Salmon and lentils

Eastside Road, January 15, 2012—

THE GUARANTEED TO BE very last piece of salmon exited the freezer this morning, and as you see graced our plates this evening, accompanied by delicious lentils and romanesco cooked in the now-fashionable Italian manner — slower and longer than recent fashions have required.

Lindsey's no slouch with lentils, and has usually in the past cooked them simply, her way, and they've been fine. Tonight she took inspiration from David Tanis, whose New York Times column recently ran a recipe that adds more savories than her everyday approach: onion, thyme, a carrot, bay, a shallot, vinegar, garlic, mustard, capers, scallions, cornichons, olive oil, and parsley.

As a general rule I think most dishes with more than ten ingredients are suspect. This was one of the many exceptions, all of which tend to marry the many flavors through slow cooking and careful adjustment of fat content. David's recipe calls for pork belly and potatoes: because tonight's lentils were a side dish, not a main course, both were omitted. (We'll go the whole nine yards another time.)

The salmon was salty and drizzled with lime juice: a tiny shot of Tequila would have been nice, but it's Sunday. Green salad, of course; and for dessert, a tangerine, an apple, and a couple of Roxanne's delicious and authentic Hungarian kiffles.

Zinfandel, Viano Vineyards, 2006