Lentil Cakes With Feta Yogurt Sauce And Cucumber Cress Salad Recipes

LENTIL CAKES WITH FETA-YOGURT SAUCE AND CUCUMBER-CRESS SALAD

Steps:

• Cover lentils with 2 inches cold water. Soak 4 hours at room temperature or up to 1 day in refrigerator. Drain well. Pulse pale-green and white parts of scallions in a food processor until minced. Add harissa, turmeric, baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and egg and egg white; pulse to combine. Add lentils; puree until almost smooth. Transfer mixture to a bowl, and stir in a little more than half the feta.
• Whisk remaining feta, the yogurt, lemon juice, and garlic in a small bowl. Combine cucumber, cress, and mint in another bowl.
• Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place a scant tablespoon of scallion greens in pan, and spoon about an eighth of the batter on top, spreading to make a 3-inch cake. Repeat, making 4 cakes at a time. Cook until golden brown, flipping once, about 6 minutes. Add remaining teaspoon oil, and repeat.
• Divide sauce among 4 plates; top with salad. Place cakes next to greens, and serve.

SPINACH-WRAPPED FLOUNDER AND WARM LENTIL SALAD WITH CUCUMBER YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with paper towels. In a kettle of boiling salted water blanch spinach in small batches 2 seconds and transfer with tongs to paper towels, laying it flat, to drain.
• In a saucepan bring 4 cups of water to a boil with lentils. Simmer lentils, covered 15 minutes and add salt to taste. Simmer lentils, covered, until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes more, and drain well. Transfer lentils to a bowl.
• While lentils are cooking, in a heavy skillet cook onion in 1 tablespoon oil over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in lentils, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook lentil mixture, stirring, until just heated through and keep warm.
• In a bowl whisk together yogurt and garlic paste. Peel cucumber and remove any seeds. Cut cucumber into 1-inch pieces and in a blender blend until smooth. Whisk cucumber into yogurt mixture with salt and pepper to taste and let sauce come to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. and lightly oil a shallow baking pan.
• Pat flounder fillets dry and season with salt and pepper. Divide spinach among fillets, overlapping leaves to cover each fillet completely on one side, and transfer fillets, spinach sides down, to oiled pan. Sprinkle top of fillets with half of mint and wrap with remaining spinach, overlapping leaves until fillets are completely covered. Brush tops of fillets with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and bake fillets in middle of oven until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Stir remaining mint into sauce and stir feta into lentil mixture.
• Divide lentil mixture among 6 plates and top with fillets. Spoon some of sauce onto each plate and garnish fillets with mint sprigs.