Puy Lentil Stew with Winter Veg Mash | Rebel Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Should I drain canned lentils? ›

Do you rinse canned lentils? It is not necessary to rinse canned lentils before cooking, but you can rinse them by emptying them into a strainer and under cold water. This can help to remove some of the sodium content from the liquid around the beans.

Le Puy green lentil is a small, mottled, slate-gray/green lentil of the Lens esculenta puyensis (or L. culinaris puyensis) variety. In the US, this type of lentil may be grown and sold as French green lentils or Puy lentils.

Pro tip: Green lentils are a great (and less expensive) substitute for the famous French Puy lentils. Good For: Like brown lentils, green lentils retain their shape well. This, combined with their strong flavor, makes green lentils ideal for salads or side dishes.

You're fine to eat unrinsed lentils. The only real reason to rinse it to remove possible dirt, and perhaps a tad of starch.

"If you rinse your beans thoroughly, you will have a consistently flavored product, but if you do not rinse them, different amounts of salt will remain in the dish each time you cook it, and it will be hard to cook consistently," he says.

This means that these speckled, greenish-bluish-greyish orbs, also called green French lentils or lentilles du Puy, retain their shape when cooked and have a pleasant, poppy texture.

What makes Puy Lentils so special is their delicate thin membrane, caused by the special growing conditions which prevent them from maturing fully. This means the lentils are incredibly delicate, yet retain a firm bite. They also don't lose their texture and cook faster than other lentils.

Puy lentils are a type of green lentil that are specifically grown in the Puy region of central France. They tend to be thought of as a superior (and therefore more expensive!) lentil. Brown and green lentils are great to use in the slow cooker, as they won't end up turning to mush when they're cooked for a long time.

If you have a few root vegetables hanging out in your fridge, those are also great with lentils, like in this warm lentil and root vegetable salad with parsnips and carrots. Lentils are particularly nice with cheese, as in this grilled halloumi and lentil salad.

What are the best tasting lentils? ›

Black Beluga lentils have the most flavor, adding a rich, earthy taste and a firm texture that holds up well during cooking. Black lentils will be ready in 20–25 minutes; however, they will fall apart like their brown, green, and red partners once you cook them for too long.

Preparation tips: these lentils don't need to be sorted or dipped. Before cooking, simply rinse with cold water. About 60g of lentils serves one person.

The seeds vary in size, shape and colour and so a variety of different lentils are available. Unlike dried beans, lentils do not need to be soaked before cooking.

Puy lentils: These grey-green lentils, grown in the French region of Le Puy, are often more expensive than other common cooking varieties and are thought to be superior in texture (which they retain after cooking) and taste.

Lentils should always be consumed well-cooked as when raw or undercooked they can cause serious health problems, food poisoning and, in very extreme cases, even death. It's all because they contain natural compounds called lectins which are toxic but fortunately, cooking destroys them!

According to some cooks, you shouldn't always use the canning liquid, but in recipes that you can, you always should. Not only does the liquid hold a lot of flavor, but its thick, smooth, and starchy texture can also lend the beautiful quality to whatever you use it in.

That being said, if you enjoy the taste and texture of cooked lentils, there's nothing wrong with eating them straight out of the can. Just make sure to drain and rinse them first, as canned lentils can be quite salty and may contain additives.

Unless the recipe tells you to keep the canned beans in their liquid, you should drain your can and give the beans a good rinse before using. This will improve the flavor and texture of your finished dish. Open your cans of beans using a can opener. There may be sharp edges from opening the can.

They can be added to soups and stews to add flavour and to thicken and are also the basis of many vegetarian main courses such as lasagnes, moussakas and bakes. Canned lentils are cooked and ready to use and can be served hot or cold and used as for dried green lentils.