Sometimes I buy « new » things even without knowing what I am gonna do with them as coral lentil. I put them in the closet and forget them until I put some order or remember them from a recipe I am reading. That’s how I discovered that I had almost all the ingredients to do a dahl, a dense soup of coral lentil with spices (curcuma, ginger, coriander and cumin).

I did a first try last week and was quite enthusiast about the result, although I was missing some ingredients, like fresh coriander and mustard seeds. For these last one I remember seeing them at the market Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II. This market is a magic kingdom. You can find all the spices you want. You have to know that in the supermarkets here in Italia it is really difficult to find some aromatic plants like fresh coriander, aneth, powder of coriander or cumin… so I do not even say for the raz el hanout, garam massala… For a while I asked my mother to bring it back from France. So when I heard about that market I went and was just amazed, it is like entering in the souk. It is full of smell (specially fresh coriander), colors, voices!

Now that I had all the ingredients, I prepared it again today and enjoyed it in company of my friend N. I shot the pictures in te morning for the preparation and though about the ones I could do for the plate once cooked. « I need your hands! » I told her when she arrived:

It was 5 weeks we did not see each other, she enjoyed the company of Jack and talked talked talked.

Dahl – Indian lentil

2-3 servings

• 200 g coral lentil
• 1 onion
• 10 cherry tomatoes
• 1 teasp. turmeric
• 1 teasp. cumin
• 1 teasp. coriander
• 1 teasp. ginger
• 1 teasp. mustard seeds
• 600 ml water
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• fresh coriander

1. Chop the onion and brown it in a pot with 2-3 tbsp.of olive oil
2. Add the turmeric and lentil. Brown for 2 minutes. Add the water, salt and peper. Cover the pot and let it cook for about 10 minutes.
3. In a smaller pot pour 2-3 tbsp of olive oil. Add cumin, ginger, coriander, mustard seeds and tomatoes cuted in dices. Brown for2 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes+spices to the lentil et let it cok until the mix thicken.
5. Serve with sniped fresh coriander.

This meal is suitable for vegetarian, but you can also complete it with some grilled bacon.

Lentilles corail à l’indienne

2-3 personnes

• 200 g de lentilles corail
• 1 oignon
• 1 dizaine de tomates cerises
• 1 c.à café de curcuma
• 1 c.à café de cumin
• 1 c.à café de coriandre
• 1 c.à café de gingembre
• 1 c.à café de graines de moutarde
• 600 ml d’eau
• huile d’olive
• sel et poivre du moulin
• coriandre fraiche

1. Emincer l’oignon et le faire revenir dans un fait tout dans 2-3 c. à s. d’huile d’olive.
2. Ajouter le curcuma et les lentilles. Faire revenir pendant 2 minutes. Ajouter l’eau. Saler et poivrer. Couvrir et laisser cuire une dizaine de minutes.
3. Dans une petite casserole,  verser 2-3 c. à s. d’huile d’olive.  Ajouter le cumin, gingembre, coriandre, les graines de moutarde de les tomates coupées en 2. Faire revenir 2 minutes.
4. Ajouter le mélange épices+tomates aux lentilles et prolonger la cuisson jusqu’à ce que le mélange épaississe.
5. Servir avec de la coriandre fraiche ciselée.

C’est un plat qui convient parfaitement pour les végétariens, mais qui peut etre servi avec des petits lardons ou du bacon grillés.

