Beluga Lentils Food

HOW TO COOK LENTILS

Steps:

• 1. Rinse lentils well under warm water using a mesh strainer. I will tell you from experience that, due to their small size, lentils will fall right through a regular colander, so invest in a mesh sieve like the one I used linked here. You'll find that they handy with rinsing rice, quinoa, and many other grains as well. 2. Make sure to pick out any peoples or other debris. 3. Place the lentils in a stockpot and add 2 cups of water or vegetable broth for every 1 cup of lentils. You can add more liquid as they are cooking if they begin to look too dry. 4. Bring the pot to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer. Cover and allow to cook 20-25 minutes (brown, green, and black lentils), stirring occasionally. 5. Add liquid if necessary and continue cooking until the lentils are tender but not mushy. 6. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

BELUGA LENTIL CAVIAR ON BLINI

Steps:

• Make the beluga lentil caviar: Rinse the lentils and put them in a small pot with the water. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the lentils are soft.
• Drain the cooked lentils and place them in medium bowl. Add the salt, capers, and caper brine. Mix well and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours, and a maxi¬mum of 2 days.
• Make the vegan sauce: Mix the vegan mayonnaise with the Miso Mayo in a small bowl and refrigerate until needed.
• Make the blini: In a medium bowl, combine the flours and baking powder. Whisk the nondairy milk and melted butter into the flour until a batter forms. Allow the batter to rest a few minutes.
• Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add a small dab of butter to the pan or spray it with nonstick cooking spray. To form each blin, pour a little more than a tablespoon of batter into the pan. You can usually cook 4 to 6 blini at a time. Wait until the pancakes begin to show air bubbles all over the tops and the bottoms are brown. Flip the blini over and cook until golden brown.
• Using the back of a spoon, spread a small amount of the Vegan Sour "Cream" on each blin, add a teaspoon of the beluga lentil caviar, and top with a pinch of minced chives. Serve immediately.

BLACK BELUGA LENTIL PILAF

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large wide saucepan on medium heat.
• Add the onion, cumin seeds and rice and cook; about 8-10 minutes.
• Add the garlic; stirring for 1 minute longer.
• Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Add salt to taste. Stir mixture, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
• Remove lid and stir in the lentils and the currants with the rice.
• Sprinkle with black pepper; garnish with parsley and lemon slices.
• Note: Serves four as a side dish or serves two as a main dish.

BELUGA LENTILS

Steps:

• Rinse the lentils, and pick through them to remove any small stones.
• Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat for 2 minutes. Swirl in 2 tablespoons olive oil and wait a minute. Add the onion, thyme, chile, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper. Cook the onion, stirring often, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add the lentils and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring to coat the lentils in the oil and vegetables. Reduce the heat to low, and add the wine. Quickly add 6 cups water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn down the heat, and simmer 25 to 30 minutes, until the lentils are tender.
• Strain the lentils over a bowl. Toss them with the remaining 6 tablespoons olive oil, the basil sprigs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/3 cup of the cooking liquid. (Add more of the liquid if the lentils seem dry.) Taste for seasoning.