Mon amour lentils

There are truly infinite types of lentils in the world: green, brown, passing through the black ones up to the decorticated red lentils.

Italy is, in particular, a country that boasts a production of fine niche lentils, such as the Sicilian ones of Pantelleria, the small ones of Castelluccio di Norcia or the specials of Leonforte or Ustica, just to name a few.

Between large and fleshy and delicate and mignon, homegrown or with an oriental flavor, do we really know how to choose lentils for the preparation of our dishes? Here are some suggestions.

Lentils for soups, pastas and risottos

Considering that these lentils remain whole, often stewed with a little water and fresh tomato, in a lightly fried sauce with a little finely chopped onion or shallot and sage and rosemary to flavor, it is better that they are small, with a tender skin and which especially cook in a short time without soaking .

Hence the suggestion falls on tasty and delicious small lentils, like those of Norcia, the reddish browns of Rascino or those of Ustica.

Particular choices are also made because they embellish and make special - not only from a nutritional point of view, thanks to the iron they contain - traditional poor and peasant dishes, such as risotto with lentils, short pasta with lentils, cereal soups (barley, spelled) and lentils.

Lentils for creams and velvety

For creams and velvets the fastest and most comfortable to use, as well as tasty and special, are the red decorticated lentils (Indian Masoor or the Egyptian ones) or yellow ; (le mong dhal).

They are very comfortable : after having rinsed them well several times under cold running water, they are put to boil, perhaps using the pressure cooker, alone or with vegetables to taste, depending on what the recipe calls for. They are very good served with a dash of fresh vegetable cream and decorated with thin slices of leek or onion lightly browned and moistened with a little balsamic vinegar.

Lentils for meatballs veg

Lentils perfect for vegetarian and vegan dishes of a certain consistency, such as meatballs and meatloaf, for example, are the giant green lentils of Altamura or the great Canadians.

These firm and fleshy lentils need to be soaked for at least three hours, and once boiled they lend themselves well to being ground and blended with spices and other ingredients.

Lentils as a side dish

Here you can indulge in imagination : you can use both black mungo or Beluga lentils, for dishes with an Asian flavor or to accompany basmati rice, for example, as well as lentils that flake off yellow Indian, le mong dhal, to create creamy, rich and spicy dishes.

The combination of small lentils, simply boiled and left to cool, with seasonal salads offers extraordinary unique dishes. While the big lentil, appreciated in stew, goes well with warm winter dishes and mashed potatoes.