Week 8: Lentils - Brown Lentil Patties, Baba Ganoush, Garden Salad and Pita Bread, with Puy Lentil and Baby Fennel Salad with Lemon and Parsley

Normally when I cook with lentils it's dal or some other Indian dish, so I was pretty light on inspiration when it came to lentil week. My other go to lentil dish, in that it's super cheap and my kids love it, is Mujadara but that recipe post would be very short (cook rice and lentils with cumin and cinnamon, mix in a touch of lemon juice, some salt and pepper and serve topped with caramelised onions) so I thought I would make something a bit more substantial.

Browsing the /r/52weeksofvegancooking subreddit I came across mzglitter's post with a recipe for Baba Ganoush, and was instantly taken back to visiting my mother in the United Arab Emirates where we would eat in a cafe full of locals, and spending only a few dollars could get a heaping platter of fresh salad veges, falafel, hummus, baba ganoush and pita bread. Having a couple eggplant sitting on the bench at home, it was settled; I wanted to make an approximation of that meal with lentil patties. The pita bread is quite important in this dish... a local lebanese place (Alamir Bakery) make very good pita that is thin and light, unlike the fat and filling pita I often see at the supermarket, which make the whole meal much better. I served the patties and baba ganoush on a bed of mizuna, yellow bell pepper and red onion... but the presentation doesn't really matter, as it quickly gets destroyed when things get wrapped in pita and devoured.

As lentil patties and baba ganoush are quite earthy, I also decided to make a puy lentil salad with the fresh tastes of fennel and lemon as a counterpoint (and because decent Le Puy green lentils are amazing). Also, in my defence, I'm not the sort of 'foodie' who specifies you must use baby fennel or it just wont work... I looked for mature fennel at my supermarket and they didn't have any, so I had to by the baby fennel - honest! ;-)

Brown Lentil Patties

• 3 Cups Brown Lentils
• 4 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 Shallots, diced
• 2 Zucchini, grated
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Curry Powder
• 3 Tbsp Fresh Chives, roughly chopped
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

1. Process half the lentils in a food processor to a smooth paste.
2. Put the paste and the rest of the ingredients into a large bowl, and mix.
3. If the mixture is not quite thick add something flour like to thicken. I added about 1/2 a cup of chickpea flour... the amount required will depend on the water content of the lentils.
4. Heat a lightly oiled skillet over medium heat, and spooon two tablespoons of the patty mixture in per patty and pat down with the spoon until it's roughly patty shaped. They should take about 1 to 1 1/2 mintues per side to turn golden brown, before being put on a paper towels to absorb any extra oil they picked up.

Baba Ganoush (almost exactly this recipe - http://mzglittersvegan.wordpress.com/2013/11/14/recipe-baba-ganoush)

• 2 Eggplants
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Tahini
• 5 Cloves Garlic, crushed
• 1 Tsp Cumin
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 1 Tbsp Parsely, chopped finely
• Salt and Cayenne Pepper, to taste
• Smoked Paprika, to dress

1. Heat oven to 200C/400F.
2. Cut eggplants in half lengthwise, puncture eggplant skins with a fork, brush cut side with olive oil and place on an oiled baking tray.
3. Roast eggplant for 30-45 minutes, until very tender, then leave to cool for 15 minutes.
4. Scoop eggplant flesh into a bowl with a spoon.
5. Mash eggplant flesh with a fork so it's fairly smooth, but still retains some texture.
6. Add the rest of the ingredients, other than the paprika, and mix to combine.
7. Dress with paprika. I did this after it was on the plate, but if serving in a bowl then dress it in the bowl and perhaps drizzle with some high quality extra virgin olive oil as well.

Puy Lentil and Baby Fennel Salad with Lemon and Parsley

• 1 Cup Puy Lentils
• 8 Baby Fennel
• 1 Medium Red Onion
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 3/4 C Parsley, chopped finely
• Juice and Zest of of 1 Lemon
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

1. Chop red onion into large chunks and cut 4 baby fennel in half lengthwise.
2. Put red onion, 4 cut fennel, lentils, bay leaves and 2 cups of water into a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce temperature and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the lentils are cooked but not soft.
3. Drain lentils and let cool, then remove onion, fennel and bay leaves.
4. Trim ends of remaining baby fennel, retaining fronds to dress the salad, and slice finely lengthwise.
5. Add sliced fennel and remaining ingredients to the lentls, and mix to combine.
6. Chop fennel fronds finely to dress salad when served.