Barbecued Lentils And Kasha
Barbecuing, or marinading and then-slow cooking over wood, flavors the peppers and other ingredients in this iron- and protein-rich lentil-kasha dish.
Barbecuing is a method of marinading food (meat) and then slow cooking it in smoke. It has been popular among cattle ranchers, and in the south, at political get-togethers. Bean dishes often accompany the barbecued meats and many dishes thus flavor beans with ingredients resembling those in a barbecue marinade: brown sugar, molasses, vinegar, lemon, and hot peppers. One popular barbecued bean dish is barbecued lentils.
This dish, inspired by the flavor of southern barbecue, where beans traditionally accompany meat, combines the beans with tomatoes, vinegar, honey, sweet onion, and fire-smoked hot peppers – relying on both tomatoes and vinegar. British Barbecue Co says that sweet (often molasses-flavored) tomato and hot pepper sauces are the traditional sauces in Tennessee and Alabama barbecues while vinegar and hot pepper are the ingredients in the North Carolina barbecue.
The smoked peppers that give the beans in this recipe a smokey flavor are cooked over coals, a bit faster and hotter than in a traditional barbecue. The iron-rich lentils cook rapidly and are well-suited to this speeded-up cooking. Hence, if possible, they, along with the kasha, should also be prepared on the grill. Read more on the history of barbecuing.
Like curried lentils and kasha, barbecued lentils and kasha combines brown lentils, one of the best vegetable sources of iron, according to the information on lentils in the University of Wisconsin-Extension and Minnesota Extension Service’s “Alternative Field Crops Manual” , as well as as a good source of fiber, with kasha, made from buckwheat and traditionally popular in East Europe, and rich in the amino acids essential for children and adults.
Barbecued Lentils with Kasha
Ingredients
- 1 c dry brown lentils, soaked 2-6 hrs, rinsed, and drained
- pinch salt
- 1 tsp bouillon (vegetable or chicken) or 1-to-1 1/2 tsps chicken fat (optional)
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 3/4 tsp turmeric (heaping)
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 2-to-2 1/2 tbsps apple cider vinegar
- juice of two lemons, seeds removed
- 1/4 c cilantro, minced
- 1/3 sweet onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, cut in half
- 1 small cubanella pepper
- 1/2 sweet red bell pepper
- 1-to-2 small tomatoes
- 1/2 cup kasha, toasted, whole granulation
- 2-to-3 tbsps honey (to taste)
- wood (such as oak, or any hard wood) for cooking and smoking
Barbecued Lentils with Kasha
Directions
1. Put the lentils into a pot. Cover them with water so that the water rises 1 inch above the lentils.
2. Add a pinch salt, 1/2 tbsp olive oil, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, the bouillon or fat if you are using it, and a pinch of cilantro.
3. Cover, and bring the lentils to a boil, then turn down and continue cooking on low till the kasha and spices are ready (see below).
4. Cut the jalapeno pepper in half lengthwise, and mince half of it.
5. While the lentils are simmering, place the heaping 3/4 tsp turmeric in a large pot or dutch oven (as above, large enough to cook the lentils, kasha, and seasonings), together with 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, the 1/2 minced jalapeno pepper, 1/2 minced sweet onion, the minced garlic, half the minced cilantro, the juice of 1 lemon, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar.
6. Slice the remaining 1/2 jalapeno pepper into thin strips, and do the same with the cubanella pepper and the half red bell pepper.
7. Dip the strips in the oil-vinegar-seasoning mix in the skillet, making sure they are well-coated, then place on an iron lid or in a roasting pan over coals, to roast (the goal is to get these roasted and smokey; it will take 30 minutes or longer; be patient).
8. Now cover the seasonings and oil in the skillet and cook till the onion is semi-transparent.
9. Add the kasha, cover, and cook about 5-7 more minutes, uncovering and stirring periodically, just till the kasha is a bit tender tender.
10. Meanwhile, wash the tomato(es) and place it(them) in a pot of hot water, simmering until the skin gets loose and wrinkled.
11. Remove the skin and chop. Add the tomato(es) to the kasha, and continue simmering till the tomato(es) gets bubbly.
12. Add an additional 1/2-to-1 tbsp apple cider vinegar to the skillet together with the simmering lentils. If the beans have little water left, add up to 1/4 cup more water, and then cook till most of the water is gone.
13. Mince the peppers and add all but a little red bell pepper to the lentils, reserving that for garnish.
14. Add the remaining half lemon, 1 more tbsp apple cider vinegar, the honey, and the remaining minced cilantro.
15. Stir well, cover, and continue cooking a bit longer, till all the ingredients are hot through and through with most of the liquid gone.
16. Remove from the heat, top with the minced roasted red pepper garnish, and serve.
This is delicious alone as a vegetarian main dish or with red potatoes, chicken, or fish. For a more “Old World” flavor, you might also want to try making curried lentils and kasha.
