Bengal Lentils with Pea Shoots and Wild Pomegranate
A traditional, healing dish of sprouted lentils in a spicy, savory tomato sauce with toasted whole spices, onions, peppers, pea shoots and wild pomegranate seeds.
Bengal Lentils with Pea Shoots and Wild Pomegranate Seeds
Sauté whole hulled cardamom, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, bay leaf and true cinnamon in ghee or clarified until fragrant and the seeds begin to “pop” in the in pan.
Add diced white onion, peppers and plum tomatoes and cook, stirring continuously until the oil separates, about 5 minutes.
Add turmeric, paprika, black pepper, freshly-grated ginger and wild pomegranate seeds and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
Add raw, sprouted lentils, pea shoots and chopped cilantro and stir to combine.
Note: if feeding a crowd, you could easily extend this dish with simmered chickpeas
Serve over aged basmati rice or with naan if desired.
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- Bengal Lentils with Pea Shoots and Wild Pomegranate
This post is part of the Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet
Wild pomegranate seeds are sometimes used as a spice known as anardana (which literally means pomegranate (anar) seeds (dana) in Persian), most notably in Indian and Pakistani cuisine but also as a replacement for pomegranate syrup in Middle Eastern cuisine. As a result of this, the dried whole seeds can often be obtained in ethnic Indian Sub-continent markets. The seeds are separated from the flesh, dried for 10–15 days and used as an acidic agent for chutney and curry production. Seeds may also be ground in order to avoid becoming stuck in teeth when eating dishes containing them. Seeds of the wild pomegranate daru from the Himalayas are regarded as quality sources for this spice.
Loin of Rabbit with Pancetta, Porcini and Wild Onions
Loin of rabbit with pancetta, porcini, wild onions, garlic and sage..
Sauté pancetta in a teaspoon of clarified butter until most of the fat has been rendered. Turn the heat up to medium-high, then add thick pieces of porcini mushroom and continue to cook until golden brown.
Season strips of rabbit loin with sea salt and freshly-ground pepper and add to the hot pan with garlic, onions and sage. Let the rabbit brown, but keep it to no more than medium doneness.
De-glaze the pan with an ounce of Armagnac and stir up all the brown bits with the edge of a wooden spoon. Add 1/4 cup of chicken stock and reduce slightly.
Reduce heat to medium-low and add a couple of ounces of fresh cream and a good spoonful of coarse mustard. Stir until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Toss in some coarsely-chopped curly parsley and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
Serve over rye spaetzle or egg noodles.
Center for Food Safety v. USDA
Court Finds USDA Violated Federal Law by Allowing Genetically Engineered Sugar Beets on the Market
Government failed to evaluate environmental and economic risks of Monsanto product
September 22, 2009
San Francisco, CA — In a case brought by Center for Food Safety and Earthjustice representing a coalition of farmers and consumers, a federal court ruled yesterday (PDF) that the Bush USDA’s approval of genetically engineered (GE) “RoundUp Ready” sugar beets was unlawful. The court ordered the USDA to conduct a rigorous assessment of the environmental and economic impacts of the crop on farmers and the environment.
The federal district court for the Northern District of California ruled that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (“APHIS”) violated the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) when it failed to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (“EIS”) before deregulating sugar beets that have been genetically engineered (“GE”) to be resistant to glyphosate herbicide, marketed by Monsanto as Roundup. Plaintiffs Center for Food Safety, Organic Seed Alliance, Sierra Club, and High Mowing Seeds, represented by Earthjustice and the Center for Food Safety, filed suit against APHIS in January 2008, alleging APHIS failed to adequately assess the environmental, health, and associated economic impacts of allowing “Roundup Ready” sugar beets to be commercially grown without restriction.
“This court decision is a wakeup call for the Obama USDA that they will not be allowed to ignore the biological pollution and economic impacts of gene altered crops,” stated Andrew Kimbrell Executive Director of the Center for Food Safety. “The courts have made it clear that USDA’s job is to protect America’s farmers and consumers, not the interests of Monsanto.”
Tuesday Twister
Each Tuesday, Wardeh at gnowfglins.com encourages us to share what we’ve been up to in our kitchens over the past week.
One practical benefit of the Tuesday Twister is the ability to see at-a-glance whether I’m hitting my diet/nutritional goals or not. I can immediately see for instance, that I need to increase my intake of fermented/pro-biotic foods.
Here’s a look back..
1) Salmon Cakes with Sauce Rémoulade Made from homemade mayonnaise, fresh herbs, capers and cornichons, sauce rémoulade is a perfect contrast for spicy, pan-fried salmon cakes. With lots of healthy Omega-3s, this one’s staying in rotation.
2) Rosemary Garlic Lamb Chops with Mint Peas and Wild Rice Local, pastured lamb loin chops with rosemary garlic demi-glace, fresh peas with fried shallots and mint, and mushroom wild rice. Bring on those fall flavors!
3) Deep Chili With pastured beef, chiles, onions, water & little else, this 1880′s style chile con carne really hit the spot.
4) Chicken à la King Another classic from the 1800′s, made with local organic ingredients. I just had this again for lunch today.
5) Mayan Banana Bread With sprouted spelt, roasted Maya nut and mashed bananas, this nutrient-dense, low-gluten bread tastes of coffee and chocolate, but contains neither. Highly recommended.
6) Pan-seared Lamb Chops with Garlic, Mint & Grape Tomatoes I hadn’t intended to turn this one into a blog post, but the flavors were so amazing that I wanted to document this one for later.
So, there you have it.. now let’s go see what everyone else has been up to!
Pan-seared Lamb Chops with Mint, Garlic and Grape Tomatoes (a recipe in progress)
I stuck my hungry face in the fridge this evening and spotted 3 lamb loin chops that had been marinating in olive oil, rosemary and garlic for a couple of days.
I threw the chops into a super hot skillet with some of the oil & a tiny bit of butter and seared them to a perfect rare+ doneness, then tossed in some halved grape tomatoes, slivered garlic and lots of fresh mint, sea salt and freshly-ground pepper.
I hadn’t planned on posting anything tonight, but this primal, ad-hoc dish was so good that I wanted to document it for future development :-)
Pan-seared Lamb Chops with Mint, Garlic and Grape Tomatoes
Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
Simmered black beans with red and white quinoa, toasted cumin, onions, tomatoes, New Mexico and poblano chiles, garlic, oregano and wedges of avocado, all served up in baked corn tortilla shells..
Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
Soak dried black beans and quinoa in filtered water overnight. Drain, rinse and cook in vegetable stock until just done.
Sauté cumin seeds, chopped chiles, garlic and onions in a heavy skillet over medium heat until browned and fragrant. Add chopped tomatoes and poblano peppers and cook 5 minutes.
Add garlic, Mexican oregano, 1/4 teaspoon each cloves, allspice and cinnamon, cooked beans and quinoa and simmer 20 minutes; keep moist by adding bean-cooking liquid as needed. Adjust seasoning with sea salt and freshly-ground pepper.
Meanwhile, lightly coat small corn tortillas with oil and press into the wells of a jumbo muffin pan. Bake at 400 degrees until crisp and browned.
To serve, spoon chili into tortillas shells and garnish with avocado wedges, a squeeze of fresh lime and hot sauce.
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- Black Bean Chili