Lenticchie rosse all’indiana

2-3 persone

• 200 g lenticchie rosse
• 1 cipolle
• 1 decina di pomodori pacchi
• 1 cucchiaino curcuma
• 1 cucchiaino cumino
• 1 cucchiaino coriandolo
• 1 cucchiaino zenzero
• 1 cucchiaino semi di mostarda
• 600 ml acqua
• olio d’oliva
• sale e pepe
• coriandolo fresco

1. Tagliare una cipolla a fettine e fare soffriggere 2-3 cucchiai d’olio.
2. Aggiungere il curcuma e le lenticchie. Fare soffriggere per circa 2 minuti.  Aggiungere l’acqua, sale e pepe. Coprire e cuocere per 10 minuti.
3. In una piccola pentola, versare 2-3 cucchiai d’olio.  Aggiungere il cumino,zenzero, coriandolo, semi di mostarda e i pomodori tagliate a metà. Fare soffriggere per circa 2 minuti.
4. Aggiungere il misto pomodori+spezie alle lenticchie e cuocere finché il misto sia più denso.
5. Servire con il coriandolo fresco.

E un piatto ideale per i vegetariani ma può completarsi con pezzi di pancetta fritta o bacon.

How many ways can we prepare, cook eggplants??? I have absolutely no ideas, there is already a bunch of recipes that come to my mind (melanzane alla parmiggiana, eggplants caviar, eggplants and coconuts milk, eggplants and pasta, eggplants jam….). It is one of the vegetable that I buy almost everyweek, and I barely take the time to try those many different recipes. One of the last ones was a eggplants confit with coconut milk…really really really good. I tried too the eggplants soup not so long ago and I was amazingly surprised as A. This is really good and in particular I appreciated the soft consistency and taste of cooked eggplants. I did it again trying to remember how it was the first time. I might not have put some cheese this time (philadelphia) and it came out good as weel maybe even lighter. Just a spoon of grated parmesan in the bowl…

Soupe d’aubergines

4 personnes:

• 4 aubergines
• 1.5 litre de bouillon de poule chaud
• 3 échalotes
• 150 g de pignons de pin
• huile d’olive
• Sel et poivre du moulin
• Coriandre fraiche

1. Dans un fait-tout faire revenir les échalotes épluchées et émincées dans de l’huile d’olive
2. Laver et lever la peau des aubergines. Les couper en petits dés
3. Ajouter les aubergines dans le fait-tout. Rajouter éventuellement un peu d’huile d’olive et les faire revenir 5 minutes.
4. Couvrir de bouillon les aubergines et laisser cuire une demie-heure
5. Y ajouter la moitié des pignons de pin et mixer.
6. Ajouter des feuilles de coriandre fraiches et ciselées, crème fraiche (ou mascarpone), les pignons grillés restants et du parmesan rapé (facultatif) et servir chaud.

Zuppa di melanzane

4 pers.:

• 4 melanzane
• 1.5 l. brodo di pollo
• 3 scalogni
• 150 g pinoli
• olio d’oliva
• sale & pepe
• coriandolo fresco

1. In una pentola fare dorare i scalogni pelati e tagliati a fette sottili in olio d’oliva
2. Lavare e sbucciare le melanzane. Tagliare a pezzettini.
3. Aggiungere le melanzane ai scalogni (forse raggiungere un po’ d’olio) e lasciare dorare per circa 5 minuti.
4. Aggiungere il brodo alle melanzane (devono essere coperte di brodo). Cuocere per un mezzoretta.
5. Aggiungere la metà dei pinoli e frullare.
6. Aggiungere il coriandolo tagliato a pezzettini, panna acida (o mascarpone), parmiggiano grattugiato, pinoli e servire caldo.

Eggplants soup

3-4 serv.:

• 4 eggplants
• 1.5 l fowl stock
• 3 shallots
• 150 g pine nuts
• olive oil
• salt & peper
• fresh coriander

1. In a stewpot brown the sliced shallots in olive oil.
2. Wash and peel the eggplants. Cut them in dices.
3. Add the eggplants to the shallots. Brown them for about 5 mn (you might have to add some olive oil too).
4. Add the stock to the eggplants (they have to be covered by the stock). Cook for about half an hour.
5. Add finally half of the pine nuts and mix.
6. Serve with sliced fresh cordiander, toasted pine nuts, sour cream (or mascarpone) and gratted parmesan.