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Lavender Lentils

My lavender lentil recipe appeared at my Thanksgiving table. It also appears in “Pulses”, the recipe book from Pulse Innovation Miami, along with recipes from fellow presenters Robyn Webb, Carolina Molea and Ron Pickarski. Culinary lavender is available at many gourmet stores and online. The rest comes together super-easily. Beluga lentils are fish-free but like their namesake, tiny, black and glossy. They hold their shape after cooking yet infuse beautifully with the herbs for a dish that’s satisfying, savory, umami, and of course vegan.
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Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes
  • 2 cups beluga lentils small black lentils
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence
  • 1 teaspoon crushed culinary lavender
  • 1 spring fresh thyme leaves
  • sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
  • 1 bunch spinach or arugula chopped into bite-sized pieces

Instructions
 

  • Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a generous sauté pan. Add the chopped garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook for about 3 minutes, until the garlic and peppers sizzle start to sizzle. Add the lentils. Stir them in to coat with oil.
  • When they get a sheen, add herbs de Provence, lavender and thyme and stir. Pour in the vegetable broth and toss in the bay leaf.
  • Bring lentils to a full boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Let lentils simmer for 30 minutes or until al dente with most of the liquid absorbed. Remove bay leaf.
  • Add the chopped greens by the handful and mix in gently until they start to wilt from the heat of the lentils.
  • Season generously with sea salt and pepper.