1/2 cup / 100 g / 3 1/2 ounces Colfiorito lentils OR Castelluccio lentils OR other small lentils
1 cup / 240 ml water
A small bay leaf
1 garlic cloves, peeled
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
For the lentil spread
Cooked lentils (ingredients above, method below)
2 tablespoons / 30 ml toasted sesami tahini (recipe below)
1 tablespoon / 15 ml fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoon / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon harissa mix
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
Additional water to achieve desired consistency, as needed
Instructions
Make the toasted sesame tahini
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet on medium heat until they are tanned and fragrant. This will take just a few minutes. Shake the skillet often or stir the seeds with a spatula. Guard the seeds like a hawk as they burn easily. Transfer the seeds to a plate and let cool completely.
Process the sesame seeds in a small food processor or blender until a thick paste forms. Add the olive oil and process until smooth. Add sea salt and process briefly to distribute. Transfer the tahini to a glass jar, cover with a lid and refrigerate until ready to use.
Cook the lentils
Sort the lentils, rinse them, then place them in a small saucepan with the water, bay leaf and garlic. Cover the saucepan and quickly bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and let the lentils simmer, covered, until they are tender, 20-30 minutes, as needed. Check after 15-20 minutes and estimate the time necessary to complete the cooking. Add the salt when the lentils are almost cooked.
Remove and discard the bay leaf and garlic. Let the lentils cool in the saucepan.
Make the lentil spread
Place the cooked lentils in a food processor. Add all the other ingredients: tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, spices and salt. Process until creamy, adding water as needed to achieve the desired consistency. I keep it fairly dense to serve it as part of a main dish combination (see below).
Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate. Take the bowl out of the refrigerator ahead of serving the spread.
Serve with crackers and/or fresh vegetables cut into bite-sized pieces as appetizer, or spoon on plate to accompany other dishes, like a salad or a slice of frittata).
small lentils, big flavor (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)
After reading the first six Adam Dalgliesh novels by P.D. James in order of publication, I skipped to #11 Death in Holy Orders which I purchased some time ago at a library sale. Then last month, at a local bookstore, I picked The Lighthouse which is #13 (2005). Death in Holy Orders ended with Commander Dalgliesh (Metropolitan Police Service at New Scotland Yard) in love with Emma Lavenham and I was glad to see her still in his life in The Lighthouse.
I love P.D. James’s novels: her writing is evocative, exact, engaging. I particularly enjoy her descriptions of landscapes and interiors. James’s descriptive skills are in full display in The Lighthouse which is set in the (fictional) Combe Island off the Cornish coast ‘a restful haven for the elite’. The immediate reason for Dalgliesh’s presence on Combe is the violent death of a famous novelist, Nathan Oliver. One of the plot’s twists is provided by one of the island’s guests falling gravely ill and being diagnosed with SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome)2
a viral respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus called SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV). SARS was first reported in Asia in February 2003. The illness spread to more than two dozen countries in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia before the SARS global outbreak of 2003 was contained.
Dalgliesh also falls ill and I will stop here before I reveal too much. I admit is was a bit chilling to read about that SARS-CoV. But the novel is intense and masterfully written: P.D. James spins her tale slowly and meticulously, keeping the reader engaged until the last line.
Given that Combe Island is a retreat for rich and powerful people, the food is formal and not particularly intriguing. What inspired me are various occasions in the story where characters come together: there are beverages (wine or tea), but never a bite to eat. I wanted to enter the story and bring a tray with foods, like a spread with crackers.
sesame seeds toasted and raw
In my archives I have recipes for spreads made with beans (fagioli) and chickpeas (ceci) but not lentils, so I started experimenting with those, using some ingredients from the recipe for hummus. I made tahini using toasted sesame seeds: I like the aroma of roasted sesame seeds and making tahini is quick and satisfying.
I stock up on lentils when I visit my home town of Perugia. The two special varieties grown in Umbria are lenticchia di Castelluccio and lenticchia dell’Altopiano di Colfiorito. Both are small with tender skin and cook relatively quickly. Their delicate, earthy flavor is a delight.
