Whole Wheat Pasta with Lentils, Leeks & Spinach

Do you remember when whole wheat pasta tasted like cardboard? It's much improved these days. In fact, where dried pasta is concerned, I prefer whole wheat for texture and flavor. Plus I know I am getting the extra fiber and nutrients that are lost in refined pasta.

Add the meaty flavor and fullness of lentils and you have a complete meal, as far as I'm concerned. Leeks and spinach add a nice touch of spring.

I admit my method for making this dish is a bit unconventional, especially where the lentils are concerned. I am not exact about quantities. I cook the lentils and pasta separately, of course, then add them together in a bowl at the end using just enough of each until it looks right. Sometimes I end up with leftover lentils, which is not such a bad thing. I might just eat them for breakfast the next day.

Start by cooking 1 cup of French Puy lentils with a clove of garlic and a bay leaf in a saucepan, covered with water to a depth of 1 inch. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, trim and clean a large leek. I like to whittle away the tough green leaves until the top of the leak looks like a pencil, then split the leek in half lengthwise from a point about 1/2 inch from the root end. This allows you to get underneath the leaves and remove any dirt or grit with running water. Slice the leek thinly and place it in a heavy skillet over moderate heat with about 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Stir in 1 garlic clove, finely chopped, about 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves and season with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt to draw out the liquids.

At this point I cover the skillet to speed the cooking and retain the liquid. When the leek is soft add a big fistful or two of baby spinach leaves, about 4 ounces.. Continue cooking, uncovered, until the spinach is completely wilted. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the pasta I use large elbows, or chiocciole. Cook 8 ounces in salted water. When done, drain and toss in a bowl with the cooked vegetables and the lentils. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Give it a final splash of extra-virgin olive oil and serve.

I find this dish just as good at room temperature, meaning there's no need to panic if all of the ingredients don't come off the stove top piping hot at the same time.

Call Me Hambone

Apparently I've gained a reputation as the soup guy in our family. As we were preparing to decamp from Easter dinner and as parting gifts were being distributed, brother-in-law Barry produced the bone from the buffet ham. With a certain glint in his eye, Barry looked in my direction. Would I consider accepting this prize?

Have I ever said no to a ham bone?

Normally the cured remains of the pork joint would sit a while in our refrigerator while I considered my options. But I had recently been digging through our pantry and discovered a huge bag of French lentils. It came tumbling out of a basket of spices I keep in there (one of my many failings is my lack of organiztion in the spice department--they've outgrown their shelf in the spice cabinet).

I decided to make this an all-lentil soup. To accompany the Puy lentils I opened a bag of Indian dal, or yellow lentils. I knew that if these particular legumes remained true to form, the yellow dal would dissolve into the soup and become background for the French lentils, which always seem to retain their shape and some texture no matter how long you cook them.

Into the pot went a large yellow onion, diced small, with about 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and 1 teaspoon coarse salt. Next add three medium carrots, peeled and diced small. Cook the vegetables until the onions begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Nestle the ham bone down in the vegetables and add 1 cup each of the Puy and yellow lentils. (In fact, I did not measure, but I believe these are the correct quantities.) Toss in 3 or 4 sprigs fresh thyme and 2 bay leaves, then pour in enough water to cover the ham bone, about 8 cups.

Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 4 hours, or until the meat is falling off the ham bone. We ate a bowl for dinner last night and the soup was just thin enough to please my wife. She prefers her legume soups on the thin side, as opposed to library paste. You can jazz this soup up a bit, if you like, by garnishing it with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

This soup also makes an excellent breakfast. But something happens to these sorts of soups when you leave them out overnight. They become thicker. Even after reheating, the soup had more of a stew-like consistency than the night before. I don't know if there is somehting about the starches in the legumes that thickens it in the night. But if it becomes too thick for your taste, just add a little water.

I know this soup will sound very familiar to some readers who may remember me making a pantry soup not long ago with lentils, split peas and a ham bone. To that I can only say that Gertrude Stein had it about right: things improve with repetition. Make this soup and I am betting you will feel as I do that it is far and away better than the one you made the last time.

How to Peel a Pearl

Pearl onions are one of those items that never found their way into my grocery cart. Too much work. Who wants to spend all that time peeling the skin off that itty, bitty thing?

