Stone Lentil Pilots

The most underrated legume that could save your life

Welcome to the last edition of our Beans and Rice series. Save your tears though- unless you just spilled sixteen quarts of beans- because we’ve saved the best for last: lentils. 

These legumes are our absolute everyday go-to food for lots of reason but the big 3 are: 

1. there’s no soaking required

2. they cook fast as hell 

3. they’re a nutritional powerhouse 

Sure, lentils can be boring on their own but sneak these lil fuckers into your favorite meals to amp up the nutritional value of whatever else you’re eating. Lentil bacon-ish bites anyone? 

you bet your sweet ass we put lentils on a salad

In fact, research has shown that eating lentils regularly is one of the best predictors of longevity in humans. Studying groups in Japan, Sweden, Greece, and Australia, researchers found that legumes were THE ONLY food that had this effect when all other factors were controlled for between the diverse groups and accounted for an 8% reduction in mortality for every 20 grams increase in daily legumes intake. They’re rich in protein magnesium, iron and zinc and have the second highest protein content of all legumes, after soybeans. 

So, they’re easy to cook, cheap, and they’ll help you stay healthy as you age and your body begins to betray you. Sounds like a damn good deal to us. And we’re not alone in our lentil love because humans have been eating them for a long, long time.

(gotta love a hot handful of beans in the morning

The oldest known carbonized lentil remains are dated all the way back to 11,000 BC. Found in Greece's Franchthi Cave,  clearly they must’ve been left over from some type of legume-based cave rave. Def our vibe. These were likely gathered legumes because evidence of domestication only dates back to 8,000 B.C. in what is now northern Syria. Like we said, humans have been eating lentils for a long, long time. By 6,000 B.C., lentils had reached Greece, where the legumes were regarded as food for those who couldn’t afford to eat meat.

Rameses III: known lentil lover before his brutal and wild assassination

 While they might have been the food of the ancient every day Greeks, in Egypt lentils were a food fit for the gods. Remains of lentils were found in the royal tombs at Thebes dating to 2,400 B.C. and a fresco from the reign of Rameses III shows lentil soup being prepared. Lentils continued to spread all over Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and throughout India, who is now one of the largest producers of legumes in the world. Whether it’s dal, mujaddara, or kik wot, lentils are part of so many of the world’s cuisines. So after all that, don’t they deserve a place on your plate?

This week’s recipe is destined for your regular rotation. It’s fast and you can sub in whatever you’ve got on hand to get this meal from pantry to plate in way less time than it’ll take you to pick what you’re streaming tonight. Replace the green beans with broccoli, snow peas, green peas, zucchini, or whatever sounds good to you. This makes for solid leftovers so feel free to make it your lunch for the week. Trust us, you’re gonna want those leftovers.

Red Lentils and Rice with Dill

Makes enough for 4 people

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 red onion, chopped

1 ½ cups basmati rice, rinsed

1 tablespoon no-salt yellow curry powder

1 cup red lentils, rinsed

3 ½ cup vegetable broth

roughly 3 cups chopped greens beans

4 cloves of garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon no-salt curry powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup grated carrot

½ cup chopped fresh dill

¼ cup lemon juice, about 2 lemons

In a large pot, warm up the first tablespoon of olive oil over a medium heat. Add half of the chopped red onion with a pinch of salt and sauté until the onion starts to look translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and curry powder and sauté until the rice looks nice and coated in the curry powder. Add the lentils and vegetable broth and bring the whole pot to a simmer. Once it’s got a good simmer going, stir the pot then turn down the heat to low and throw on the lid. Let this cook for 15 minutes until the rice is tender and all the water is absorbed.

While that shit is slowly cooking away, let’s get going on the green beans. In a large braiser or sauté pan, add the remaining oil over a medium high heat. Throw in the green beans with a pinch of salt and let ‘em cook until they start to soften and get bright green, about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the chopped red onion and keep cooking until the green beans are tender but not mushy, another 5-7 minutes. If the pan starts looking too dry before the beans are to your liking, just add a tablespoon or two of water. No big deal. Once they look good to you, add the garlic and curry powder and sauté around for one minute more before turning off the heat.

By now the rice should be done and most of the lentils will have kind of disappeared into it. That’s perfect. Add the salt then fluff the rice mixture up with a fork to get it all mixed in. Then fold in the grated carrot, cooked green beans, and the chopped dill. Drizzle over the lemon juice and mix one more time. Serve warm or at room temperature with extra dill on top for looks.

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Now you’re armed with everything you need to embrace your untapped love for lentils. Start incorporating them into your meals and you might be the first immortal, so long as you don’t get assasinated. 

Thanks for joining us here in The Broiler Room. We’ll get the dishes.

Michelle and Matt