spreading them over the chopping block and rolling a rolling pin firmly over them. Cook for several more minutes, then add the diced celery stalks. After 2-3 more minutes add the soaked lentils, cumin and paprika, stir well and cook, again for several minutes, careful not to let the bottom layer burn. cover with water- around 1.5 liters I'd say, add the tomato paste and stir in till dissolved. cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let cook till lentils are completely tender. At this point add salt, cilantro, a pinch of cayenne pepper ( or more, if you like more heat ) and a little bit of lemon juice- you don't want the lemon to overpower the flavours, but to be more of a subtle hint. 

Serve with a bit of olive oil drizzled on top. Yum.

* A word or two ( or a very long paragraph ) about red lentils. For the most part, the red lentils I've used cook up extremely quickly and in fact loose their shape almost instantly, resulting in rich, porridge-like dishes- perfect for Dahl. On close examination the red lentils that seem to be the most common around here are all split, and so cannot sprout, although I still prefer to soak them, whether out of habit or of hopes that the soaking still eases digestion in this case as well. However, I managed to lay my hands on some super-star gorgeous un-split red lentils for this soup, at an Ethiopian shop at the market. The Ethiopian stores at Mahane Yehuda all have an exceptional range of legumes, and although I seriously doubt there is any chance of them being organic- they certainly are of very fine quality. I was surprised to discover that the un-split red lentils held there shape nearly perfectly even when completely tender, and so the soup I made tonight was more brothy and less stewy than Yonatan's version. If you want a richer textured soup, either use the split version of red lentils or simply blend a portion of this soup and add it back into the pot. In any case, the soup I made tonight turned out glorious. Some things we just know. 

XOXOXO 

Things in the Cupboard

Holidays over, and I'm finally settled into my new place. There has been a lot going on and a lot getting made, but lack of time and adequate internet connection kept me away for too long. lets catch up.

This here lentil dish was somewhat of an improvisation, but it turned out well and I will probably try it again. At my Dad's house I found some green lentils and 1/2 a bag of dried porcini mushrooms. I don't have the exact quantities for this one, but the general idea went like this:

Hot Lentil Salad with Porcini Mushrooms

1 cup lentils, soaked overnight

1 medium red onion

1 tomato, cut into eighths

1 zucchinni, sliced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

handfull dried porcini mushrooms

salt

pepper

chilli flakes

balsamic vinegar

Pour boiling water over mushrooms( till covered) and set aside to re-hydrate. Warm olive oil in skillet. Add onions, garlic, salt pepper and chilli. Sautee lightly, you want the onions to still be crisp and keep their color. Add zucchinni, sautee for about two more minutes, stirring occasionaly, till they start to show some browning but still retain their color and texture. add lentils, stir for about a minute more, then add mushrooms along with the water they were in, tomatoes and a splash of balsamic vinegar. simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Drizzle a litlle olive oil on top, a splash more of balsamic and a handfull of pine nuts.

lentils love balsamic vinegar, and red wine vinegar too, and I who am I to tear two lovers apart. They are served together alot around here. We had this as a side with dinner, at room temp, but I thought it was much better when still hot, before the veggies became soggie from sitting around. Since the lentils are pre-soaked, it takes very little time and liquid to cook them, and they retain a pretty firm-crisp texture. This was  made with green lentils because that's what I found, but black lentils are superb, and beautiful... and I usually prefer them. So you could go with either.