No, there just didn't seem to be much of a payoff with pearl onions. But I was wrong. Peeling them is not very hard it all. Oh, there's some work involved, alright. But it's not hard. And it's worth it for the sweet flavor these onions deliver.

The trick is to blanch the onions to loosen the skins. Bring a pot of water to a boil, drop in the onions and let them cook for one minute. Then drain the pot or remove the onions with a slotted spoon and immerse them in cold water. To peel, trim the root end from the onion. I find a small serrated knife is best for this as the onions are a bit slippery. With the root end removed, you can squeeze the stem end between your fingers. The onion will slip away from the skin and pop free.

I use the same procedure for skinning other small onions such as cipollini. Once the skin is removed, the onions can go back in the pot to cook through. Cipollinis are particularly good caramelized in a sweet-and-sour manner--dressed with vinegar and sugar. Brown them agressively for a dramatic side dish.

Last night we spent the evening with our friend Shelley and John watching the Super Bowl. John had made a huge pot of beef stew with pearl onions. Coincidentally, I'd made a hearty dish of lentils with pearl onions. It had been too long since the last time we'd had lentils, and the pearl onions add just the right amount of sweetness to the meaty lentil flavor.

For a big pot of lentils, first blanch and skin 20 ounces pearl onions. In a big, heavy pot, heat three tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Add the onions plus 3 large carrots peeled and sliced on the diagonal; 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced; 1 teaspoon salt; 4 fresh thyme sprigs; 1 bay leaf. Cook over moderate heat until vegetables begin to soften, then add 2 cups French green (or Puy) lentils, rinsed, and 5 cups water. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and cook until the lentils are tender.

The cooking time for the lentils will vary depending on freshness. Expect somewhere between 12 and 20 minutes. Test them occasionally. They should be just tender, not mushy. To serve, remove the thyme sprigs and the bay leaf. Adjust the salt as needed and season with freshly ground black pepper.

This is a great dish to serve next to a braised lamb shank. But really, lentils have a meatiness all their own. Just spoon some into a bowl and garnish with some chopped fresh parsley and maybe a drizzle of olive oil.

Split Pea-Lentil-Ham Soup with Sweet Potato

You are probably wondering how I arrived at a soup containing split peas, two different kids of lentils, ham and sweet potatoes.

I assure you, this did not involve a visit from the soup fairy.

I started with a meaty ham bone for which I had already envisioned a soupy destination. More precisely, split pea soup. This was a tradition in my family, making split pea soup from a ham bone. It usually came out very thick, or something like molten library paste. I like mine thinner, but with texture.

I was ready to make a run to the Whole Foods for split peas when I checked myself, thinking a quick peek in the pantry might save me a trip. Sure enough, in a big jar gathering dust on the top shelf, there was the remains of a bag of split peas. Not nearly enough to make a pot of soup, however. In the same container I found a handful of yellow Indian lentils. Again, an obvious insufficiency. There was also a small quantity of French Puy lentils, memory of some long-ago stew.

Neither of the three would suffice on its own. But with all three together, I had a soup and no need for a shopping trip. I also had part of a sweet potato, left over from making a rustic chicken stew (stay tuned). Voila, split pea-lentil-ham soup with sweet potato.


First, cut a medium yellow onion and three carrots (peeled) into small dice. Start these cooking in about 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil over moderately low heat. Stir in about 1 teaspoon coarse salt to draw out the liquid. Add two or three cloves garlic, thinly sliced.

Cook until the onions are soft, about 8 minutes, then add the ham bone plus 1/2 cup split peas, 1/2 cup yellow lentils and 1/2 cup French Puy lentils. Add 1 cup sweet potato cut into bite-size pieces. Pour seven cups water into the pot and add a few sprigs of thyme and a bay leaf tied into a bundle. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to the lowest setting, cover and cook very slowly for three or four hours.

As it cooks, the ham will eventually fall off the bone. The split peas and yellow lentils will completely disintegrate, leaving the French lentils very soft but still holding a bit of texture. At this point you can remove the pot from the heat and fish out the bones and any clumps of gristle, as well as the herb bundle, using a pair of tongs or slotted spoon. Season to taste with ground black pepper and salt.

Serve the soup hot, perhaps with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar or maple syrup. A crusty piece of bread will work nicely. This is a great soup for cleaning out the pantry. Don't be afraid to amend it to suit your particular cleaning needs.