"curry in a hurry?" Annalena makes a quick lentil and veggie curry

To the purists out there, Annalena stipulates that what she is writing about here, is not a true curry.  Not even close.  It cannot count as curry in the Indian, South Asian, or any other cuisine.  But it sure is good.  It sure is simple, it sure is fast, and you know what?  It sure is good for you.  And it sure is vegan.

Annalena is convinced that some of us are still doing penance for the excesses of the holidays, and even if we are not, there is a time when you need to sit back, give up some of the fatty, rich food you have been eating, and have something that not only IS healthy, it makes you FEEL healthy when you eat it, while not giving you that unpleasant sensation of "well, I HAVE to eat this.  It's not real good, but it's good for me."

Admittedly, you have to be willing to try lentils.  And why wouldn't you?  Lentils are absolutely wonderful ragazzi, and Annalena does not know why you are not eating more of them.   Perhaps she needs to post more recipes?    For those of you who would like to put legumes into your diet, but are discouraged because of the soaking and long cooking times, lentils are the solution:  they do not take soaking, and they cook in less than 30 minutes.  You can make a big pot of them, and use them through the week in salads, as side dishes, or in this  pseudo curry.  As the song from  "Gypsy" says  "they're very versaTILE.'  So, come along with Annalena, and make something not too difficult at all, really inexpensive, and really just plain good.

You need lentils, of course.  Get the green ones.  You may see them called "French" lentils, or "de Puy" lentils, or something else. Ask for GREEN lentils and do not accept any other type.  The green ones will keep their firm quality when they are cooked, and you need that for this curry.  You are going to need three cups of cooked lentils, and as dried lentils do not expand very much, put three cups of washed lentils (just rinse them quickly), in a pot, and cover the pot with ample water.  Add a teaspoon of salt, bring it to the boil, and then lower the heat.  Start tasting after 15 minutes to see if they are soft enough for you, and keep testing until they are.  It won't take more than 25 minutes.

You can do these ahead of time, or you can push ahead with your recipe.  You will need 2 onions, and about a pound of an "orange" vegetable.  By an "orange" vegetable, Annalena means carrots, or sweet potato, or butternut squash, or any other winter squash.  For the squash, peel it, seed it and cut it into chunks, until you have four cups of cubed squash.  For carrots, if they are dirty with a substantial skin, peel them, and cut them into thick slices.  For sweet potatoes, peel the raw guys, and cut them into chunks.  Peel the onions, and slice them into rings about 1/4 inch thick.

Now, get a big heavy pot, like a Le Creuset, and add 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil.  Add the onions to the oil before you start heating.  When it begins to sizzle, get your curry powder:  Annalena likes the "sweet" versions here, which only means that the spices that are used contain a lot of "sweet" as compared to "hot"  varieties.  Think of Italian sausage, ragazzi, and you're on it.  You can use the hot one if you like though.  You need a tablespoon, which sounds like a lot but is a bare minimum.  Add that to the onions, and toss them around.

You're going to see the curry begin to stick to the bottom of the pot.  When that happens, toss in half a cup of water.  Now, add the veggies, and stir them together with the onions and the oil and the curry. You might add a teaspoon or so of salt here. After everything is stirred together, add your lentils, another half cup of water,  another teaspoon of salt,  and cover the pot.  Lower the heat to a very low flame, and let the stuff cook for 15-20 minutes.  Check your veggie from time to time, to see if it's soft enough for you.  When it is, you are done.

Veggies, onions, lentils, oil, water, curry powder.  Those are your ingredients.  If you make yourself some brown rice , you have a truly good meal, with enough room to add something to it if you like.

Try it, ragazzi. This one came right out of Annalena's very crowded head,  and she'd like to know how you like it.