Quick yellow red lentil spread with onion and lemon
My mom said to me that since it’s a New Year’s Day and it’s grey, cold and a bit sad all around, I should post a new recipe and it should be something along the lines of „colourful and happy sandwiches”. At first, I found this to be a strange idea, but the very next day I was cooking red lentils with lemon in the morning to prepare a beautifully yellow, tasty and really simple breakfast.
The power of this recipe is its simplicity: there is almost no slicing and no frying. You just need to cook lentils with other ingredients in a pot for ten minutes, until everything is soft and easy to blend into a smooth spread.
The lentils prepared this way can be treated also as a separate mini-dish, appetizer or a simple snack. It tastes great with bread and crispy, fresh vegetables.
Quick yellow red lentil spread with onion and lemon
- 1/2 cup of dry red lentils and 1 cup of water
- 2 small white onions (or one large)
- 3 lemon slices and another piece to squeeze the juice (it’s good to rinse the lemon thoroughly with boiling water or use a bio lemon)
- 4 cloves
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 3 tbsps of neutral oil
For serving:
- Radish, chives, cucumber, chili pepper, and a slice of fresh bread.
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Rinse the lentils in a strainer under running water.
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Peel the onion and cut into quarters.
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In a small pot, boil a glass of water, add red lentils, chopped onion, three lemon slices, four cloves, salt, pepper and a teaspoon of turmeric. Simmer covered for 10 minutes.
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Leave the cooked lentils in the pot for an additional five minutes. Then remove the lemon slices and cloves, add oil and blend it into a smooth, beautifully yellow spread.
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Don’t worry if it is too watery – it will thicken over time. Before serving sprinkle gently with salt and lemon juice.
