Lentil patties and potato raita

I'm a big proponent of being able to cook a meal at any time with what you have in your kitchen. I think this impulse comes from living with my mother who while a great cook has a deep aversion of going to the grocery store. To be this kind of cook you have to maintain an intelligently stocked pantry. My staples include onions, garlic, carrots, celery, potatoes, and some type of bean, canned and dry. More on quick meals that include minimal grocery shopping later in the broadcast...


Dish #1 Lentil patties
Ingredients
1/2 cup lentils
1 carrot, chopped
1 onion, diced
2 cups water
1 tsp cumin
1tsp curry powder
a touch of chili powder
salt and pepper
1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs

Heat olive oil in a medium sauce pan and saute the onions until translucent. Then add the chopped carrot, the lentils, all the spices and 2 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn down the heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes until the water is almost gone. Remove from the heat and let cool to the point where you can comfortably handle the mixture. Add the 1/2 cup of bread crumbs and mix until a dough forms. Shape the dough into patties and place on an oiled baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until browned and crispy.

I should say that the redeeming quality of this recipe is that it works with so many ingredients. You can use red onions, any type of beans you might have left over, zucchini, peppers, corn, etc. Any vegetables cooked together can be essentially glued by the bread crumbs and baked or fried to make a delicious patty. My mistake was in adding too many bread crumbs which made my patties dry. Also be sure to leave some liquid in the mixture when you remove it from the heat. I used lentils because they don't have to be soaked so they're an easy and immediate ingredient. They're also cheap, cheap, cheap--always a good thing.


Dish #2
The lentil cakes should be served with some type of yogurt sauce, think tzatziki or just a mildly spiced yogurt. I decided to serve mine with a heartier yogurt based dish, potato raita.

Potato Raita (Adapted from the Vegetarian Epicure)

Ingredients:
3 potatoes
3 stalks of celery chopped
1 tbs butter
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp curry
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cups yogurt

Peel and halve the potatoes and boil until soft. Let them cool then chop them coarsely. In the same pan in which you boiled the potatoes, melt the tablespoon of butter, add the spices and stir until aromatic. Add the celery, let it cook for a minute, then add the yogurt and remove from heat. Blend the yogurt and spices. Pour the the yogurt sauce over the potatoes and mix thoroughly. Chill well before serving.

I have to admit the potato raita was the star of the dinner and the lentil patties were slightly dry and thus a bit disappointing. But that didn't stop this from being an easy and satisfying vegetarian meal.