This was one of the best dishes (as voted by the students) of any of my Epicurean Kitchen Garden class recipes:

LENTIL SOUP WITH ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE
Serves 6

Ingredients

4 ½ cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
4 ½ cups beef stock or canned broth
1 1/2 cups dried lentils
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped carrot
1/3 cup chopped onion
6 ounces Andouille sausage, halved lengthwise,
cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 teaspoons dried thyme
½ teaspoon Creole seasoning

Directions

Combine both stocks and lentils in large pot over high heat. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat medium skillet over medium heat. Add fennel; sauté until seeds are light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove seeds from skillet.

Heat oil in same skillet over medium heat. Add celery, carrot and onion; sauté until onion is translucent and celery and carrot are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add toasted fennel seeds, sautéed vegetables, sausage, thyme and Creole seasoning to soup. Cover and simmer until lentils are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.

Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

(Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Re-warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally.)

Joe

I have some orange lentils in the pantry that I bought at Epicure Imports when they had their big sale. I don't eat lentils but my dad and DH love them. Joe's lentil soup is awesome, but I'm not sure I've added the Andouille before.
Are there other suggestions for the orange lentils?

Ooh, I love red lentils. I have to buy them in specialty shops here. About the only thing I do with them is the recipe below. It may sound "exotic" but even unadventurous people love this. It is great as a side dish served with some kind of flat bread for dipping. I love it with grilled meats.

Lentils with a Butter Dressing
(Tarica Dhaal)
from: Vegetarian Indian, by Shehzad Husain

3/4 Cup Red Lentils (aka Masoor Dhaal
2 1/2 Cups Water
1 teaspoon ginger pulp
1/2 teaspoon garlic pulp
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric

For the Butter Dressing (Baghaar Tarica)

1 tablespoon oil (corn, olive, etc.)
1/3 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon onion seeds (I never have these)
3 whole garlic cloves
1 small onion, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 green chile, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, to garnish

Wash lentils. Place in heavy saucepan with water, cover and bring to a boil. Add ginger, garlic, coriander, salt and turmeric. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. I FIND I OFTEN NEED TO COOK FOR MUCH LONGER.

Mash lentils. They should have a consistency similar to thick soup. Spoon into serving dish.

For the Baghaar Tarica(Butter Dressing) heat oil and butter in medium skillet, add onion seeds, garlic, onion, tomato and green chile and saute for 2 minutes. Remove pan and pour over the red lentils. Serve with fresh cilantro.

I often just make these without the butter dressing. They are to die for with it, but still delicious without it. I also play around with the consistency. I don't find I need them to be mush, always.

I've not had the chance to work with exotic lentils. The more generic lentils I nuke in the microwave with some water until they are soft... about 20 minutes for a quart in my oven. For a sauce I came up with coconut milk, smoked chicken, and mushrooms spiced to taste with curry paste, cumin, and extra peppers. This makes a sweet spicy smokey broth for the lentils. I also have put this over rice. I came up with this after reading an Indian cookbook but was not any particular recipe... just working with some of the flavors I saw in other recipes. You could probably leave out the curry paste, peppers, and cumin for a sweet smokey flavor. I work with smoked chicken because it is cheap and I do my own on a Weber grill. Without it I'd probably go with smoked pork or sausage. I don't see why a vegetarian could not skip the meat and just use a couple drops of liquid smoke.

Looks like this- (click the thumbnail for a bigger pic)
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: )
lyra

This is one of my very favorite dishes to serve to guests. It's delicious and looks impressive, but is really, really easy. French lentils are the same as green lentils. The recipe is from the New York Times magazine.

COD BAKED WITH PROSCIUTTO
Time: 25 minutes

6 6 ounce skinless cod fillets
2 tablespoons butter, melted
8 ounces (about 16 large slices) prosciutto di Parma.

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a nonstick liner or aluminum foil.
2. Brush cod fillets with butter, and wrap each in a slice or two of prosciutto, leaving ends of fillets unwrapped. (If slices tear or are narrow, more than two may be used to wrap each fillet.) Brush with butter again, and place on baking sheet.
3. Bake fish until firm and white at unwrapped ends, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove from baking sheet, and, if desired, place each fillet on a bed of lentils.

Yield: 6 servings.

FRENCH LENTILS WITH GARLIC AND THYME
Time: 40 minutes

1 onion, peeled and cut in two
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups French lentils (available in specialty food markets)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon kosher salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt.

1. In a food processor, combine onion, garlic and carrot. Process until finely chopped.
2. Place a large saucepan over medium heat, and add oil. When hot, add chopped vegetables, and sauté until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add 6 cups water, lentils, thyme, bay leaves and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a fast simmer.
3. Simmer lentils until they are tender and have absorbed most of the water, for 20 to 25 minutes. If necessary, drain any excess water after lentils have cooked. Serve immediately, or allow them to cool and reheat later.

Yield: 6 servings.

Joe, is there another sausage that could be substituted for the andouille?

Wow! These are great. Keep them coming!!

This is a summer favorite of mine, either as a side dish or for the main dish of a vegetarian meal.

Lentil Salad with Tomato and Dill

1 c. lentils
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp. salt or to taste
2 c. diced tomatoes
3/4 c. large scallions, thinly sliced (or leeks)
1/4 c. chopped fresh dill
1/4 c. thinly sliced fresh basil
3 Tbl. red wine vinegar
1/4 EVOO
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Bring 4 c. water to a boil in a 2 qt pan with lentils, garlic, and 1/2 tsp salt, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until lentils are just tender--15-25 mins. Drain, and transfer to bowl. Toss hot lentils with rest of ingredients.

