The split red lentil cannot hold. I really wanted to participate in this IMBB, as I have never done so, and I was feeling heady from the success of my molasses creations (especially after licking all that bourbon sauce off the plate...) Sadly, I was feeling a little uninspired by the color orange. And then it hit me!
There is a salad Husband loves to make (and we both love to eat) that comes from Chef Richard Blondin at the Refectory Restaurant. It involves Lentils du Puy, Granny Smith Apples, and a curry vinaigrette. I could do this with the split red lentils I had in the cupboard! Add some carrots and an orange bell pepper and viola! Orange salad! I am genius.
Well, here's the thing. The French lentils are prized for their ability to retain a toothsome meatiness after cooking. They are great for cooking and then incorporating into salads. Split red lentils, on the other hand, are prized for their ability to cook into a creamy mush, great for cooking into spicy red dal soup.
After about 10 minutes of simmering, during which time I whipped up my curry vinaigrette, the red lentils burst apart and I had a stock pot full of orange mush. I hurriedly calculated, started a mirepoix in another pan, deciding to make soup in reverse - am still genius, ingenuitive genius!
I incorporated the two and allowed them to simmer on the stove. And then forgot about it. And so, here it is, my failed non-entry: (Because I would never want anyone to think I couldn't admit my mistakes!)
So how does it taste? Er, I'm not sure. I'm a little afraid to try, to be quite honest. At least I have my vinaigrette. Will make the real thing, green though it may be, and tell you all about it in the coming week.
