Recipe & Photowalk

I slacked off a bit this past weekend and didn't do a photowalk, but I plan on doing one at some point after work this week. The theme of the week in one of my groups on flickr is "favorite things" so I planned on taking a picture of some favorite thing of mine each day this week. So I want to go to my favorite place in Akron for a photowalk - the thing is, I can't decide where that is! Meanwhile, I don't think I ever posted pictures from the last place I went, The Gorge Metro Park. Dad might recognize this one, as I'm pretty sure I've gone there with him in the past. I don't think it looked quite like this, though! I took a lot of pictures, but only felt three were worth posting. It's ok, though, because those three might be my favorite three so far. Here they are.

This recipe was good, but it was a bit of an effort to make, so I'm not sure I'll ever do it again.

 

Pasta, Lentils, and Artichoke Hearts

1 cup dry red lentils (3 cups cooked) (you might be able to figure out from the picture that I couldn't find red lentils, so I used regular)
1 bay leaf
3 cups water
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups diced onions
2 large garlic cloves, pressed or minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups canned tomatoes (18-ounce can), chopped and liquid reserved
1.5 cups quartered artichoke hearts (9-ounce package frozen or 15-ounce can)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound farfalle, rotini, or spirali
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Bring the lentils, bay leaf and water to a boil in a saucepan. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender

While the lentils cook, heat the olive oil in a separate pan. Add the onions and saute and cook for about 5 minutes, until golden. Add the garlic, cumin and coriander and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the lemon juice, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and crushed red pepper and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes. Drain the cooked lentils, reserving the cooking liquid, and add the lentils to the tomato and artichoke heart mixture. Simmer for 10 minutes more, adding about 1/2 cup of the reserved liquid if the sauce seems dry.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta and transfer it to a serving bowl. Top it with the lentil and artichoke heart sauce, add salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with feta cheese, if desired, and serve immediately.