The BookShelf :
The Pea & Lentil Cookbook
238 pp $24.95
U.S. Dry Pea & Lentil Council, Moscow, ID
Just in case there's anyone out there who hasn't noticed yet, here on the Palouse, we're darn proud of our peas and lentils.
If you didn't happen to recognize them growing on the dune-like fields that roll around the region, planted among the amber fields of wheat, then perhaps you stopped to wonder at the prolific jars of lentils and dry peas entered in the county fair last month. Or maybe you've already started training for next summer's mini-marathon during the National Lentil Festival in Pullman—the Tase T. Lentil 5K Run (get there early for the Lentil Pancake Breakfast!).
In fact, Moscow/Pullman is home to the venerable USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council. And you thought you lived in the middle of nowhere.
The council is located right out there on the highway next to the Appaloosa Horse Museum (another august Moscow institution).
According to the P & L Council, the first U.S. lentils were grown right here on the Palouse over a century ago. By the late 1900's, over 150,000 acres of lentils were planted in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana and North Dakota. Whew. That's a lot of Lentil Chili.
Our P & L Council has just released The Pea & Lentil Cookbook to celebrate that lentil pride, and I must say, I am deeply impressed with their effort. The cookbook includes appetizers and dips, salads and stews, main dishes, side dishes and baked goods, plus a whole bunch of nutrition information and legume history and splendid photographs. I love it!
Longtime Palouse residents will recognize many names of folks who worked to put this book together. It's a must-have for anyone who lives here and appreciates the versatility (not to mention the good value) of the humble pea and lentil, and it's the perfect gift to share with friends and family afar. And it's available now at the Co-op.
The recipes in this beautifully bound book range from the simple (Red Lentil Soup, Pasta Sauce with Lentils, and Herbed Lentil Salad ) to the sublime (Ditalini & Lentil Compote, Chocolate Lentil Cake, and Grape Leaves Stuffed with Lentils & Dried Fruits). There's even a recipe for Lentil Potstickers.
The Pea & Lentil Cookbook includes more than 150 recipes. Each recipe contains great kitchen tips and the ever-important nutrition information. I would be remiss in not including a tiny sampling of the delicious offerings:
Lentil-Stuffed Mushrooms
12-16 medium mushrooms
1/4 c butter or margarine
1/4 c finely chopped onions
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup cooked lentils
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c dry plain bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove stems from mushrooms. Chop stems and set aside. Arrange caps in an oiled baking dish. In a frying pan, stir together butter, chopped stems, onion, salt and pepper. Cook until onions are clear and soft. Stir in lentils, cheese and bread crumbs. Stuff caps with the lentil mixture. Bake caps 10 to 15 minutes, or broil them for about 5 minutes. Serve hot.
Pea
and Pesto Soup
1 c green or yellow split peas, rinsed
1 14 1/2-oz can chicken broth
2 1/2 c water
3 Tbs basil pesto
1 cup thinly sliced zucchini
1 c chopped scallions
grated Parmesan cheese
croutons
Combine peas, broth and water in large saucepan; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 35 to 45 minutes or until peas are very soft.
Stir in pesto, zucchini, and scallions and simmer 5 to 10 minutes longer.
Serve with croutons and grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle over soup.
If you can't come into the Co-op to purchase a copy of The Pea & Lentil Cookbook, you can order it online directly from the Pea & Lentil Council.
Robin Ohlgren-Evans has lived 22 years on the Palouse and readily admits to serving up more than the occasional pot of lentil stew.
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