Diggin' Through The Pantry

It was a daunting task... one I had been dreading for some time. But this weekend, I decided to fling the door open on my pantry to "re-discover" some of the treasures that lurked deep inside.

Among the unforgotten items, I found 3 bags of panko, 6 cans of tomato paste (um, have you seen the tv show, Hoarders?), 1/3 bag of split lentils, a jar of black rice, a package of falafel mix, and 1 carton of black strap molasses. Thankfully, none of my finds were in there too long, except for, maybe the molasses. But the lentils gave me an idea...

After spending time in Nepal eating nothing but lentil curry everyday at every meal, I lost my interest in the little legume. Now, I love them. In fact, I can't get enough of them. Especially as a part of a soup. With Spring upon us, I wasn't really in the mood for a heavy and hearty wintertime soup. I wanted a light lunch but, also something satisfying. One spoonful was all it took to make me smile. It's a kaleidoscope of bright colours with a very mild and fresh flavour. Just in time for Spring.

This week's recipe is very easy and fast to make. Lentils don't require pre-soaking so they cook rather quickly. But if you prefer, canned lentils substitute very nicely and speed up cooking time.

Just before serving, I add a healthy dollop of 2% yogurt and swirl it through the soup just before eating. It brightens up the soup, adding a tang & creaminess without the calories (if you aren't watching your weight, you could always use creme fraiche.)


Lentil Soup for Spring

1 finely chopped onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1 l low sodium vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
1 1/4c split lentils
1 large carrot roughly grated
salt & pepper

2% plain yogurt
approximately 1 tablespoon of herbs: eg. chives, dill, parsley

1. Lightly cook onion in a medium sized pot until onions are translucent. Add broth and turn up heat. Meanwhile, rinse lentils well. Add wash lentils and grated carrot to pot.
2. Simmer for at least 30 minutes. Check for seasoning and doneness.
3. Serve with a generous dollop of plain yogurt and a sprinkling of chopped fresh herbs.
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Oh Canada!

If you've been living on a desert island, you may not be aware that the Winter Olympics are currently taking place in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia. It's somewhat of a big deal here in Canada and admittedly, I do beam with pride when I see those gorgeous aerial shots of Vancouver and surrounds. It's a beautiful part of our country and I am glad that the rest of the world now knows about this magical and beautiful place.

Not only is Vancouver known for its spectacular natural beauty, it is also a mecca for cuisine. Some of Canada's best known restaurants and chefs are found in this city and food trends that eventually find themselves in Toronto often have their roots in Vancouver. With its close proximity to the sea, it is no wonder that Vancouver also boasts some of the best sushi outside of Japan. And if you are in search of seriously fresh fish and that connection to the people who "catch" your food, drive out to Richmond, a suburb of Vancouver, to meet the fishing boats and inspect that morning's catch. You probably couldn't find fresher fish.

For this week's post, I thought I might do something Canadian inspired to celebrate the Olympics. While there isn't really a Canadian cuisine in the same way there is distinct French, Japanese or Italian food, I think the consensus is that Canadian cuisine is probably characterized by the use of our local produce and local flavours.

I came up with a dish that reflects the foods of this vast nation. From the West, there is nothing more reflective of BC than salmon, from the Prairies, I chose lentils (Did you know that Canada is the world's largest exporter of lentils?), and from the East, glorious maple syrup from Quebec.

The salmon is prepared very simply - it is pan seared until the skin crisps up and finished with a glaze of maple syrup from Oka, Quebec. Then it is laid a top of bed of lovely brown lentils. (For this dish, I prefer French lentils (when I can find them) as they keep their shape and don't shed their skins when cooked. Unfortunately, for this post, I could not find them and have substituted brown lentils. The texture is slightly different but still delicious nevertheless.)


Grilled Salmon with Warm Lentil Salad

1 lb Pacific center-cut salmon - cut into four portions (or if you are looking for larger portions, I would say 1/2lb per person)
1 c brown lentils (or Du Puy aka French lentils, if available)

1 lemon - zest & juice
1 1/2 tbsp capers
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp light olive oil
1 tbsp vegetable oil
optional: maple syrup for finishing

1. Cook lentils according to package instructions. Do not overcook.
2. Meanwhile, roughly chop capers. Add to a large bowl along with lemon zest, juice, sugar & olive oil. Once lentils are cooked drain them well and add them to vinaigrette. Gently toss.
3. Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a large pan on high heat. Turn down to medium-high and cook salmon skin side down until the skin is nicely browned and crisp. Carefully turn fish over and cook on the opposite side. Cook until medium - approximately 10 minutes.
4. Serve salmon immediately on a bed of warm lentils.

*If there is leftover lentil salad, it is delicious on its own with some crumbled goat cheese on top.

Go Canada Go!
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If You Can't Beat'em, Join'em...

While it may be hard to say goodbye to summer, I like autumn for a couple of reasons: the fiery, vibrant colours of the fall leaves, apple-picking, and now, NFL football.

My husband is a big fan of the sport but I always thought of football as something that delayed the start of Sunday evening television. It wasn't interesting to me - a two groups of really big men pushing toward each other while a guy in the back tried to throw a ball before being crushed. But, several years ago I stepped into the light and embraced football as my own. Now I love it. And yes, our Sundays are planned around the games we are going to watch....

For Sunday lunch then, we needed something delicious but relatively easy to put together for our 1pm Patriots v. Jets game. So how about a hearty fall soup accompanied with slices of crisp chewy baguette for dipping? With flecks of brown, green and orange, the soup reminded me of fall colours. The addition of bacon (leave out if you don't like it) adds a nice salty and smokey flavour that makes it such a great hearty soup.

The soup takes about 45 minutes to put together from start to finish but could be even faster if you used canned lentils. It reheats well so it is perfect for lunch the next day and for freezing if you wanted to make a large batch for later.


Lentil & Smokey Bacon Soup

2 c dried mixed split lentils, rinsed well
1 small onion diced
2 large carrot, peeled & sliced into rounds
2 bay leaves
1 liter chicken broth
1 liter water
6 slices of streaky bacon

1. Cook lentils with onions, and carrot with bay leaves, chicken broth, and water. Cook for approximately 20-25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile cook bacon until slightly crisp.
3. Drain bacon. Finely chop and add to soup. Cook another 5 minutes.
4. Using an immersion blender, blend soup until desired consistency.
5. Serve. If reheating, you may have to thin the soup out with a little broth or water.

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