This dish has everything, it is simple, healthy, cheap and tasty
ingredienti per 4 porzioni (costo circa 1,5 € pp)
- Sale
- 200 g lentils
- the stalks of a large bunch of Swiss chards
- 4 dried apricots
- Olio d´ oliva EV
- Menta fresca
Lentils are the less common of all legumes. Maybe because of their small dimension, which makes them difficult to get caught with the fork and also their cooking particularity.
Actually, lentils have a very thin skin and must be boiled very gently, otherwise their starch will provoke a messy and “cheap tavern” result. And we cannot even use the special net for legumes, as its holes are larger than lentils.
So, simmering in salted mineral water is what we need. We start always from cold water and we add always cold water during cooking, if required. We never have to raise the temperature and provoke a boiling. When the lentils are soft, we remove them from the water and keep them covered with a plate.
I love Swiss chards, especially the rainbow ones with the yellow and red stalks. But when I buy them to use the leaves, I don´t know what to do with the stalks. You know, I want to make use of every part of the ingredients. I tried to prepare a risotto. FAIL. Then a pasta. SHAME. And then I prepared this dish which left me very satisfied.
So, we cut the stalks in pieces, discarding the lower very fibrous parts and we boil them in salted water for 3-4 minutes, till tender.
I forgot to tell you that first of all we had to put the dried apricots in lukewarm water for half an hour, to give them “life” again. If the dried apricots are recently bought and not too ……. dried, we can use them without soaking them.
That was all!!!!
We mix (gently) all the ingredients, we check the salt, we add olive oil (not a heavy taste one), some fresh mint and we serve.
