I wish I thought of lentils more. Not just in my day dreams alongside Brad Pitt in a skimpy apron, but when I’m making grocery lists & attempting easy week night recipes. For some reason I have a mental block against them, like long division & dark chocolate. I’m sure there is some Freudian explanation, like I I’m really just pretending to like them & my subconscious knows it, or my great aunt Betty didn’t love me enough as a child, or I associate them with all that dang long division.
Good thing I have my dear friend (it’s a bit of a one-sided relationship at this point, which makes me your friendly neighborhood stalker) Ottolenghi to remind me of things like lentils. And to show me how beautifully simple a crushed lentil can be.
Crushed Tahini Lentils & Pita
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6 servings
adapted slightly from Plenty More
Ingredients
- 1 c green lentils
- 2 T butter
- 2 T olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 t cumin
- 4 medium tomatoes, peeled & chopped into 1" pieces (you could also try canned plum tomatoes)
- ¼ c tahini paste
- 2 T lemon juice
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 hard boiled eggs, halved
- 4-6 rounds of pita bread, warmed
- paprika
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
- Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil & add lentils. Cook through, about 15-25 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Heat a large saute pan over medium-high and add the butter & olive oil. Add the garlic & cumin & cook for one minute, or until fragrant.
- Add the tomatoes & lentils and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Add the tahini, lemon juice, 5 T water, 1 t salt, and pepper. Lower heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. It will be quite thick.
- Crush the lentils with a potato masher, so that you have a half-mashed mixture with some lentils still whole.
- Spread on a serving platter, sprinkle with the red onion & paprika, and serve with the eggs & pita. Nom!
