Lentil man

I was going through some old emails recently and came across this one from Brad to Mom on March 16, 2012 at 12:46 PM (when Brad would've been 11):

Will you please pick me up? I am INCREDIBLY Bored

 BBBBBBBBBBB                       BBBBBBBBBBB
         OO                                      OO 
     O        O                              O       O
     O        O                              O       O
         OO                                      OO
                             
                               R
                               R
                               RR
                                 R
                                RR      

EEEEEE                                             DDDDDDDD
              EEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDDDD       

I don't know if this counts as a success or a failure on the part of our public school system.

Since Brad and I have been stretching and rolling in the evenings to old episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender, I also had him email me a link to Sokka's haiku battle, one of our favorite moments from the show:



Brad has turned into quite the lentil eater, as well as an opinionated food critic. On this occasion, his verdict was that I should stick to just the lentils without the other stuff. But Mom and I both thought that this was a nice change from the usual lentils and that the creamy avocado went well with the lentils. I also learned from Deborah Madison, and double-checked with Cook's Illustrated, that the advice not to "add salt until the very end or the lentils will remain tough and hard despite hours of cooking" is an old wive's tale. Adding salt at the beginning actually improves the seasoning of the lentils significantly, without making them tough or increasing the cooking time, so I've changed my other lentil recipes accordingly.

Lentil and Avocado Salad

Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (1997) by Deborah Madison, and Heidi Swanson on 101 Cookbooks

Time: ~40 minutes depending on the type and age of your lentils

I've also made this without the avocado, in which case I crumble a little chèvre over top of the salad before drizzling with the last of the oregano oil (as in the bottom photo above).

Lentils
270 grams (1½ cups) French green lentils (du Puy), picked over and rinsed (you can substitute other kinds of lentils, except red)
4 cups (950 grams) water
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 bay leaf

Salad
2 teaspoons fresh oregano
½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
65 grams (5 tablespoons) extra-virgin olive oil
15 grams (1 tablespoon) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 or 2 avocados (see note)
25 grams (¼ cup) toasted pecan pieces or other nuts
1 tablespoon snipped chives

    1. For the lentils: Place the lentils, water, salt, and bay leaf in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a lively simmer (medium or a notch or two below). Cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender but not mushy and still hold their shape, about 25–30 minutes (less time for other kinds of lentils). Remove the bay leaf, drain, and return to the pan.
    2. For the salad: Meanwhile, grind the oregano and salt into a paste using a mortar and pestle. (If you don't have a mortar and pestle, just chop the oregano as finely as you can using a sharp knife.) Scrape into a small bowl. Whisk in the oil, and then the lemon juice.
    3. Toss the lentils with 4 tablespoons of the dressing. Taste for seasoning. Arrange on a serving dish.
    4. Halve and pit the avocado(s), then cut them into thin slices. Arrange the slices on top of the lentils. Drizzle with a bit more of the oil. Sprinkle with the nuts and chives. Drizzle with the rest of the oil, if desired. Serves 4.