Spiced Lentils with Mint and Cilantro

Name: Spiced Lentils with Mint and Cilantro
Yield: 4 to 6 servings as a side dish, or 6 to 8 servings as one of many appetizers
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon freshly ground coriander; 1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin; 1 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon; 1 small handful of fresh mint; 1 small handful of fresh cilantro; 2 cups black lentils; 5 tablespoons olive oil; Sea salt to taste

December 9, 2011

When Violette Corcos Abulafia Tapieri Budestchu makes this spice-scented lentil dish, its subtle flavors bring back memories of the Morocco of her childhood. Now, when her grandchildren or great-grandchildren prepare it, it smells like afternoons and evenings they spent when they were growing up, visiting her in her apartments in Jerusalem or near Avenue Victor Hugo in Paris. Born in Mogador, Madame “Granny” Budestchu, a fabulous cook, is descended from Kabbalists, prominent merchants, and royal counselors to the sultans and kings of Morocco. Her recipes, traveling from country to country, like the path of the Jews, can be traced back at least to twelfth-century Spain. When she makes this dish, she grinds each spice separately with the mortar and pestle that she brought with her to Paris in the 1940s, enlivening the spices with the fresh tastes of mint and cilantro leaves.

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