Recipe: Big Batch of Lentils

BIG BATCH OF LENTILS

1 pound brown dried lentils
5 cups water
1 teaspoon salt

Pour lentils into a colander. Pick over the lentils to remove any debris. Run cool tap water over the lentils and run your fingers through them to find and rinse away any possible clumps of dirt.

Place the lentils, water and salt in a 4 1/2-quart Dutch oven or soup pot over high heat. Cover the pot, and bring the lentils to a boil. Then uncover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer 30 to 40 minutes or until the lentils reach the desired tenderness. (The cooking time may vary depending upon the age of the lentils, but 30 minutes should produce still-firm lentils while at 40 minutes they should be very tender.)

Remove the lentils from the heat and set them aside to cool or use in other recipes. Lentils may be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month. (We like to freeze lentils in a quart-size zipper-top freezer bags in 1-cup batches. Lay them flat to freeze and they'll defrost faster.)

Defrost frozen lentils in the refrigerator or in the microwave following the oven manufacturer's directions.

TO COOK IN A CROCK POT:
The dried lentils, water and salt may also be placed in a slow cooker and cooked (covered) on the low setting until tender, about 4 to 4 1/2 hours.

Makes 6 cups

Nutrients per 1/4-cup serving: 57 calories, 4 grams protein, 10 grams
carbohydrate, no fat (3 percent total calories), no cholesterol, 4 grams
fiber, 98 milligrams sodium.

Source: The Times-Dispatch, March 31, 2002