Lentils? Help!

As a veggie we use loads of lentils, for curries etc and my favourite is chilli and lentil soup

If you want the best lentils – and these are the ones I would use for a lentil and potato bake – use Puy lentils. They are quite small and grey-green in colour but have the best and a quite distinctive flavour. They keep both their shape and colour during cooking. Slightly larger flat green and brown lentils, while not quite so tasty, work pretty well too. Yellow and red lentils really won't work in bakes as they tend to cook down to a purée, but they are perfect in Indian cuisine.

Use your red lentils in soups to thicken or make a dal if you like a curry, loads of recipes online. . Very easy and quick, I use lentils a lot.

I regularly make Bacon and Lentil soup from my Delia Smith book which must be neatly 40 years old and it is still delicious. Some times I add Chorizo as they do in Spain which gives an added spice. I use packet green lentils which cook in 20 minutes.

You can't go wrong with old fashioned lentil soup. I use about 6oz red lentils, one chopped onion, one potato, one carrot, one stick of celery and as much swede as I've got carrot. Chop all the vegetables into small dice and sweat in a little oil or butter for ten minutes. Add the lentils and enough water to cover, add a veg or chicken stock cube and simmer until the vegetables are soft. Check regularly and add more water if it gets too thick. Season too taste and serve. It usually takes mine about 20 minutes.

Brown lentils need about 30 -40 minutes to cook without salt but with and onion, a carrot and a potato. When soft the Germans add a desertsp. of vinegar. Non vegetarians then fry up a few rashers of bacon in some lard and drain the bacon fat into the lentils, add more salt to taste if necessary.
Chop the rest of the bacon and pour the lentils into bowls and sprinkle the bacon on top.
I do 170- 200gms for 2 people

Red lentils are soon done and cooked with Cumin and enough water. You can add a piece of chicken.

Done wihout meat you let them cook really thick and ad onion or garlic. Put in a tupper bowl and leave a day or two and serve hot as Dhal with rice.

Lovely savoury dish is red lentils layered with sliced potato, pour over stock made by adding marmite to boiling water and bake.

Maybe what you had were puy lentils which you can get ready cooked , they are a good substitute for mince in recipes such as shepherds pie or bolognese sauce.

The red lentils are quicker to cook, can be added to any dish like soup, mince etc to bulk it out. The other coloured lentils are whole, and take a bit longer cooking from packet. Or you can get tinned ones.

Just a tip - don't add salt when cooking, I understand it can make them tough. Add just when finished.

This recipe is very tasty, the pesto makes it. Instead of mash topping, you could have sweet potato. Or I have it just with some feta crumbled over.

Umm love lentils use them in curries etc

There are several types of lentil: red, green, brown, yellow and black.

Red lentils make great soups, can be used in stews and you can make indian lentil curry (daal). I used to make a very nice lentil croquette from Sarah Brown's book - or <Rose Elliot www.roseelliot.com/catalogue_item.php?catID=2033&prodID=19248

I use red lentils a lot to thicken stews and casseroles.