It has never been easier to maintain a well-stocked pantry. As I walk the aisles of several local markets, I see ingredients that I once had to drive throughout the Bay Area to find.
Recently, I was pleasantly surprised by the selection of lentils available at a nearby store. There were the brown and green lentils one expects to find in any supermarket. In addition, there were red lentils, the ones that had me driving to Berkeley and San Francisco in the 1970s when I returned home from India with a craving for the dal I had there.
There were yellow lentils, too, and black lentils, plus little French lentils and tiny golden lentils, which are my current favorite.
If you think you don’t like lentils, you might give them another try.
Lentil loaf, lentil-broccoli casserole and a number of other dishes that I recall from college potlucks still make me shudder when I think of them but, honestly, lentils are delicious — and, of course, nutritious — when prepared well.
And if you keep your pantry stocked with a good selection, you can make a great meal without having to go to the store.
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I could easily call this “Pantry Soup,” as I was able to make it quickly with ingredients I always have on hand.
It is bone-warming and robust, but not overly filling.
I enjoy it as much for breakfast as I do for dinner or lunch. You can use any type of lentil, but I prefer golden lentils, which are actually almost white.
They have a very delicate flavor that merges beautifully with the other ingredients.
Golden Lentil Soup
Serves 3 to 4
½ cup golden lentils
2 tablespoons butter, clarified butter or olive oil
1 onion, cut into small dice
3 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
— Kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ to 1 teaspoon green chile powder (see Note below)
1 tablespoon harissa, commercial or homemade
¼ cup bulgur wheat
¼ cup white rice
3 cups homemade chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
— Black pepper in a mill
1 small bunch cilantro, large stems removed, chopped
— Bottled hot sauce, Hawaiian chili water or plain whole milk yogurt
Put the lentils in a medium saucepan, cover with water by 2 inches and set aside for several hours or overnight.
Drain the lentils and leave them in the strainer or colander.
Set the saucepan over medium heat, add the butter or olive oil and, when it is melted, sauté the onions until they are soft and fragrant, about 15 minutes.
Add the garlic and sauté 2 minutes more. Season with salt and add the cardamom and chile powder.
Add the drained lentils, bulgur wheat and rice, pour in the stock and 1 cup of water and slip in the bay leaf.
Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently until the lentils and bulgur wheat are tender, about 45 to 50 minutes.
