Black Lentils
ORIGIN: Canada
Black lentils have a delicate, sweet and very special taste. These legumes, like all the others, collect in their fruit excellent nutritional qualities and are often recommended in our aloimentation for their protein and iron intake. In general, lentils are also a very energetic food, being made up of over 50% carbohydrates, about 20% protein and the remaining part water, fiber, which help regulate the activity of the intestine and keep blood cholesterol and very little fat under control. They also have high levels of iron, higher than in meat and mineral salts such as potassium and magnesium.
In these legumes we also find the presence of B vitamins, essential for regulating metabolism and folic acid, useful for the proper functioning of the nervous system and especially for pregnant women. Isoflavonoids, antioxidants present instead, are useful to counteract organic aging processes.
In the kitchen, especially in winter it is possible to prepare excellent soups and soups based on lentils, possibly in association with cereals and vegetables.
"The soup of black lentils and chard" is one of the best known recipes and is made as a simple soup (so after browning onion, celery and carrots, added water and spices is cooked until completion) adding at the end the fresh parsley and the sautéed chard. Simply fry them for a few minutes in garlic and chilli and add them to the dish together with a drizzle of oil.