1/2 cup / 100 g / 3 1/2 ounces Colfiorito lentils OR Castelluccio lentils OR other small lentils
1 cup / 240 ml water
A small bay leaf
1 garlic cloves, peeled
Ingredients for the lentil spread:
Cooked lentils (ingredients above, method below)
2 tablespoons / 30 ml toasted sesami tahini (recipe below)
1 tablespoon / 15 ml fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoon / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon harissa mix
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
Additional water to achieve desired consistency, as needed
How to make toasted sesame tahini Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet on medium heat until they are tanned and fragrant. This will take just a few minutes. Shake the skillet often or stir the seeds with a spatula. Guard the seeds like a hawk as they burn easily. Transfer the seeds to a plate and let cool completely.
Process the sesame seeds in a small food processor or blender until a thick paste forms. Add the olive oil and process until smooth. Add sea salt and process briefly to distribute. Transfer the tahini to a glass jar, cover with a lid and refrigerate until ready to use.
How to cook the lentils Sort the lentils, rinse them, then place them in a small saucepan with the water, bay leaf and garlic. Cover the saucepan and quickly bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and let the lentils simmer, covered, until they are tender, 20-30 minutes, as needed. Check after 15-20 minutes and estimate the time necessary to complete the cooking. Add the salt when the lentils are almost cooked.
Remove and discard the bay leaf and garlic. Let the lentils cool in the saucepan.
How to make the lentil spread Place the cooked lentils in a food processor. Add all the other ingredients: tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, spices and salt. Process until creamy, adding water as needed to achieve the desired consistency. I keep it fairly dense to serve it as part of a main dish combination (see below).
Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate. Take the bowl out of the refrigerator ahead of serving the spread.
Serve with crackers and/or fresh vegetables cut into bite-sized pieces as appetizer, or spoon on plate to accompany other dishes, like a salad or a slice of frittata).
[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]
This is my contribution to the 41st edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and I started 13 years ago and that I continue to host.
FTC disclosure: I have received the table linen free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.
lenticchie piccole dal sapore grande (tovaglietta de La FABBRICA del LINO)
Per la seconda edizione della Fattoria ho preparato un piatto utilizzando una delle eccellenze dell’Umbria, la mia terra di origine. La lenticchia di Castelluccio di Norcia non ha bisogno di presentazione. Ma non è l’unica varietà di questo legume gustoso, nutriente e facile da preparare: c’è la lenticchia dell’Altopiano di Colfiorito, anch’essa caratterizzata dalle piccole dimensioni.
Lenticchia di Colfiorito, delizia umbra
Fare la spesa all’Antica Spezieria e Drogheria Eredi Bavicchi1 a Perugia mi ha fatto conoscere ed apprezzare questo ed altri legumi tradizionali umbri e non solo. Mi piacciono molto i sacchi a righe che contengono i legumi e i cartelli scritti a mano che presentano le caratteristiche dei prodotti. (La foto qui sopra è di qualche anno fa, quindi il prezzo non è corrente.) Nel negozio potete anche trovare spezie, cioccolato, cereali e farine e tanti altri prodotti.
semi di sesame tostati e crudi
Ho cotto le lenticchie come al solito poi ho deciso di preparare qualcosa di diverso, una crema spalmabile ispirata all’hummus (crema a base di ceci), in particolare per quanto riguarda l’uso della tahina. Qualche tempo fa ne comprai una versione fatta con semi di sesamo tostati, versione che ho provato a fare in casa e che è diventata per me standard.
Ingredienti per la tahina con semi di sesamo tostati:
150 g di semi di sesamo
2 cucchiai / 30 ml di olio extra-vergine di oliva
1/4 cucchiaino di sale fino
Ingredienti per le lenticchie:
100 g lenticchie di Colfiorito o di Castelluccio
240 ml acqua
1 piccola foglia di alloro
1 spicchio d’aglio pelato
1/8 cucchiaino di sale fino
Ingredienti per la crema di lenticchie:
Lenticchie cotte (ingredienti qui sopra, preparazione a seguire)
2 cucchiai / 30 ml tahina con semi di sesamo tostati (ricetta a seguire)
1 cucchiaio / 15 ml di succo di limone
2 cucchiai / 30 ml di olio extra-vergine di oliva
1 piccolo spicchio d’aglio, tritato
1/4 cucchiaino cumino in polvere
1/4 cucchiaino harissa in polvere
1/8 cucchiaino di sale fino, a seconda del gusto
Acqua in aggiunta per ottenere la consistenza desiderata
Preparare la tahina ai semi di sesamo toastati Tostare i semi di sesamo in una padella a secco su calore medio fino a quando siano dorati e fragranti. Scuotere spesso la padella o muovere i semi con una spatola. La doratura avviene in pochi minuti, quindi prestare attenzione o i semi si bruciano. Trasferire i semi su un piatto a farli raffreddare.
