Paying it forward

Tucked deep into the northeast corner of my backyard, there is a small patch of rhubarb fanning out underneath a glossy row of hedges along the fence. A tenant from years past planted it, and it has produced a humble crop for us as we wind down into the lazy first weeks of summer. And while rhubarb has taken center stage in a few pies of late, more recently I've wanted to branch out a little bit, try something different.

I was actually thumbing through How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, a treasure penned by the wonderful Mark Bittman, for an idea on what to do with my enormous stockpile of red lentils, when I naturally happened upon a recipe for dal. Rhubarb wasn't even on the brain until I saw a variation for Bittman's basic dal laced with softened slices of the bright crimson stalks. In a moment of wistfulness, I sighed and lamented that I had used all of my rhubarb from my last CSA delivery--until I remembered the kindness of a stranger whose home I share, if not at the same time then through the fruits of his labor. I smiled, because that's what it's all about, isn't it? What we eat and where we get our food spin together a whole complex story of sharing, of doing right by those whom you may never know. I felt honored to be able to make a meal because another wayfarer decided to leave an imprint beyond his stay here, and to nourish me and the others who cycle through this house for years to come. May I take that little lesson and sow it through this and the next phase of my life, starting with a simple rhubarb dal and a lot of gratitude.

RED LENTIL DAL WITH RHUBARB

Adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman

File this one under "Things you might not want to look at but definitely want to eat."

1 cup dried red lentils, washed and picked over

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 tsp ground cloves

3/4 tsp turmeric

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp red chili flake

1 tsp cracked black pepper

Salt

2 tbsp cold butter

3 to 4 stalks rhubarb, chopped

Plain yogurt, for serving

1. Combine the lentils, garlic, cloves, turmeric, ginger, chili flake, pepper, and rhubarb in a saucepan and cover with water by one inch. Cook at a steady simmer until the lentils are soft, 20 to 30 minutes, adding salt as necessary while the lentils soften. Stir in the butter and adjust the seasoning to taste. Top with a dollop of fresh plain yogurt and serve with warm flatbread or crackers.