Lentils

A cousin of the bean, this legume, after sorting for damaged seeds, stones or other foreign matter, requires no soaking, just rinse until water running through is clear. To remove substances that may cause indigestion, some cooks prefer to soak lentils overnight, discard the water, rinsing again prior to cooking. Cooking time is short: 15-25 minutes, depending on the variety. As with beans, add salt near the end of cooking to avoid toughness. Lentils keep indefinitely in a tightly sealed container stored in a cool, dark, dry place. Age tends to darken their skins (especially if exposed to light) but improves their cooking quality. (1) (2) (3) Learn more about lentils at the footnoted links! For an illustrated variety primer and additional cooking information check out The Cook’s Thesaurus: http://www.sonic.net~alden/Lentils.html! (1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lentil (2) http://www.lentilfest.com (3) http://www.icarda.org/publications/cook/lentil/lentil.html