Lentil and Orange Purée

La storia di questo piatto

Rooted in the Levant's way of turning humble lentils into something luminous, this is a dish of earth and sun: red lentils warmed by cumin, turmeric and Aleppo pepper, brightened by a single fresh orange. It is a modern home-kitchen thought, not an ancient recipe, but it speaks the old spice-route language of the East.

Ingredienti

• 80 g skinless split red lentils
• 50 ml fresh orange juice (from 1 small untreated orange)
• 1 teaspoon grated zest of untreated orange (from the same orange)
• 30 g onion
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 pinch Aleppo pepper (or sweet paprika)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 300 ml warm vegetable stock, lightly salted
• 1 pinch fine salt

Preparazione

1. Rinse the lentils in a colander under cold running water until the water runs almost clear, then drain. Finely chop the onion. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and sweat the onion for 3-4 minutes, until translucent and soft, without letting it darken.
2. Add the cumin, turmeric and Aleppo pepper and toast for 30 seconds, stirring: they should become fragrant, not burn. Add the drained lentils and toast them for 1-2 minutes in the spiced oil.
3. Pour in the warm stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook with the lid partly covering the pan for about 18-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the liquid evaporates too quickly before the lentils are soft, add a ladleful of warm stock. They are ready when they break apart when pressed with a spoon and the mixture is thick and creamy, with little liquid left.
4. Turn off the heat and stir in the orange juice for a moment. Taste and adjust the salt only now, a pinch at a time, remembering the stock is already salty. Finish with the zest grated from the same orange used for the juice, stir and serve immediately.