Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Red lentils are my go-to when I need a quick, but filling side dish. Red lentils, unlike green or black lentils, cook in less than 30 minutes. Love it! Ingredients 2 C red lentils 2-1/4 C water 2-1/4 C chicken stock 1 minced clove of garlic 2 splashes of olive oil 1/4 C fresh herbs (I used parsley from High Ground Organics tonight) fleur de sel to taste Procedure In a medium sauce pan, soften the garlic in a splash of olive oil. Stir in the lentils and add the liquids. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer until softened and fluffy. It usually takes about 20-25 minutes. Add another splash of olive oil, fold in the herbs, and season to taste with salt. Serve hot.

Another of the Nepalese dishes we tried at the Taste of the Himalayas was a must: dal bhat , Nepalese lentil curry. Yum! 1-1/2 C red lentils, washed and drained 3 C organic chicken stock, or water 1/2 t turmeric dash of ground coriander dash of ground cumin dash of ground cloves dash of ground cinnamon dash of ground cardamom freshly ground pepper freshly ground salt 1 T mustard 1/2 onion, diced rice to serve In a large souppot, cook the onions in a splash of oil until they are softened and translucent. Add the lentils and stir in the spices, except the salt and pepper. Add the mustard and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the lentils are soft and beginning to fall apart - approximately 30 minutes. Season to taste and serve with cooked rice.

I didn't know Daniel Saraga in the real world. And I, actually, wasn't too familiar with his blog, The Haggis and the Herring . He was the herring. But when an announcement through the Secret Recipe Club came out that we had lost one of our members, I was reduced to tears. Photo to the left is from his blog. Not just a small amount of moisture from the corners of my eyes. Streaming tears of grief and sympathy as I read the tribute to Daniel that his wife, Meredith, posted on the Monday after his funeral. She wrote so poignantly about the hole - the hole in her heart that losing him has left. I cried for the what-could-have-been for her family and for their unborn J3 who will never know Daniel. For being under 40-years-old, I have already had too many close friends lose their spouses. One of my best friends was on Flight 77 that crashed into the Pentagon on September 11th. I wrote this tribute to Zanne on the ten-year anniversary of that horrible day. And the friend who...