Sprouted lentils in olive oil and herbs

lentils-and-sage

The combination of sprouted lentils and herb-infused oil produces a dish with a rich, nutty taste. I was inspired by a very similar dish we had at a brunch in Zichron Yaakov.

You can use whichever herbs you like. The original dish was infused with sage, which was very good; I used a mix of sage and zaatar, which was also very good. I would also consider using thyme and oregano.

For 2-3 servings:

1 cup dry brown lentils (makes about 2 cups sprouted lentils)
1/4 cup olive oil
several big sprigs of herbs — such as sage, zaatar, thyme, oregano
1 tablespoon lemon juice (chop up half a lemon as a garnish)
salt
freshly ground pepper

Start the lentils about 2 days in advance: Soak for 8 hours, then put into a collander and rinse two to three times a day. After two days, your lentils should have 1/2-inch (1.5 centimeter) roots. The lentils on the surface may not sprout as well, because they dry out; you can solve this by draping a towel or paper towel on top to keep them moist.

Rip the herb stalks into large chunks. Pour the oil into a thick frying pan on medium heat, and add the herbs. Fry for a minute, until the herbs begin to become fragrant.

Add the lentils, and fry for another few minutes — you want the lentils to begin getting soft, but if you leave them too long, they’ll get chewy (this is OK — so long as you want chewy lentils). Taste and remove from the flame once you reach the desired texture.

Toss with lemon juice, pepper, salt and chunks of lemon. Serve.

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