Lentil Spread

Wow! I do not know how I went two weeks without blogging.  Okay, to be honest, I do have somewhat of an idea.  Here is an idea of what my last two weeks looked like: Come home, pour a glass of red wine/7-up, get out a bowl of lentil spread and carrots, and park myself on the couch to reach Catching Fire/Mockingjay (Yes, I have jumped on The Hunger Games bandwagon!).

I finally finished the series, which is bittersweet.  It ended well, but it is always a little sad when you have to say goodbye to characters and a series ends.  I still have the movie to look forward to, which I am hoping to see in the next few weeks.  Today I am going to go to the public library to look for something to read next.  It will probably be something that doesn't capture as much attention (the newest murder mystery, perhaps?) so I can still manage to feed and clothe myself during the week :)

Yes, that is really the Boise Public Library above.  So cute!

Back to the lentil spread that served as my sidekick to reading - the one delicious thing I do want to write about.  This spread would be great on sandwiches, makes a great dip with baby carrots (or any other dipping vegetables) and it awesome with garlic naan or pita bread.  It is very similiar in texture to hummus, but with a slightly different flavor.  I got the recipe from Bon Appetit April 2012 and it is the recreation of a recipe from the Rock Center Cafe in NYC.

The Rock Center Cafe is at Rockefeller Center and is apparently a great place to eat, as it has stunning views of Manhanttan and the Rock Ice Skating Rink.  They are known for their breakfasts and "contemporary American" lunches and dinners.  The restaurant has a cute prix fixe menu to choose from for their skating and dinner combo - one appetizer, entree and dessert per person, plus an ice skating package.  It is $45/person, but I have a feeling that isn't expensive for NYC. 

Sign me up for the Crystal Valley Farm Organic Chicken, Chocolate Blackout Cake, and Roasted Beets with Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese...sounds amazing.

I can't find the lentil dip on their menu, but the point is, I want you to feel like a fancy New Yorker, overlooking the city of Manhanttan, eating your $20 lentil dip, just because you can.

Lentil Spread

Ingredients
1 head of garlic - get the real stuff, not the preminced stuff.  We are going to roast it
1 Tbsp olive oil plus 1/2 cup olive oil (I only used 1/4 cup but that did effect the texture)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 Tbsp chopped carrot
3 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 cup lentils
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp or more fresh lemon juice (I used three tiny little lemons)

How to

Roast the garlic
1) Preheat oven to 375*.  Make a tin foil platter by folding tin foil into a square and making a bit of an edge.  Cut the top half inch off the head of garlic and drizzle and place on the foil sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, then put into the oven.  Roast for about 50 minutes - garlic will start to brown a bit.  Don't let this concern you too much. When done, let garlic cool, and take out the roasted cloves.  I did this by piercing them with a fork tine then pulling them out of the skin - they pull right out.

Warning: You should probably make a few heads of these if you are going to the trouble of roasting garlic.  Roasted garlic is *amazing* and you are going to wish you had more to add to about anything and everything you eat.  I even eat it straight out of the skin, with nothing else.

Preparing the dip ingredients
2) Heat 1/2 Tbsp olive oil in a lare heavy pot over medium heat.  Add onion, celery, carrot, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf; season with salt and pepper.  Leave herbs in sprig-form. Cook until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Note I was short on rosemary so I just used more thyme.

3) Add lentils, stir for two minutes.

4) Add wine, simmer until almost all is evaporated, about 4-5 minutes.

5) Pour in chicken broth to cover lentils.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer.  Add more brothe every 5 or 10 minutes, as needed.  Cook until lentils are tender - about 30 minutes.

6) Let cool and discard herbs.

7) Put lentil mixture and garlic cloves in a blender.  Add 1/2 cup olive oil (I only added 1/4 cup olive oil, but this made the spread chunkier, so be warned) and lemon juice.  I found the more lemon juice I added, the more delicious, so keep in mind you can add a lot. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with carrots or other dipping vegetables, with pita or naan, or on sandwiches.

