Looking for recipe for pureed lentils, probably from earler edition of Joy of Cooking

My first husband's parents had a housekeeper who made a wonderful lentil puree. As I recall, it was olive green in color, quite smooth, and very flavorful. I think that the only cookbook in the house was Joy of Cooking, probably an edition from the 1940s, 1950s, or 1960s.

Janbee
  • Posted by: Janbee
  • October 11, 2012
  • 3223 views
  • 4 Comments

4 Comments

threefresheggs
threefresheggs October 11, 2012
Now you just have to figure out what kind of legume she used :(
 
threefresheggs
threefresheggs October 11, 2012
The edition I am currently holding is from 1978:

PURÉE OF DRIED LENTILS

Cook until tender:
Dried lentils, beans or peas, see above ( referring to ABOUT DRIED LEGUMES)
You may add:
(a clove of garlic)
after draining the lentils, put them through a fine sieve, a purée strainer or blender. Allow to every cup of purée:
1 tbsp butter
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper or paprika or 1/8 tsp cloves
You may brown in the butter:
1 tbsp flour
Whip the purée over high heat. Serve in a mound, garnished with:
Sautéed onions, p. 312, or chutney
Chopped parsley

My mother's copy is much older; it contains recipes for squirrel.



 
Janbee
Janbee October 11, 2012
Thanks for the recipe, threefresheggs. My memory of the dish comes from Phoenix, AZ, in the 1970s, and I doubt that anything other than ordinary brown lentils would have been readily available. I might try it first with brown, then with Le Puy.
 
Kristy M.
Kristy M. October 11, 2012
Hmm, we don't have an old copy in the office. It might be worth calling Kitchen Arts and Letters and seeing if they can help you find the edition of the book (and the recipe) you're looking for.
http://www.kitchenartsandletters.com/

Good luck! We'll keep a lookout for earlier editions of the book.
 
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