AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: Rich Man, Poor Man (Recipe: Lentils and Foie Gras) DATE: 3/17/2010 04:48:00 AM ----- BODY:

Chefs have long paired pauper ingredients with luxurious ingredients to create a new level of refinement and balance. Cabbage and Truffles; Potatoes and Caviar; and Hot Dog Rolls with Lobster Salad.

For the same effect, Jean Georges Vongerichtenpoaches foie gras in lentils for an alluring juxtaposition of luxury, richness and texture. I happened to have more foie gras in the freezer….

(As a side note, I wanted to let you know that despite what it may seem with the regularity of foie gras posts, I do have a more balanced diet. But since they come in 1 pound lobes, I invariably have a left over chunk to indulge with at a later time).

His recipe called for poaching a full lobe in the lentils. To me this seemed overly decadent and not the best way to lure out the foie gras’ refined flavor. I prefer foie gras when it’s seared to crusty brown. But in a nod to the Jean-Georges, I melted a small piece of foie gras in the lentils to infuse some of the distinct flavor.

Lentils, red wine sauce and salmon on its own is a wonderful flavor pairing. The foie gras adds a new dimension, though this meal would be fabulous without it.

Seared Salmon with Lentils and Red Wine Reduction

1 tbs. plain oil
4 - 6 oz. salmon filets
1 cup pinot noir or other red wine
1/2 lemon juiced
1 large shallot, minced
1/4 cup chicken broth or water
butter
salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste

Lentils
1 tbs. butter
1 shallot, small dice
1/2 carrot, small dice
1/4 celery rib, small dice
1/2 leek, small dice
1 sprig thyme
1 cup French green lentils
1 oz. foie gras
2 scallion, cut into rounds

Cook the lentils: Over medium heat sweat shallots, celery, carrots and leeks in 1 tbs. of butter. Add lentils, salt and pepper and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Add the foie gras and simmer for 5 minutes more. When lentils are cooked, stir in scallions.

Cook the salmon: Season salmon with salt and pepper. Let salmon rest, skin side down on a paper towel to make sure skin is dry.

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add oil. Carefully, place salmon, skin side down in the skillet. Do not poke or prod, when the skin is crispy, the salmon will easily come off bottom of pan. Flip over, and continue cooking until desired doneness. Remove salmon from pan, and keep in a warm place while preparing sauce. If you are serving foie gras, you can sear it in the hot, salmon pan at this point

Make the wine sauce: Pour off excess fat from the salmon/foie pan. Return pan to heat, add shallots, and cook for 1-2 minutes or until soft. Add wine, and let it reduce to about 1/4 cup. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil and reduce by half again. Turn the heat off, and whisk in butter, 2 tbs. at a time - for a total of 1 stick of butter (or more depending on your taste). Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and a small squeeze of lemon juice.

Serve lentils with salmon, wilted spinach and seared foie gras. Drizzle sauce around the plate.

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----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types DATE:3/17/2010 05:30:00 AM Oh my. This is quite a temptation at 5:30 in the morning! I can't think of anything better than a combination of lentils and foie gras! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) DATE:3/17/2010 09:04:00 AM Completely decadent! I'm not a fan of foie, so I'll try this without. Salmon and lentils get me every time. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous tasteofbeirut DATE:3/17/2010 09:18:00 AM My cousin Isabelle served foie gras for Christmas luncheon; I love it so much I don't want anything else! Paired with lentils, who needs the salmon? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous noble pig DATE:3/17/2010 02:24:00 PM Now this is a meal...civilized and wonderful...an absolute winner. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous jo DATE:3/17/2010 08:32:00 PM Ah...hello..and OH MY. You know my love for foie! Although, not a huge lentil fan. Not a dislike, just never saw the big attraction, I'd rather a pot full of Giant White Limas or Butter Beans, but I would be willing to try again if foie were involved.

Closing date 4/6...we shall chat soon(ish) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger grace DATE:3/20/2010 05:29:00 AM one cannot live on foie gras alone. :)
truly, it's usually the pauper ingredients that appeal to me--i guess i don't have the palate of a refined diner. :) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Lori Lynn DATE:4/03/2010 05:55:00 PM Ooh, love the pairing!
LL ----- -------- AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: Crop Rotation (Recipe: Lentils with Spinach and Scallops) DATE: 3/15/2010 02:24:00 AM ----- BODY:

Legumes – things like lentils, peanuts and chickpeas – are plants grown specifically for their seeds. They are also an integral part of crop rotation – a farming practice of planting different crops in one location as a way to replace nitrogen and other nutrients that other crops deplete. This practice minimizes the need for fertilizers and helps ward off insects and fungus.

Plants get nutrients from the soil. And unless we amend the soil, it will degrade every season as plants pull more and more from the soil. Amendments can come in the form of artificial fertilizers and organic compost. We can also add nutrients back by planting particularly nutrient dense crops, such as clover, wheat grass and legumes. Instead of depleting the soil, they add nitrogen and other important nutrients back into the soil… and planting these crops across a tapped area of soil can help it recover, so that future crops will grow better.

For me, lentils are a protein- and nutrient- dense food that is also very economical. They come in a variety of colors and shapes – red, green, brown and the rounder French (green) lentils. The French lentils are better for holding their shape, the red are great for their wonderful color and in soups since they puree easily.

In the past few weeks, a bevy of recipes have popped up on the blogosphere…
Barley Pilaf with Lentils from The Perfect Pantry
Palak Dal from Closet Cooking
Crock-Pot Curried Red Lentils from Eat This.

Last week, I made a variation on Mulligatawny soup from We Are Never Full, and garnished it with seared scallops and spinach.

Mulligatawny Soup
1 tbs. butter
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled, chopped into a few chunks
½ stalk of celery, chopped finely
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp. curry
1/2 cinnamon
2 tsp. ground coriander seed
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. black pepper
1 can tomatoes
1 1/2 cups of red lentils
6 to 8 cups of chicken stock
Juice of 1 lemon or lime
½ lb. scallops
½ lb. spinach
Sour cream or plain yogurt to garnish

1. Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and ginger and sauté until they soften and become fragrant.
2. To the pot, add the spices, carrots and celery. Cook for 1 minute more, just to toast the spices and help them release their flavor.
3. Add the lentils, tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until lentils are tender.
4. Meanwhile, season scallops with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil. Add the scallops and cook for 2 minutes or until they start to brown. Flip them over and then cook for 2 minutes more. Remove the scallops from the pan.
5. Return the scallop pan to the heat. Wilt spinach. Season with salt and pepper and lemon juice.
6. When lentils are tender, puree in the blender or with an immersion blender. Adjust seasoning with salt pepper and lemon juice. Garnish with scallops and spinach.



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----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types DATE:3/15/2010 09:15:00 AM I've been a fan of lentils for a long time - I love the earthiness and the texture. But I didn't know until now that legumes were used in crop rotation. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) DATE:3/15/2010 11:00:00 AM I'm utterly in love with lentils. I picked up some white lentils at Sid Wainer a few weeks ago and have yet to cook with them (I'll turn them into soup, of course!). ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous noble pig DATE:3/15/2010 09:37:00 PM One of my fave soups but it has been so long since I mae it. I need to change that. ----- --------