Best way to cook salmon

So I swear the food and random clothing drivel will be put on hold for a few days after this as I adventure in Boise this weekend...but I have a few more recipes for you :) Also, just got news that hopefully my boyfriend will be spending part of next weekend in Boise with me, which would mean tons of new adventures (so hopefully that happens).

I mentioned other ways to cook salmon, but this new way is by far my favorite.  Warning: It is a little scary to do at first with the super high temperature.

I got the recipe from "Forever Young" by Nicholas Perricone, where I get most of my recipes for salmon and chicken.

You have to admit, the man does look pretty young.
The recipe is called "Salmon Fillets with Puy Lentils."  However, Perricone got the recipe from Williams-Sonoma New Healthy Kitchen: Main Dishes."  It was featured in at least two cookbooks, so that must mean it is pretty tasty.

Recipe serves 4:
1 and 1/2 cups Puy lentils
1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
two tablespoons minced shallots or yellow onions (you know I used onion)
salt
4 skin on salmon fillets (4 to 6 ounces each) [I only made two]
freshly ground pepper
1 cup arugula or mixed greens (use the arugula!)

So first, lets tackle the lentils side of the recipe.  The recipe calls for one and a half cups of puy lentils.  What the hell are puy lentils you ask?  They are "the best, most delicate lentils" and a peppery French green lentil.  They were originally grown in the volcanic soils of Puy in France, but now are also grown in North America and Italy.  Perricone says they are especially good in salads, because they remain firm after cooking and have a rich flavor.

I spent about two seconds looking for these lentils at my grocery store, and quickly decided the store did not carry them, so I used the lentils that are very cheap and still very delicious.  Lentils are great for you -- low in fat and high in protein and fiber (plus easy to cook).

To start, you are supposed to pick over the lentils, then rinse and drain them well.  I didn't bother to "pick over them" and they turned out fine. 

Then, heat one tablespoon of the oil in a saucepan over high heat.  Add the onion and lentils, and cook, stirring until the onions are translucent and the lentils glisten, about two minutes.  I don't think my lentils started to glisten, but they did start to burn...I would recommend medium high and stir the lentils a lot.

Then, add four cups water, with some salt. Bring it to a boil, reduce it to a simmer (medium low), and cover for for about thirty five minutes.

In the meantime, take your salmon fillets and rub some olive oil on them.  The recipe says a half tablespoon...I put more than that and it definitely freaked me out because the oven started smoking a bit, so I would totally recommend going on the lighter side with the olive oil.  Then, coat both sides with salt and pepper.  I rarely add salt to many things, but this is one time I would say add as much salt as you want -- lots of it!

Heat your oven to 500 degrees and put the salmon in a greased baking dish.  This is where I got nervous...I don't think I have ever cooked anything that high!

I cooked mine for fifteen minutes and kept checking on them because the temperature freaked me out a bit.  I would say if you start noticing the oil smoking a bit, turn the fan on high, and open the oven periodically so all the smoke doesn't come out at once and turn your smoke alarm on.

As you can see, I was taste testing :)

The final product - the most delicious salmon I have made so far! Next time I make it (after a Costco trip) I am going to try it with a marinade and baked in the oven...I am thinking something with a bit of orange juice.

On another note entirely, I have been watching 20/20 tonight, about criminals using internet dating sites to target victims.  It is pretty interesting and pretty sad.  I also go to one of the gossip websites it mentioned, so it was really interesting to see how a supposedly unbiased (or maybe they don't even bother to claim that) news source can clearly pick a side.  The saddest was the women and men who have been scammed on dating sites.  Hard to believe it happens though -- one lady sent 20 iPhones to a man and said it was because the government was holding his gold and diamonds (whatever that means).

Tomorrow? Birds of Prey, people watching at Thomas Hammer (maybe the saturday market), and seeing if the gargoyle store is open. EXCITED!