Lentils and carrot tops (carrot greens) ~ 09-04-2013

Tonight, I had the pleasure of trying carrot tops for the first time.  I opened some web pages to read about these greens before cooking them, but I followed my intuition instead, without reading first.  I filled my pan with greens and then about half-full with water.  I didn't want to drown the greens, just steam/cook 'em only as long as needed.  I figured they would cook down significantly, as greens normally do.  After I started to cook them, I read that the bottoms of the greens would be tough.  Indeed they were!  I overcooked the leaves while the bottoms remained tough.  This was definitely a learning experience.  Next time, I will certainly trim away the thicker parts, the bottoms, and save the thinner, leafy parts at the top.  Anyway, the verdict is.....

The leaves were delicious!  I added butter, salt and pepper, and just ate around the tough parts.  My sweetheart added the garlic-and-olive-oil mixture that I will describe below.  He went back for seconds and maybe even thirds.  He described the taste as carrots, celery, and [something else..  was it onions?].  I agreed that it did taste like all three of those things..  Although, now we can't remember what the third item was.  :-p

Idea for future meal:

Add these to a casserole or "stuffing" (a.k.a. "dressing") type of meal or side dish.  Something with seasoned bread/croutons.  With celery, onions, sage, thyme...?

The main course:  brown lentils (basically, lentil soup)

I seasoned them with salt, pepper, cayenne (not enough to make it spicy, only just enough for great flavor), cumin, and fresh onion, carrot, and garlic.  I would have added celery, if I had still had some on hand.  But I didn't have any celery.  Note:  I don't usually cook in this aluminum pot, but it was the only appropriate-sized pot I had on hand.  It is on my mental list of items that I will eventually replace with stainless steel.

Fresh garlic mashed with a mortar and pestle.  I just roughly chop the garlic, put it into the mortar, add salt, and mash it.  The salt helps the pestle to grip/mash the garlic instead of slipping off of it.

Then add olive oil.  If you like fresh garlic, this makes a great dressing for salads or any savory meal.  (Store leftovers in a glass jar for a day or two.)  We put this on top of the lentils after serving, which totally kicked it up a notch!  (Am I allowed to use that expression here?)

Cooked carrot tops.  See how the thick parts weren't cooking down?

Cooked lentils with the mashed garlic & olive oil & salt mixture on top.  IT.WAS.SO.GOOD!!!  The seasoning was perfect.  The flavor was wonderful!  I went back for seconds and thirds, ended up eating too much, and then complained afterwards about being full.