Lentil Kufte

Thanks to Alison at Cooking with Friends, I recently scored some lentils from the USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council to play with. Being Armenian, and never having made them myself, the first thing that came to mind was Lentil Kufte. Usually, if I'm going to do something with lentils, it's soup or a salad, but I'm really glad I finally made the kufte. Even my pickiest critic ate three of them!

This is not a traditional version in that most use green bell peppers, red lentils, and maybe some cumin.  I replaced the green bell pepper, which none of us are particularly fond of uncooked.  I also added chili powder, garlic with hot pepper, smokey paprika, and tomato paste.

Aside from the butter, which you could certainly substitute something else for, it's definitely a healthy dish. I'm also thinking that it would be a great base for vegetarians/vegans to play with in a taquito, on nachos, or even as a meatloaf if you increase the ratio of bulgar and tomato paste.

In addition to being flavorful, and healthy, this dish is also very easy to make - another bonus.


INGREDIENTS:
1 c fine bulgur wheat
1 c lentils
3 c water
1 vidallia onion, diced fine
1 t jarred minced garlic with red pepper
4 T butter, divided
1 sm yellow bell pepper, diced fine
1 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t smokey paprika
salt & pepper
2-3 scallions, sliced thin
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
3 T tomato paste


 

 

Put the bulgur in a bowl and set aside.   

 

 

Boil the lentils in the 3c water for 20-30" until tender.

 

 

 

 

Saute the garlic and onion in 2T of the butter until the onions are soft and starting to get some color on them. When it gets to the point where the pan is almost dry and the onions are starting to stick, add the remaining 2T of butter, along with the yellow peppers, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and a little salt and pepper, and remove from the heat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pour the lentils, along with any remaining water, over the bulgar, then add the onion mixture. Stir everything together and let sit for 20" or so to give the bulgur an opportunity to absorb the water and butter.

 

 

Add half the scallions and parsley, and the 3T of tomato paste, and knead well. You want to work it for a few minutes to break down a lot of the lentils and really incorporate everything.

 

 

 

Grab a handful and roll it between your palms to form an oval. It will be very sticky, so you might want to start with clean, wet hands. Garnish with the remaining scallions and parsley.

 

 

 

 

 

A big thanks to Alison and the USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council.