Green Lentils & Polenta

[OakLeaf]

Is it instant polenta, or regular? Regular needs a little more attention, i.e. fairly constant stirring once it starts to thicken, otherwise it will stick. It's good as a porridge with sauce, or you can cool, slice and fry it as MsIncredible said. Any red sauce is good on polenta. One of my favorite recipes is just broccoli cooked to death in the Italian way. Peel the stalks, chop stalks and florets finely, mince some garlic and saute it all in plenty of olive oil until it's very soft, half an hour or more, stirring regularly so it doesn't burn or stick. Then just salt to taste. So simple, and it really brings out the sweetness of the broccoli, and it's delicious over polenta with some parmigiano reggiano on the side, or shaved/grated over the top.

Lentils, there are the French green lentils (kind of shaped like mung beans but a little smaller and a deep dark green), then sometimes you'll see what I know as brown lentils (the familiar round flat thin ones) labeled as "green lentils". The French green lentils have a nuttier and richer flavor and thicker skins, but I'll use them interchangeably. Probably French green lentils are better for salads just because of their thicker skins. Mostly I just make a simple lentil soup with whatever vegetables and herbs happen to be on hand. It's really one of our go-to meals when we don't have the energy for something elaborate or just can't think of what to fix. Try it with barley and a little thyme; or with tarragon and no grain, but bread on the side.

+1 that not having to soak lentils is a big plus. For some other options, black-eyed peas (or similar field peas and pigeon peas) also don't require soaking, and mung beans cook up quickly from dry as well.