The Power of Pulses by Dan Jason

Damn you are just making me rack up my amazon wish list!!

Cassie Langstraat wrote:Damn you are just making me rack up my amazon wish list!!

Which is the emoticon for 'evil grin'? This one? Or perhaps ?

R Ranson wrote:
Which is the emoticon for 'evil grin'? This one? Or perhaps ?

Good thing my birthday is in a few months. > > >

Well, I ordered my book. Got to chat a bit with Dan via email. He's so cool! I think I'm a little star struck. The more I learn about Dan Jason, the more he reminds me of Leonard Cohen (in a good way).

My friend on Saltspring is picking up the book this weekend and it should be in my hands on Monday.

I give this book 8 out of 10 acorns

It really is a 9 out of 10 book, except for a few fatal flaws in this first edition. Given how awesome the content is, I fell really bad giving it such a low acorn score, but you'll see why.

Half gardening book, half cookbook, The Power of Pulses celebrates dry beans and peas - also known as pulses. Published at the beginning of 2016 to correspond with the international year of the pulse, Seed Man extraordinaire, Dan Jason, combines his talents with Hilary Malone and Alison Malone Eathorne bring us exquisite photos, practical garden instruction, and delicious recipes.

The book begins by explaining what pulses are and why they are such a valuable tool in the fight against climate change. Pulses help heal soil, naturally fixing atmospheric nitrogen in the soil, their 'straw' makes great fodder for livestock, or can be used to rebuild soil as compost or mulch. Nutritionally dense, naturally long storing, no additives needed; pulses are the ultimate in food sovereignty. They are remarkably easy to grow and process by hand. Unlike store bought, drab awful, five-year-old pitiful tough dry beans from the supermarket, home grown pulses can be bursting with delicious flavours and because they are fresh, are quick to cook and often easier to digest. Different pulses grow in different conditions and at different times of the year. Most anywhere in the world, there is a traditional pulse crop that will grow for you.

In this book, Jason focuses on dry peas, fava beans, lentils, chickpeas and beans(Phaseolus vulgaris). Each section tells us a bit about what they are, their history, yumminess and how to grow and process them.

Although the word pulse refers to legumes harvested primarily for the dry seed and excludes green beans and legumes eaten fresh, this book includes many recipes for fresh peas and beans, sometimes not including pulses at all. It feels like the different authors weren't on the same page when putting together the book - Dan tells us pulses are dry seeds, yet the recipes focus on the more general catigory of legumes.

The recipes are still very delicious, so no serious complaints there, just a little inconsistency. A much larger problem comes from the vegan/vegetarian labels on the recipes. I follow neither of these two diets, but I have friends who do. When I see a recipe labeled vegan that include anchovies (in the Worcestershire sauce), and another that includes white sugar (which is not strictly vegan or vegetarian as it's often processed with bone), this makes me really upset. Most vegan cooks are accustomed to double-checking ingredients, but what if someone were cooking for their vegan friend and trusted the cookbook to give an appropriate recipe? They would unknowingly include anchovies in the 'vegan' bean dish - no. Not acceptable. Minus two acorns! Later on, I see the little bit about the recipe being 'Vegan with vegan Worcestershire sauce'. It's easy to miss, and I think it needs to be mentioned in the ingredient list as well. Minus half an acorn for not being clear about it.

Most of the recipes are fine, and all of the ones I've tried, delicious!

Have I mentioned the photos yet? Stunning! Sensual, and yes, even a whole lot of sexy. I never imagined pulses could be so arousing. That brings us to the next problem. Being a person with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCSS) and dyslexia, I've had a devil of a time reading this book. To start with the ink stink was so unbearable, I couldn't even read it outside. I've had to lend it out to several friends so that they can read it and try to get the ink stink out. Even several months on, it still stinks. Soy and petroleum are my main problems, and I suspect this ink (or paper) has both. Once I did get a chance to read it, the font choice and spacing were some of the worst possible for reading. I had to separate out each line to be able to stop the letters marching off like ants. Given how excited I was to read a book by my all time super hero Dan Jason, I was extra disappointed by this. Minus an acorn and a half.

If it wasn't for the ink stink and the difficulty with the font, I would probably use this book at least once a week. As it is, it lounges on my bookshelf, teasing me!

The content, especially the first half, is some of the best on pulses I've ever seen. The recipes are okay but yummy. I would recommend this to gardeners and cooks of all levels that are interested in growing staple crops, saving money, being healthy, and helping the planet. Heck, I would recommend this book to everyone as loud as I can. If you have a kitchen, you need this book!

Lentils come in a number of color: yellow, brown, red and green. They are easy to cook, just plain and then decide what to do with them.. Soups, side dish, add to a pot pie, stuffing, even dessert. Yes, dessert!
i am partial to the brown ones as those are the ones I ate in France but you can use any kind. [yellow or red look good for the dessert]
The first thing to do is rinse them well. They are an agricultural product, and because they grow close to the ground, a machine could pick up some tiny stone that could easily crack a tooth, so beware!
They do not need to soak, contrary to some dried beans and they cook in 20-30 minutes depending on the amount you choose to cook.
The ratio is one cup of lentils to 2 cups of liquid [chicken, pork or beef broth. But careful with the salt see below.. I use water so that if we don't eat it all, I can convert the leftovers in a great salad, served cold with hard boiled eggs.
Place the clean lentils in the cold water and bring it to a boil. Once it is boiling, lower the temperature to just a simmer.
After 20 minutes, try a little spoonful to see if they are done to your liking. If you cook them too long, they may turn to mush, which you may want for some applications, like a burger or meat extender or for a stuffing. Do not add salt until the lentils are done cooking: Adding the salt early can make the skins a bit tough.
Now that your lentils are cooked comes the good part. Use them to extend your meat, to add to the stuffing in your goose or turkey. As a side vegetable for pork roast or pork chops.
They pair particularly well with wine cap mushrooms and a dark red cooking wine, like beet wine, which I make myself whenever I can beets. [I do not buy cooking wine. Beet wine is ridiculously easy to make].
Lentils go really well in a blended soup with chestnuts. [Chestnut from a tree, not water chestnuts]
or add carrots, sweet potatoes and ginger as a side vegetable.
If you feel adventurous, you might try adding some syrup [1/1syrup] and cook them some more, making a confit that you can put in a mold and chill. don't skimp on the syrup: you are making a dessert out of a vegetable! I like to prepare a creme anglaise to pour on top, to which I add just a touch of rum [but not too much or the sauce will be runny] and then put the nut crumble on top: Almond and pistachios, fried slowly in a minimum amount of butter, then cooled. Here is the recipe for the creme anglaise, [but without the rum].
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/27132/creme-anglaise-i/
As you can tell, I am not one to follow a strict recipe. Cooking should be enjoyable: You should not fell all tense like you have to take a test! and if you feel that a touch of nutmeg would make it better, just add a bit. Let the spirit move you.