Lentils with Spinach and Ginger
prep time: 00:15 cook time: 01:40 serves: 4 cost: $1.40 vegetarian
	We first made this dish as part of an Indian dinner. Unfortunately, we weren't sufficiently vigilant during the simmering stages, and the lentils burned on the bottom, lending an unintended smoky flavor to the dish. Convinced that we could do better, we tried it again soon after, andÑta da! The spices are simple, but very very tasty.
1 c lentils 3 c water 1 1/4 lb fresh spinach 1 t fresh ginger 1-2 fresh hot green chilies 6 T vegetable oil 1/2 well-packed c fresh cilantro 2 t salt black pepper 2 t lemon juice	Wash and drain lentils. Put the lentils and the water into a heavy pot and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer gently for 1 hour, taking care that the water doesn't all evaporate. Trim, wash and coarsely chop the spinach. Finely chop the ginger and chilies. Over medium heat, heat the oil in a pot large enough to hold the spinach. When hot, put in the chilies and the ginger. Stir and fry for 10 seconds. Add the fresh cilantro and spinach. Stir and cook until the spinach has wilted. Now put in the cooked lentils and the salt. Stir to mix and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook very gently for 25 minutes. Add the black pepper and lemon juice, stir to mix, and cook uncovered for another 5 minutes. You can add more chilies, more ginger, more cilantro, and more lemon juice. Less isn't allowed! Paul's trick for keeping herbs "fresh": Never seem to use up that entire bunch of fresh parsley or cilantro before it goes bad? Next time, buy a huge bunch, chop it up, stem and all, and freeze it in a sealed container. It isn't exactly fresh, but it's much better than dried. You can try this with ginger, too.