Frullare i semi di sesame fino a che formino una pasta densa. Aggiungere l’olio d’oliva e frullare a che si formi una crema omogenea. Aggiungere il sale e frullare brevemente per distribuirlo. Trasferire la tahina in un vasetto di vetro, coprire e tenere in frigorifero fino al momento dell’uso.
Cuocere le lenticchie Mondare le lenticchie e sciacquarle, poi metterle in un pentolino con l’acqua, l’alloro, l’aglio e il sale. Coprire il pentolino e portare a bollore rapidamente. Abbassare il calore e far cuocere le lenticchie, coperte, fino a quando siano tenere, 30 minuti o il tempo necessario. Controllare dopo 15-20 minuti e valutare quanto tempo manca al termine della cottura.
Rimuovere l’alloro e l’aglio e scartarli. Far raffreddare le lenticchie nel pentolino.
Preparare la crema di lenticchie Frullare le lenticchie cotte insieme agli altri ingredienti (tahina, succo di limone, olio d’oliva, spezie e sale) fino ad ottenere una crema omogenea. Aggiungere un po’ d’acqua, se necessario, per ottenere la consistenza desiderata. Io la mantengo piuttosto densa per servirla anche come piatto principale in combinazione (vedi sotto).
Trasferire la crema in una ciotola e metterla in frigorifero. Tirarla fuori un’ora prima di servirla.
Servire con cracker e/o verdure fresche tagliate a bocconcini (per esempio, carote, cavolfiore) come aperitivo, oppure come pietanza insieme ad un’insalata o un trancio di frittata.
FTC disclosure: Ho ricevuto gli articoli di lino gratuitamente dall’azienda produttrice (la FABBRICA del LINO). Non ho ricevuto e non riceverò alcun compenso per presentarli sul mio blog. Le opinioni espresse nel post sono interamente personali.
1/2 cup / 100 g / 3 1/2 ounces Colfiorito lentils OR Castelluccio lentils OR other small lentils
1 cup / 240 ml water
A small bay leaf
1 garlic cloves, peeled
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
For the lentil spread
Cooked lentils (ingredients above, method below)
2 tablespoons / 30 ml toasted sesami tahini (recipe below)
1 tablespoon / 15 ml fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoon / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon harissa mix
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
Additional water to achieve desired consistency, as needed
Instructions
Make the toasted sesame tahini
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet on medium heat until they are tanned and fragrant. This will take just a few minutes. Shake the skillet often or stir the seeds with a spatula. Guard the seeds like a hawk as they burn easily. Transfer the seeds to a plate and let cool completely.
Process the sesame seeds in a small food processor or blender until a thick paste forms. Add the olive oil and process until smooth. Add sea salt and process briefly to distribute. Transfer the tahini to a glass jar, cover with a lid and refrigerate until ready to use.
Cook the lentils
Sort the lentils, rinse them, then place them in a small saucepan with the water, bay leaf, garlic and salt. Cover the saucepan and quickly bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and let the lentils simmer, covered, until they are tender, 30 minutes or as needed. Check after 15-20 minutes and estimate the time necessary to complete the cooking.
Remove and discard the bay leaf and garlic. Let the lentils cool in the saucepan.
Make the lentil spread
Place the cooked lentils in a food processor. Add all the other ingredients: tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, spices and salt. Process until creamy, adding water as needed to achieve the desired consistency. I keep it fairly dense to serve it as part of a main dish combination (see below).
Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate. Take the bowl out of the refrigerator ahead of serving the spread.
Serve with crackers and/or fresh vegetables cut into bite-sized pieces as appetizer, or spoon on plate to accompany other dishes, like a salad or a slice of frittata).
