Newspaper Article/Lentils In A New Light (NR)

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Lentils In A New Light

 

SPECIALTY VARIETIES ADD OOMPH TO ANCIENT STAPLE

 

By Aleta Watson

 

Rick E. Martin - Mercury News

 

Lentils are a good canvas for cumin, curry, garlic and olive oil.

 

Mushy soups and bland, good-for-you dishes have given the lowly

lentil a bad rap in this country for years, but the little seed

deserves more respect.

 

Specialty lentils, now increasingly available at markets, offer

tastes and textures that outshine the drab green-brown legume that

many people know as Lenten fare. In the hands of a respectful cook,

they shine as a foil for bright and lively flavors while adding a

protein punch to any meal.

 

My lentil conversion came with the tiny, sea green variety from

France known as lentilles vertes du Puy. Smaller than ordinary

lentils, they hold their shape during cooking and add a nutty,

almost peppery, flavor to salads and braises.

 

These little lentils did not turn to an unappetizing sludge when I

cooked them for a salad, and they brought so much flavor to the

plate that it was hard to think of them as belonging to the same

family as the common green lentil sold in bulk bins at natural food

stores.

 

The French have known this for years, of course. Lentil salad --

with crunchy carrots and celery, and a sprightly red wine vinegar

with mustard dressing -- plays the role of potato salad at many a

Gallic picnic. Duck confit and lentils are another traditional

combination.

 

I've long been a fan of red lentils, the key ingredient in one of my

favorite soups. They do fall apart when cooked but turn a lively

yellow color, and their earthy flavor works well with the bright

shot of lemon that makes the soup sing.

 

That was the extent of my lentil repertoire, however, until I began

seeing unfamiliar varieties at the market and cooking new dishes

with roots in cultures bordering the Mediterranean and South Asia.

 

Lentils derive their name from the Latin word for lens, which their

shape resembles. Scholars trace them back as far as 8000 B.C. in the

Middle East. The inexpensive source of protein had spread to the

lands now known as Greece by 3000 B.C. They're mentioned in the Book

of Genesis, when Esau, son of Isaac, traded his birthright to his

brother Jacob for a dish of lentils.

 

Passage to India

 

The seeds are thought to have arrived in South Asia around 1000

B.C., where they became an important staple and the chief ingredient

in many dals -- the spicy purees at the heart of Indian cuisine,

vegetarian or not. Fast-cooking split red lentils make an especially

creamy dal and are the basis of Madhur Jaffrey's Bombay-style

chicken stew.

 

Not least among the attraction of most lentils is their low price.

Common green lentils run less than $1 a pound. Red lentils, their

hulls removed, are slightly more. Specialty lentils can cost 10

times as much.

 

``Actually there's a joke back in the Middle East,'' says Emad

Ibrahim, owner of Dishdash restaurant in Sunnyvale. ``At the

beginning of the month, when you get paid, you cook chicken and meat

the first week. The rest of the month you eat lentils.''

 

Ibrahim, whose family is from Palestine, says he still eats the

classic rice, green lentil and caramelized onion dish known as

mujadra once a week. The onions give a sweet depth to the mild

lentils and rice. The Lebanese version, mujadra bel burghul, is made

with bulgur for a firmer texture.

 

Lentils also serve as a good canvas for cumin, curry, garlic and

olive oil, Ibrahim points out. ``It's a great flavor, and I truly

think it is something that's not that exposed.''

 

In this country, lentils have never enjoyed great popularity outside

the vegetarian community except during Lent (which derives its name

from the Old English term for the lengthening days of spring).

That's beginning to change with the growing interest in the

nutritional value of beans and grains and the increased availability

of imported foodstuffs.

 

Traditional lentils from Italy and Spain are now available at

upscale markets. Many varieties also are grown in the United States.

along the Washington-Idaho border, including the little French green

lentil and its stylish black hybrid, the beluga.

 

The favorite of chefs, though, is the lentille verte du Puy grown

according to strict standards in the volcanic soil of central

France. Much like French wine and cheese, it carries the Apellation

d'origine contro^lée label to identify its origin and authenticity.

 

A San Francisco-based distributor, Made in France, has been

importing lentilles vertes du Puy from Auvergne for 15 years, but

buyer Catherine Pefkars says sales -- primarily to restaurants --

increased by more than 26 percent from 2001 to 2002.

 

Scott Cooper, chef of four-star Le Papillon, is among the converts.

He serves a grilled quail salad on a green lentil pancake with

smoked bacon vinaigrette at his Saratoga restaurant.

 

``I think chefs are gaining an appreciation for new or even heirloom

foodstuffs that allow them to do something different,'' says Cooper,

who sees lentils as an appealing alternative to predictable potatoes

or rice.

 

Donia Bijan, chef and owner of L'Amie Donia, likes to serve the

lentil in salads or with duck or roast chicken at her Palo Alto

bistro.

 

``I love the earthiness of it. It's sort of the alternative

vegetable,'' Bijan says. ``There's your starch; there's your legume.

I love it with a bitter green like chard or beet greens.''

 

Home cooks have to look around to find lentilles vertes du Puy.

Although Draeger's and Oakville markets on the Peninsula carry them

($8.75 and $8.50 respectively for 17.5 ounces), most supermarkets do

not.

 

Italian gems

 

Even more rare are the smaller pink, green and brown lentils known

as lenticche di Castellucio from the Umbria region of Italy. A.G.

Ferrari Foods is the exclusive importers of these firm, nutty-

tasting little seeds ($9.95 for 17.5 ounces), which carry the label

of Indicazione Geografica Protetta, or geographic mark of origin.

 

``The Castellucio are hand-picked and organically grown,'' says

Gianlucca Guglilemi, executive chef of the A.G. Ferrari

delicatessens. ``They cook in like 15 to 20 minutes because the size

of the lentils is very small.''

 

They're ideal for a quick soup or salad, says Guglilemi, who shares

his recipe for a lively salad prepared with sauteed spinach and

shredded carrots similar to one that his delis are making now with a

less costly lentil. The texture is chewy and crunchy and the flavors

fresh, with a vinegary kick.

 

Salads like this are just the sort of dish to change anyone's mind

about lentils.

 

Mercury News

March 26, 2003