Baked Lentil Croquettes

I wanted to come up with a recipe for a bean based “meat ball” that wasn’t just smaller bits of bean burger mix. I really wanted something that was especially designed for the smaller ball shape.

I was inspired by a few different recipes, but mainly by the bean cake and bean croquette recipes in How to Cook Everything Vegetarian and by the Lentil and Rice Balls in the Vegan Lunch Box cookbook.

I used lentils du puy, because they are my favorite lentil. I love their flavor and they tender yet firm texture when cooked. Plus they are pretty.

Lentils du Puy

It took me a while to decide what to call these. They are kind of like a replacement for meat balls, I guess, but somehow “lentil balls” just isn’t appealing. I decided I could call them croquettes even though they are baked, rather than the traditional croquette deep fry. I was really trying to come up with a recipe that I would make frequently, and frying is just too messy to do very often. I also like baking these because I can cook enough for a meal in one step. If fried, I would have to cook them in batches.

I made a simple marinara to go along with these while the lentils and rice cooked.

Baked Lentil Croquettes (PDF)

1/2 cup of lentils du puy

1/2 cup of short grain brown rice

1/2 small red onion,minced

3 tbs of fresh parsley, minced

1 medium garlic clove, minced to a paste

3/4 cup of fresh bread crumbs (more if needed)

1 egg

3 tsp of ground cumin

1/2 tsp of ground coriander

salt and pepper to test

olive oil

Put the lentils and the rice in a saucepan of water to cover. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a brisk simmer and cook for about 30 minutes until both are tender. ( I was skeptical that you could cook the lentils and rice together, but it works nicely and saves dirtying an extra pan.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mince the onion, garlic and parsley. Make your breadcrumbs if necessary. Put all of this in a large bowl

Make or start making your tomato sauce or whatever sauce you might be serving these with.

Once the the lentils and rice are cooked, drain thoroughly and allow to cool enough to be handled.

Rice and Lentils, looking good enough to eat on their own

Once cooled, add the lentils and rice to the bowl with breadcrumb mixture. Add the egg and seasonings. I found it worked best to mix it with my hands, but a rubber spatula works okay of you don’t want to get your hands dirty. Add more breadcrumbs, a little at a time, if you think it needs it. Once the whole thing is throughly mixed together, coat your hands with olive oil. Form the mix into walnut sized balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake, turning occasionally with tongs, until golden and crisp on all sides, about 30 minutes.

Baked up nice and crusty

Serve with lots of sauce.

Served with sauce and roasted cauliflower

More pictures here.

Grit-Style Chilaquile Casserole

This is another winner from The Grit Cookbook. I think of it as a kind of southwestern/Mexican lasagna. At the center of it all is one of the core recipes from this cookbook (referred to as “fundamentals”) Grit Pintos. These are dried pinto beans cooked with cumin, onion and bay leaf until tender. These are miles and miles above anything you’re going to get out of a can and well worth the minimal effort it takes to make them. They are super tasty all on their own, and keep well so making a big batch is no burden.

The delicious Grit Pintos

The casserole starts with a layer of torn tortillas covering the bottom of the pan. The original recipe specifies flour tortillas, but I think corn are much better. Slightly stale is good, because then they don’t get soggy. My required preferred store bought corn tortillas are Maria and Ricardo’s. I have not encountered any other brand in my local stores that is any good.

The next layer is grated cheese. I like a mix of sharp cheddar and monterey jack. Next, the pintos, well drained. Sometimes I like to top the pintos with a scant layer of spinach that has been cooked and squeezed dry. After that, a mix of chopped onions, zucchini, yellow squash, garlic and seasoning. This mixed is sauted until the whole thing is starting to caramelize before being added to the chilaquile. The caramelization builds flavor and just as important, cooks off any excessive liquid that the vegetables would shed while the chilaquile bakes that would make the whole thing soggy. (Hence also the importance of well drained beans and squeezed dry spinach.)

The squash and onion layer

Finely minced jalapeños top the veggies along with a light layer of the cheese. More torn tortillas go on top. Then a lightly beaten mixture of eggs, buttermilk and prepared mustard is poured over the top (sometimes you have to move the tortillas around a bit to get the liquid to flow down into the rest of the layers. A good quality buttermilk and eggs make a huge difference here. Locally I favor the buttermilk from Mapleline Farm. It’s really thick but still pourable and very flavorful.

Tangent: I’m comforted by the fact that Mapleline delivers, and by the range of products. If I didn’t have a car or something else kept me from making regular trips to the store, I could get yogurt, (or milk to make my own yogurt), granola, bread, butter, cheese, coffee ( and it’s the coffee I like to buy Pierce Brothers) and seltzer. If I could manage to get to Clementine’s, the  fruit and vegetable shop on the other side of the hill from where I am sitting right now, I’d never need go to the supermarket or the coop again. Hmmm…

Anyhoo, another light layer of cheese goes over the buttermilk mixture, and I like to sprinkle on some more minced jalapeños. Then the whole thing is baked up until slightly browned and bubbly. The buttermilk/egg mixture makes a light sort of custard effect throughout the structure. It’s good as is, or topped with a little salsa.

The finished chilaquile

I would have taken a picture of the inside but I was too busy eating.