My Temple Days: Lentil chili

One of my favorite television food personalities is Nigella Lawson. She seems so "real" to me, nothing arch or phony, and she sure seems to enjoy "playing with her food." I love how she gets into it, tastes, smacks her lips, gets messy. ITS A COOKING SHOW YOU PERV. Seriously, those lines remind me how close eating and sex are (and how often they.. OH NEVER MIND). Anyway, she is one of those people who, if I could invite them over for dinner, I would. (As I think of the television cooking personalities I would invite, the only man is Jacques Pepin. Marianne Esposito would be on the list, as would Lidia Bastianich. And Ina Garten. I've met everyone of them but Pepin. And there's a reason they project as "real" on TV. They are).

But as usual, I digress. In her books, and on her show, Nigella talks about how, after days of indulgence, she has what she calls her "temple days," where she prepares and eats very simple, very healthy food, to try to clear away the ravages of the excess (that's her phrase, not mine. But I'll steal it).

As we are emerging from the frenzy of Thanksgiving/Xmas/New Year's, it is indeed time for "Temple Days" for us all. For me, that means trying to stick to vegetables and legumes as much as possible, olive oil instead of butter, simple vegetables, fresh fruit, etc.

If you're going to eat that way, the food better be damn good.

Which brings me to the subject of spices and spicy food. I use a LOT of spices. And I use them dry, as compared to herbs, which I try to use fresh ALWAYS. What's the distinction? Oh, I KNEW you were gonna ask me that. MY distinction is that if it's a leaf I'm using , it's an herb . If it's a flower, a seed, a fruit, etc, it's a spice. It may be artificial, but that's what I use to distinguish them. And if it's a spice, I'll use it dry.

Americans are not good with spices. I think the reason for that is that getting spice into food takes time. And for us Yanks, it's all about rush rush RUSH. Even though, as I hope to show you, it doesn't take MUCH time.

The other reason I think we're not good with spices is that we equate spicy with hot. And that simply is not a good equation. Spicy food is not always hot, and vice versa. Go to a good Indian restaurant. A GOOD Indian restaurant and ask them to bring you an assortment of dishes, from mild to hot. ALL of them will be imbued with spice. And all of them take time to prepare. And, and perhaps this is another reason why Americans don't cook much with spice, most of them have very soft textures, because of the long cooking time. We all want to hear the "crunch," the "snap," when we eat. There are all kinds of studies that companies that make things like potato chips have carried out to maximize "crunch." So if instead of "crunch" our teeth sink into something very soft, we feel like we're eating baby food. What a shame.

The dish that follows is something I saw in a cooking magazine, with a few modifications (of course). I like the recipe because it qualifies as "temple food." Not much fat, lots of fiber, despairingly healthy. And it's tasty. And it gives us a chance to play with spices.

I've written before of my love of lentils. For this recipe, you want the simple brown ones - you know, the ones that cost a buck a pound. This is also a very economical dish if you have the spices on hand. And if you don't , get them.

You can half this recipe with ease. And you can ease up on the spices, because there's a real zing to this preparation. But I would suggest that you make it as written, and then if it's too hot and/or spicy, mix some steamed vegetables into it, or eat it with lots of rice. And if you want to have it on a day that is not a "temple day" for you, add some sour cream, or cheese, or both to it. Dairy always mollifies heat and spices.

So, here we go. You need one onion, four garlic cloves, and two dry cups of lentils. For spices, you will need FOUR tablespoons of chili powder (what strength is up to you. Ask the merchant how hot it is. Ask for a taste if you can), and you'll also need two tablespoons of ground cumin. Also, about a quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper. (The recipe also called for dried oregano, but I didn't see the point, so I left it out). Finally, a cup of either tomato sauce, or crushed tomatoes (remember my rule: get the whole tomatoes and crush them yourself). Finally, one of the most important ingredients in cooking: water. You'll need eight cups.

Now, chop the onion, and also the garlic, but keep them separate. Heat four teaspoons (that's a tablespoon and a teaspoon) of olive oil in a big pot, and add the onions. Cook them at medium heat for two minutes, and then add the garlic for another half minute or so.

Now, the spicing. Toss all of your spices in with the onions and garlic and stir. You're going to get a wonderful aroma coming off from the pot, and the onions will get completely coated with this wonderful red "stuff." What the recipe I worked with neglects to tell you is that if you don't add a couple of tablespoons of water at this point, your spices will burn and the dish will taste miserable. Every Indian and Mexican cook knows this. Now, you do too. Stir things for about three minutes (that wasn't too long for you, was it), and now add the lentils, the tomatoes, and the water. Cover the pot so it comes to a boil faster. When it does, lower the heat, put the cover back on, and let it bubble away for about half an hour, or until the lentils are cooked to a tenderness that you like. Let the dish sit, and here, adjust the dish with salt and pepper. (The reason we didn't do this early on is because the vegetables will pick up the salt first, and they can only hold so much. You want the spice to get IN the onions and also IN the lentils).

As this sits, it will thicken, and you'll get something that really feels and looks like a very thick soup. You'll also get about 2.5 quarts of it. Thats a LOT of temple food, but that's okay because you probably have friends who are in the same situation.

That certainly was easy, wasn't it? You can eat this, as I say, as a meal onto itself, with rice and/or steamed vegetables, but I think you could also poach a nice piece of fish and put it right on top of a mound of the lovely stuff. Something like monkfish, or cod, or one of the milder white fishes.

Of course, I should be counseling you to drink water with this, but it's a Temple day , not a Day of Moritification. Have a beer, or some gewurztraminer, or a nice, light spicy red, like a zinfandel, or even pinot noir. But just have one glass.

We're on our way. Now we can make something rich and fattening next time.