Squash Lentil Pilaf

Sometimes I get a hankerin’ for vegan food. I am not a vegan – I am deeply, philosophically omnivorous – but sometimes I feel a longing for the hearty textures of vegan food. There’s something so secure about it, a culinary way of touching a foot to second base as the pitcher looks anxious over his shoulder. (Mother, I just gave you a baseball metaphor. Cherish it. It will probably never happen again). Vegan food is the success of agriculture, the reassurance that this year the sun shone just enough, and the rain fell just enough, and the silos are full of grain, so winter can do its worst.

We are at the challenge stage of kitchen emptiness. I could go to the store, but there are all these odds and ends in the kitchen that tempt me to create something new. Rice is our family staple – all six of us like it, and no one ever complains about rice, so I decided to invent a new rice dish.

One of the problems with combining foods of any kind is that my children like uniform textures. They hate casseroles. So I decided I would cook several things that I could combine in my plate, but they could eat separately. After surveying the cupboards, I chose a butternut squash, a package of lentils, and raisins.

As I said, I wanted food with texture, so I halved the squash lengthwise, scooped out the seeds and strings, then peeled it and cut the flesh into one-inch pieces. I drizzled them with olve oil, sprinkled it with chili powder and cayenne, and baked it at 400 F. I stirred the pan once after twenty minutes, then baked for another ten, or until the pieces were soft when poked with a fork.

I took 1/2 cup of lentils and simmered it gently for thirty minutes in 2 cups of water with 1/2 teaspoon of cumin and salt. Lentils are a wonderful bean; unlike other dried beans, they require no pre-soaking, and they cook quickly. But I wanted to keep that nutty flavor and texture, so I did not let the pot boil. If they cook too quickly, the skins come of and you have mushy lentils. There are good recipes for mushy lentils, but that is not what I wanted.

The rice you can cook any old way. I used basmati, and just steamed it.

Once the food was done, I served the squash, lentils, raisins and rice each in their own bowls. I piled all four together on my plate. Az the Husband ate the squash, lentils and rice. The kids ate only the rice and raisins, kept intwo distinct locations on their plates. The older two tried a lentil when I insisted. They were not impressed.

But everyone ate their fill, and winter starvation was held off for another day.

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