I often make this before hand, but wait until just before serving to add the tomatoes.

Here's another that's been very popular at covered dish gatherings.

Bulgur, Lentils and Scallions

2 tsp. oil
1 large onion, chopped
a Clove garlic, chopped

Saute above ingredients until tender. Add and cook 5 minutes:
1/4 lb cooked ham
pinch cloves

Add, and cook, covered, until lentils are tender and liquid ha been absorbed:
1 c. lentils
2 c. stock (vegetable or chicken)

Add 1 c. bulgur wheat that has been soaked in 1 1/2 c. boiling water for 30 mins, and drained of any extra liquid.

1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. fresh parsley.
1-2 scallions, chopped

Trsinc, I feel certain that the 5 minute cooking time in your cookbook must have been a typo. Lentils are quick cooking for legumes, but they're not that quick cooking. They're usually supposed to cook in 20 or 30 minutes or so.

I have a couple of lentil soup recipes I'll post tonight when I have more time to type them in.

I'm going to save this thread as I love lentils. Good idea for a thread.

Sally

I don't care for lentils so this is the best I can do:

1 1/2 cups white peas
1 1/2 cups green lentils
1 1/2 cups red lentils
1 1/2 cups white peas
1 1/2 cups green lentils
1 1/2 cups red lentils

Alternate cups of lentils and peas in decorative jar. Put cork on jar and place jar next to stove. Let lentils sit for...I don't know...forever?

Joe, that's my all-time favorite recipe too! Did you make that in your class after I posted the link to it several months ago? I've given that recipe out to so many people!
Nancy

teresa: any smoked sausage will do.

Nancy: I don't know where I first saw that recipe. I just now did a Google search for it and it comes up on at least 30 websites. I've had it for at least two years, though. If it's your recipe, I'll make sure to give you credit.

Joe

No, it's not mine. I just found it in June on Epicurious and posted here to rave about it. So I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a favorite of yours as well! Thanks, Joe.
Nancy

Here's the recipe that Joe gave me a couple of years ago. It's different from the previous post.

Lentil Soup
Serves: 8
2 large onions  chopped fine
3 large carrots -- grated
2 cloves shallots -- minced
2 Tablespoons garlic  sliced very thin
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup canned tomatoes -- stewed, with juices
2-1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup beef broth
4 cups water
1 cup ham, finely chopped
1 sprig epazote  preferably fresh; equivalent dried
1 pound lentils -- rinse & drain
1 teaspoon pepper flakes
salt and pepper -- to taste
In a Dutch oven, sauté onions, carrots, shallots, and garlic in hot oil until onions are transparent.
Add the wine and simmer the mixture until the liquid is reduced by half.
Add the remaining ingredients and simmer soup, with lid slightly ajar, for about 1 and ½ hour, or until lentils are very tender. Add a little chicken broth if soup is too thick.
I like this sprinkled with freshly grated parmesan upon serving.
FYI: It's the epazote in this recipe that takes care of the beany property you mention.

Here's one of the recipes I promised. When I pulled out my cookbooks, I realized that I could only remember one of the recipes that I've made before. I know I've made one from my soup cookbook, but I couldn't remember which one it was, so I'm only posting the one I remember. This one I made recently, with some changes to use what I had on hand at the time, and both my DH, who isn't wild about lentils, and I enjoyed it.

From Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

Red Lentil Soup with Lime

2 cups split red lentils, picked over and rinsed several times
1 tablespoon turmeric
4 tablespoons butter
Salt
1 large onion, finely diced, about 2 cups
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds or 1 teaspoon ground mustard (I just plain forgot this, but I didn't notice it missing)
1 bunch chopped cilantro, about 1 cup
Juice of 3 limes or to taste
1 large bunch spinach leaves, chopped into small pieces (I used mostly French Sorrel, with the little bit of spinach that I had on hand mixed in.)
1 cup cooked rice (I subbed quinoa, since I had some leftover from a previous meal)
4 to 6 tablespoons yogurt

Put the lentils in a soup pot with 2 1/2 quarts water, the turmeric, 1 tablespoon of the butter, and 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the lentils are soft and falling apart, about 20 minutes. puree for a smooth and nicer-looking soup. (An immersion blender is a great plus here.)

While the soup is cooking, prepare the onion flavoring: In a medium skillet over low heat, cook the onion in 2 tablespoons of the remaining butter with the cumin and mustard, stirring occasionally. When soft, about the time the lentils are cooked or after 15 minutes, add the cilantro and cook for a minute more. Add the onion mixture to the soup, then add the juice of 2 limes. Taste, then add more if needed to bring up the flavors. The soup should be a tad sour.

Just before serving, add the last tablespoon of butter to a wide skillet. When foamy, add the spinach, sprinkle with salt, and cook just long enough to wilt. If the rice is warm, lace a spoonful in each bowl. If itÂs leftover rice, add it to the soup and let it heat through for a minute. Serve the soup, divide the spinach among the bowls, and swirl in a spoonful of yogurt.

(For this last part, I didn't want to fool with putting the greens into the individual bowls, so I just stirred them into the soup just before serving. I did do the sautee thing with them, though, and had the yogurt out for us to add to our bowls to taste.

Sally

Re the 5 mins for red lentils: Red lentils cook VERY fast. If you cook them much longer than 5 minutes they turn to mush.

Okay, that's good to know. I guess the longer cooking time I'm familiar with is because it's for making soup, which is supposed to be mush.

Sally