COCONUT LENTILS WITH CURRIED ROOT VEGETABLES AND GREEN HARISSA
Ingredients
Curried Root Vegetables
- 1 1 1cup CUP_USVolumepeeled and quartered baby turnips
- 1 1 1cup CUP_USVolumepeeled and quartered baby carrots
- 1 1 1cup CUP_USVolumecolored or regular small cauliflower florets
- 1 1 1tablespoon TABLESPOON_USVolumewhole cumin seeds, toasted in a small dry skillet over low heat until fragrant, cooled, and ground in a spice mill
- 1 1 1tablespoon TABLESPOON_USVolumewhole coriander seeds, toasted in a small dry skillet over low heat until fragrant, cooled, and ground in a spice mill
- 1 1 1tablespoon TABLESPOON_USVolumesweet paprika
- 1 1 1tablespoon TABLESPOON_USVolumeMadras curry powder
- 2 2 2tablespoons TABLESPOON_USVolumeextra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1 1tablespoon TABLESPOON_USVolumered wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
- salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Coconut Lentils
- 1 1 1tablespoon TABLESPOON_USVolumecanola oil
- 1 1 1fennel bulb, trimmed and quartered
- 1 1 1large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
- 2 2 2carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks about the size of the fennel and onion pieces
- 1 1 1jalapeño chile, halved, deveined, and seeded
- 3 3 3lime leaves, or 3 long, thin strips lime zest
- 1 1 1lemongrass stalk, outer layer peeled off, heart smashed a couple times with the back of a heavy knife
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 2 2cups CUP_USVolumebeluga or puy lentils, carefully sorted to remove any stones or other debris, rinsed
- 1 1 1tablespoon TABLESPOON_USVolumewhole cumin seeds, toasted in a small dry skillet over low heat until fragrant, cooled, and ground in a spice mill
- 1 1 1whole coriander seeds, toasted in a small dry skillet over low heat until fragrant, cooled, and ground in a spice mill
- 1 1 1tablespoon TABLESPOON_USVolumewhole husked green cardamom seeds, toasted in a small dry skillet over low heat until fragrant, cooled, and ground in a spice mill
- 4 4 4cups CUP_USVolumecanned vegetable broth or water
- 1 1 1cup CUP_USVolumecanned coconut milk
Green Harissa
- 2 2 2jalapeño chiles, halved, stemmed, deveined, seeded, and finely diced
- 1 1 1cup CUP_USVolumepacked fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/2 1/2 1/2cup CUP_USVolumepacked Italian (flat-leaf) parsley leaves
- 1/4 1/4 1/4packed fresh mint leaves
- 1/2 1/2 1/2cup CUP_USVolumeextra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 1/2 1/2cup CUP_USVolumecanola oil
- 1 1 1teaspoon TEASPOON_USVolumeminced fresh ginger
- 1 1 1teaspoon TEASPOON_USVolumeminced garlic
- 1/2 1/2 1/2teaspoon TEASPOON_USVolumewhole cumin seeds, toasted in a small dry skillet over low heat until fragrant, cooled, and ground in a spice mill
- Fresh lime juice or lemon juice
- 1 1 1teaspoon TEASPOON_USVolumesalt, plus more as needed
- 1/2 1/2 1/2teaspoon TEASPOON_USVolumefreshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- For the Curried Root Vegetables, while the lentils are cooling, preheat the oven to 450°F. Put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and toss by hand until the vegetables are evenly coated with the spices. Spread the mixture in a single layer in a baking pan. Roast in the oven until the vegetables are tender-crisp, nicely browned, and slightly charred along the edges, 30 to 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the Coconut Lentils. Heat a 3-quart saucepan over high. Add the canola oil, fennel, onion, carrots, jalapeño, lime leaves, and lemongrass; cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have browned slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the lentils and half each of the cumin, coriander, and cardamom and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 3 cups of the vegetable broth or water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the lentils are tender but still slightly firm and not mushy, about 20 minutes.
- Strain the lentils, transfer them to a mixing bowl, and set aside to cool. Remove and discard the fennel, onion, carrots, jalapeño, lime leaves, and lemongrass.
- About 30 minutes before serving time, put the coconut milk in a 3-quart saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the lentils. Little by little, stir in some or all of the remaining cumin, coriander, and cardamom to taste. Return to a simmer, season to taste with salt and pepper, add a little more of the remaining stock or water, and cook until the lentils are very tender, about 5 minutes longer, adjusting the amount of liquid to give the mixture the creamy consistency of risotto.
- Before serving, make the Green Harissa. Put the chiles, cilantro, parsley, mint, olive oil, canola oil, ginger, garlic, and cumin in a food processor. Process until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a nonreactive bowl and season to taste with lime or lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- To serve, spoon the lentils in large, shallow individual serving bowls. Arrange the roasted vegetables on top. Drizzle with the harissa. Serve immediately.
ABOUT THIS RECIPE
Each of the three elements in this recipe—the creamy lentils, the oven-caramelized vegetables, and the spicy North African-style sauce—is worth making on its own. Brought together as they are here, they create a wonderfully complex and satisfying vegetarian main course that will make even devoted carnivores happy. Toasting the whole spices before grinding them helps give the finished dish a much more aromatic flavor than you would get from pre-ground spices, although you will certainly get delicious results if you use those instead.