red lentil pate

filed under:
lentils pine nuts toast toppings indian food

Delicious recipes are included in each issue of the South Anchorage Farmers' Market Newsletter, be sure to sign up!
subscribe to newsletter via rss • subscribe to recipes via rss • subscribe to newsletter via email
download the print-friendly version of this recipe

This recipe is a variation on one in Peter Berley’s The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen. I love it with slices of the Alaskan cucumbers we can get at the farmers’ market, but it’s great as a toast topping, as well! Serve it as an appetizer, or as part of a dinner. I love it with a side of cucumbers to dip into it, along side a big platter of the spicy roasted cauliflower with red peppers and cumin. Add brown basmati rice if you like!

This recipe freezes magnificently, so I’ve given you the recipe to make quite a bit. Put what you’ll eat in a week in the refrigerator, and freeze the rest in containers for later! Yum!

2 cups red lentils, rinsed
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, finely diced
sea salt or kosher salt
½ cup pine nuts
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground caraway seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
freshly squeezed juice of one lemon

1. Combine the lentils and 8 cups water and bring to a boil. Skim and discard any foam and add the bay leaves. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Drain for 5 minutes or so in a sieve.
2. While the lentils simmer, sauté the onions and 1 teaspoon salt in the olive oil for 5 to 7 minutes, until onions are softened. Add the pine nuts and sauté until the onions are golden and the pine nuts begin to color. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, coriander, caraway seeds, cumin, cayenne, and 1 more teaspoon of salt. Continue to sauté for 5 minutes. Stire in the lemon juice to deglaze the pan.
3. REMOVE THE BAY LEAVES from the drained lentils. (It’s very important to find the bay leaf and get rid of it at this stage. Bay leaves do not puree well—they just turn into hundreds of tiny sharp shards.)
4. In a food processor, combine the cooked lentils and the onion mixture and puree until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately, or if you have time, chill in the refrigerator overnight and then bring to room temperature before serving.
5. Serve with cucumber slices, on pita bread, on toast, on celery sticks… whatever suits your mood or whatever happens to be hanging around in your refrigerator, needing to be eaten!