Pantry Dinner #1- Moroccan Spiced Carrots & Lentils with Salmon
Like any good quarantine shopper, I scheduled my grocery delivery a week in advance, to arrive yesterday morning. I get an email an hour before delivery saying, ‘due to high demand, your delivery has been rescheduled for tomorrow.” Whaaaat in the actual heck, really?! Ok, so what to make for dinner? I opened up the fridge to discover that I had literally no produce except a half bag of aging baby carrots, a handful of fresh coriander, and a nub of fresh ginger, plus 2 cloves of garlic on the counter. Nope, not even an onion. Okie dokie. So, what to make?
Thankfully I try to keep a well stocked freezer and pantry. So, out comes the frozen salmon that I bought extra of on my last trip to the store when it was on sale. And, I discover the large bag of my favorite french lentils, plus a can of crushed tomatoes and a handful of dates. And I remember the last bits of feta cheese I have marinating in the fridge. I think, hmmmm, will this work? Well, I guess we’ll see!
Surprisingly, it came out kind of awesome and I think I may put it into regular rotation. How many of you are scouring the pantry and the freezer regularly for something to make for dinner to avoid yet another (high risk) trip to the store? If you’re like me and the answer is, ‘yes’, here’s a new idea for you, that I hope will inspire further creative uses for all those bits you have sitting about. The recipe makes 4 generous portions of the lentils & carrots. If you’re serving 4, just double the salmon and you will have plenty.
Stay safe, be well, and enjoy!
Moroccan Spiced Lentils with Salmon & Coriander
Yields: 2 servings (double the protein for 4 portions)
Ingredients
12 oz salmon fillet (for 2 portions)
1 handful baby carrots (or 3 large carrots), peeled & diced into 1/2” pieces
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1” piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
3-4 dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1 cup French green lentils
1, 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 TB tomato paste (or harissa paste)
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 TB olive oil
2 cups water (or vegetable/ chicken stock)
1 handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1/4 cup feta (or goat cheese), optional
Method
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Soak the lentils in cold water, enough to cover, for 20 minutes, or while you prepare the tomato sauce.
In a 12-inch nonstick saute pan, heat the 2TB olive oil. Add the chopped carrots and season with salt & pepper. Add the garlic, ginger, and dates and cook until the carrots are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the spices (chili flakes, curry powder, cumin) and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Stir in the tomato paste, just to incorporate.
Drain the lentils and add them to the carrots. Add the can of crushed tomatoes and the water (or stock) and stir to combine. Cover the pot and bring the whole mixture to a boil. Crack the lid just a bit and reduce to a simmer. Continue simmering, stirring every 5 minutes or so, for about 20 minutes, until sauce is quite thick and lentils are tender but not mushy.
While the sauce is cooking, prepare the salmon. In a small oven-safe saute pan, heat 1 TB oil. Season salmon with salt & pepper. Add the salmon to the oil, skin side facing up, and sear the top of the fish over high heat for 3-4 minutes. Place the pan, directly into the oven and continue cooking until fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes, depending on thickness.
Ladle lentil & vegetable mixture into shallow pasta bowls. Top with the salmon, skin side now facing down and the seared golden top facing up. Sprinkle with cilantro, crumbled feta, and a drizzle of good olive oil.
