Category: vegetarianism

Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian.

Yield

Serves 2-3 people

Ingredients

• 1 medium-to-large onion
• olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 cup dried green lentils
• 1 piece of fresh ginger
• 20 oz (2 bunches) fresh spinach
• 1.5 tsp salt
• black pepper
• plain yogurt

Preparation

1. Peel, halve, and slice the onion. In an omelette pan, sauté the onion in 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion turns reddish-brown (about 30 minutes).
2. Peel and chop the garlic. Inspect the lentils, removing any stones, and rinse and drain them. In a small saucepan, sauté the garlic in 1 tbsp of olive oil for 30 seconds, and then add the lentils and 2.5 cups of water. Bring to a boil, and set a timer for a 30-minute simmer, partially covering the pot.
3. Peel and chop the ginger. Rinse the spinach, discarding the stems. Spin the leaves in a salad spinner. If you feel any grit at the bottom of the spinner, rinse the spinach again.
4. When the onions are brown, spoon them onto a folded paper towel.
5. When there are 5 minutes left on the timer for the lentils, heat about 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large soup pot and sauté the ginger for 30 seconds, while stirring. Add the spinach and 0.5 tsp salt. Continue stirring until the spinach has wilted (4 to 5 minutes).
6. When the lentils are done, add about 1 tsp salt, and black pepper to taste.
7. Place in individual serving bowls: a ladle of lentils, a forkful of spinach, a dollop of yogurt, and a forkful of caramelized onions.

(For a one-page PDF version, click here.)

As part of the new regime of unpredictable blogging, I now present my recipe for pasta e fagioli, devised a few weeks ago when I couldn’t find exactly the recipe that I wanted, mostly because none of them were simple enough. (What follows is roughly speaking a variation on this old Bon Appétit recipe, supplemented by cribbings from others.)

Yield

Serves 4 people (or, 2 people and 2 servings of leftovers)

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons everyday olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
• 2 cups water

• 8 ounces ditalini (about 1 1/4 cups)

• salt & pepper
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• fresh basil (a generous handful), sliced
• some nice olive oil

Preparation

1. In a big soup pot, cook the diced onion in the everyday olive oil over medium-high heat until it just starts to brown, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the carrot and cook for another 7 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
4. Add the diced tomatoes, oregano, beans, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring a few times.
5. Add the ditalini and cook for 8 minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Turn off the heat, and let it stand for a few minutes. When the soup is no longer steaming but while it’s still hot, stir in the Parmesan and basil, and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in individual bowls, with a half teaspoon of nicer olive oil drizzled on each serving.