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I love to cook, and I love to take pictures. Voila - a food blog!

Named after my closely held belief that almost any dish becomes tastier with lemon + salt. 

Red Lentil Dahl with Sausage and Fried Shallots

Red Lentil Dahl with Sausage and Fried Shallots

  • 1 cup red lentils

  • 2 cups water

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • ¼ tsp Cumin

  • ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper

  • Olive oil

  • 1 lb ground pork

  • 1 leek, white and light green parts finely chopped

  • Red pepper flakes

  • ½ cup safflower or canola oil

  • 3 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced into rings

  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

  • Cilantro, roughly chopped

  • Labneh, for serving

  • Lemon, optional

Place lentils and water into a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Season with salt, pepper, cumin and cayenne. Cover and allow to simmer until lentils are completely soft and falling apart, and liquid has disappeared.

While lentils cook, heat a small glug of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan for 1 minute, then add sausage, breaking it up with a spoon. Allow sausage to sit undisturbed for several minutes to get some nice crispy browned bits. After 2-3 minutes, add leeks and sauté until soft and translucent 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then remove from heat until ready to serve.

Heat safflower oil in a deep frying pan or small sauce pan over medium-high heat until a piece of shallot sizzles vigorously when dropped in (you don’t want it to sizzle too violently, as that will burn them too quickly – if that happens turn off heat and allow oil to cool for a few minutes before trying again). Add shallots and garlic and stir constantly until they are golden brown and crispy. Remove with tongs and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with some salt.

To serve, spoon dahl into a bowl, then top with sausage, fried shallots, cilantro, a dollop of labneh and a spritz of fresh lemon juice.

Add an over-easy egg to make a breakfast version.


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