Moroccan Lentils

Don't let the name scare you away, these lentils are tender and delicious. Your mouth will be filled with warm spices and natural sweetness. This an easy one pot meal that freezes well. This dish is perfect on a cold Winter night.

Lentils have been sustaining man for thousands of years but some refuse to eat them and refer to them as "food for the poor".

"Lentils, botanically-known as Lens culinaris esculenta, grow in pods that contain either one or two lentil seeds. Sometimes smaller than the tip of a pencil eraser, lentils can be round, oval, or heart-shaped disks. Known as dal or dahl in India, lentils are dried after harvesting and may be sold whole or split into halves, with the brown and green varieties being the best at retaining their shape after cooking. When halved, dried lentils resemble their split pea cousins. " per The Spruse Eats.

Lentils are thought to have originated in the Far East or Mediterranean area, thousands of years ago. They are the oldest pulse crop known to man and one of the earliest domesticated crops. The word lentil comes from the Latin lens, and indeed, this bean cousin is shaped like the double convex optic lens that took its name from the lentil.

I remember as a child, sitting down at the table and "sorting" the lentils. Some packages had little stones or pebbles hidden in between the lentils. Now they appear to be pure lentils without pebble or stones, but I still sort them, I guess for nostalgia reasons.

This recipe calls for specific spices that may be expensive on the initial purchase, but they last a very long time. Mc Cormick has made a wonderful spice blend "Moroccan Spice Blend" that is part of their gourmet collect. This gourmet blend contains cinnamon, cumin, coriander, ginger, cardamom, black pepper, white pepper, red pepper, paprika and turmeric. If you had to purchase all these spices individually, it would cost a small fortune.

Let's get cooking, you'll need:

1 package of lentils (any color - I use the old fashion brown ones)

1 sweet potato cubed

1 onion chopped (small)

1 garlic clove - chopped

1 can of chic peas - drained

1/4 cup of yellow raisins

2 stalks of celery (chopped)

2 carrots (chopped)

1 tbsp. of ground cinnamon

1 tbsp Mc Cormick Moroccan Spice Mix

1/4 tsp Mc Cormick Mint Flakes (to finish the dish)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp curry powder

4 tbsp plain Yogurt (not Greek)

3 cups of chicken stock (1 extra in reserve if needed)

1 can of coconut cream (not milk)

Mc Cormick Gourmet morocccan Seasoning (ras el hanout)

You can till by the amount used from the container that I love this warm blend of spices. This is an awesome addition to a homemade pot of chili.

In a large stock pot, heat the oil and cook the onions, carrots and celery until they are soft (not brown). You need to "bloom the spices" to encourage them to release their natural oils and aromas. Once the spices are toasted, add the sweet potato, lentils and chic peas. Stir until everything is covered with the spice mix. Next is the chicken stock and coconut cream. The coconut cream will melt and give the lentils a rich creamy texture that is pleasing to your palate.

Cover the pot and allow them to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can add additional stock if you want your lentils more of a soup but I like them more of a stoup. (that's somewhere between a soup and a stew). Hey, I never said I was normal, extremely creative yes, normal no.

At the end, add the raisins before serving. Once plated, you can plop the yogurt in the center but I like to drizzle it in a pattern on the top of the lentils. Finish the dish with a dusting of Mc Cormick Mint Flakes (this is optional, I know my sister doesn't like mint so I would leave it off her dish). Chopped fresh mint would work too but I don't always have that on hand.

These freeze well in an airtight container for up to 6 months. A hint on how to avoid freezer burn is to put your airtight container in a ziptop bag. The double protection will keep the frost away from your yummy lentils.

"astamtae " - translation: ENJOY!!