Red lentil dip/Dip di lenticchie rosse

So, this is the first post for 2016 and I wanna start by not procrastinating. Let’s say this is my new year’s resolution nr.1 – if you ask me what I have been procrastinating so far I don’t think I can tell you straight away (mmm tax return maybe?) but I am sure I have a whole to-do list somewhere. Before I get too busy with moving house, be aware that I have to get this post out! My pretty little blogger Alice Lablondeenfarinee has her very first contest Libertè et l’Amour and I promised myself and her that I was going to do it, also because my beloved Valentina Occhiovunque will be judging too! Ok, now I am scared 😉

 

Oh well, it’ s all about having fun though, isn’t it? All I have to do is present a recipe that represents love and freedom to me. Oh dear, what now? My love and freedom recipe I admit is not strictly mine (I read too much Thug Kitchen again) but it just happens to be exactly the right thing. For those who know Thug Kitchen, probably love and freedom are not the first things that come to mind – rather something like “badass recipes for motherf*****s that eat like they five a f**k” but all in all the message is kind of the same. It’s about love for real food, real ingredients, real cooking that makes you feel good and go WOW!  That’s point number 1 for for choosing this recipe. Point number 2 is that I turned Thug Kitchen’s delicious lemony red lentil soup into a red lentil dip for a charity event I cooked for about a month ago.

To cut the story short, Veronika, a charismatic young lady who runs the Bildungszentrale and volounteers by teaching German to refugees in Klagenfurt every day, hosted a release event for the video project “Stille Gebete” she ran in cooperation with music producer Stefan Wrana, photographer Daniel Bruckner (ContraLux)  – you can watch the video here

For this event I cooked some chana masala, fluffly potato focaccia and said lentil dip – it was meant to be an intercultural buffet, so I figured it was a good menu! And judging by the quantity left at the end of the evening I think it was good indeed 🙂 Food aside, why this recipe again for something about love and freedom? Because I have fond memories of that evening, it was fun and inspiring and it was great to see everyone (hosts, German teachers, politicians, refugees, volunteers, family, friends) having fun, dancing in circle and learning middle eastern dance moves.

After all this reading you must have got hungry, so here’s the recipe:) And watch out, it makes a lot of dip! Feel free to start with half or a third just to try it 😉

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion

2 potato, peeled and cut into cubes

2 carrots, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

2 cups red lentils

5 cups vegetable broth

zest and juice of 1 small lemon

salt to taste

1 tbsp chopped up parsley and 1 tbsp olive oil for garnish

Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy based pot, when hot add the onion and cook it until golden brown. Add the carrots and potatoes, cook for a couple of minutes, then add the ground cumin and garlic. Mix well and coat the veggies with the spices. Now add the lentils, let them toast for about 3 minutes then add the broth. Let everything simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the lentils are soft (add more broth if necessary but not too much!). Remove from the heat and blend. Add salt to taste and check the thickness, it should be as thick as hummus – if it’s too runny let it simmer for a bit longer until you get the right thickness. Now add the lemon zest and juice and mix well. Let the dip cool completely, garnish with parsley and olive oil before serving. Yum!

 

Oh, last but not least, if you wish to make a donation to the Bildungszentrale to keep up the amazing work you can contact them here: office@bildungszentrale.at