• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

2 Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and cumin, and sauté until the onion is golden, about 10 minutes. Keep warm.

3 Stir the onion mixture into the lentils and continue stirring until the lentils are creamy. If the mixture is too loose, increase the heat and boil until the mixture thickens to a pleasing texture. The lentils are done when they have the consistency of creamed corn. Taste and add salt if needed. Serve hot with rice.

Kitchen Note: This dish is mildly spiced. To add heat, season with cayenne pepper.

Mujdhara

Serves 4

A Syrian rice-and-lentil classic, this dish has as many variations as it has spellings, including mjudra, mujadra, and mejadra. Among Jewish communities in the Middle East, the dish is sometimes nicknamed “Esau’s favorite,” after the Biblical story in which Esau sold his birthright for a “mess of pottage.” It is that good.

1 cup dried green or brown lentils, rinsed

1 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed

1½ cups brown rice

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 large onions, halved and thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1¼ cups buttermilk

Freshly ground black pepper

1 In a medium saucepan, cover the lentils with water by about 3 inches and add ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and boil gently, partially covered, until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape, about 25 minutes. Drain and rinse the lentils with hot water.

2 Meanwhile, combine the rice, ½ teaspoon salt, and 3¼ cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the rice is tender and the water absorbed, about 30 minutes.

3 While the rice and lentils cook, heat the oil over medium-low heat in a large saucepan. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 10 minutes.

4 Add the cooked lentils and rice to the onions. Add the buttermilk to moisten and bind the mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Variation: Wheat-Berry Mujdhara

For an interesting variation, substitute cooked wheat berries for the rice.

Lentils and Greens

Serves 4

For a simple, healthful, easily put together vegetarian main dish, serve these flavorful lentils over brown rice. Be sure the lentils are fully cooked before adding the tomatoes.

2 tablespoons sunflower, peanut, or canola oil

1 onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1 cup red or brown lentils

4 cups water

1 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed

6 cups chopped collards or kale leaves (remove and discard tough stems)

1½ cups diced tomatoes with juice, or 1 (15-ounce) can

Freshly ground black pepper

1 Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, cumin, and fenugreek. Sauté until softened, about 3 minutes.

2 Add the lentils, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the lentils are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Add the collards and tomatoes. Mix well and simmer, covered, until the collards are tender, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3 Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Musical Vegetables

Beans, beans, the musical fruit The more you eat, the more you toot.

That’s a tired rhyme, appreciated only by third-graders and those whose mentality is stuck at third grade. It’s time we developed a fuller, more sophisticated approach to musical vegetables. Visit www.vegetableorchestra.org to see how you can make real music from vegetables. Not surprisingly, winter vegetables — carrots, celery root, turnips, winter squash, and pumpkins — figure prominently.

Curried Lentil-Stuffed Delicata Squash

Serves 4

The long, narrow shape of delicata squashes makes them the perfect vehicles for stuffing. Just slice horizontally to create two canoes or boats from each squash.

1 cup channa dhal, or