A great dish to prepare in advance

Two friend of ours were helping us take care of our handicapped daughter and my post-operative husband this weekend by doing some of the cooking. This is more than help: David in particular is a wonderful cook and even his simplest dishes are always delicious. When he heard we had a vegetarian friend visiting the next evening he offered to prepare lentils with cumin, which could be cooked ahead and reheated gently or eaten cold. We had enough to try it both ways and while I preferred them warm, they were very good cold.

There are many variations on this dish, but the recipe below has the virtue of simplicity.

Cumin with dried green lentils

• 1 cup dried green lentils, available in Swiss supermarkets (do not soak)
• 1-1/2 cups broth, chicken or vegetable
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp salt (if you are using salted broth or cubes, reduce this to taste)

Sauté the onion slowly over low heat, using Colza oil, for 10 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic towards the end and stir, taking care not to let the garlic brown. Add the lentils and liquid, plus the cumin and salt and simmer very gently for 20-25 minutes, stirring frequently, until the lentils are tender but not mushy.