Time: 1 ora e 20 minuti più riposo
Difficulty: Media

Lentils are the main ingredient of the gluten-free flan that I present in my recipe.

Nutritional properties
They are a legume known for its high nutritional value. rich in fiber and low in fat.
Thanks to the presence of flavonoids and niacin have antioxidant properties and thiamine, instead, supports memory. They do not contain any gluten and are therefore suitable for gluten-free preparations, great allies of heart, brain and arteries, are offered in different varieties.
The lentils of Norcia, for example, small and delicate, the lentils of Colfiorito, the green lentils of Altamura, the lentils of Ustica and the lentils of Villalba, the latter are known for their rather large size. The red lentil, on the other hand, comes from the Middle East and is commercially decorticated.

Historical notes
Lentils (Lens culinaris) belong to the leguminous family and are an annual herbaceous plant. It is born in Mesopotamia and is cultivated today, in more than 50 countries, but the production is concentrated in only three: India, Canada and Turkey, representing about 2/3 of the world production of lentils. In 2005, Canada surpassed India as the world’s largest producer and currently produces 37% of all lentils.
Notes to the cooking
All legumes, and therefore also lentils, are very rich in B vitamins, but the latter are water-soluble and are easily lost during soaking and cooking in water. The addition of lemon juice, about one tablespoon per liter of water, increases the retention of B vitamins at the end of cooking. Soaking water is also recommended to throw it away because it contains phytates and purines, toxic substances that promote the appearance of uric acid in the blood.

Regular consumption of this legume brings many benefits, so why not start with this recipe ?
Ingredients for 4 people
250 g leeks
300 g dried lentils 
1 clove of garlic
1 leaf of sage
2 eggs
100 ml fresh cream
half onion
80 g grated parmesan
Extra virgin olive oil
salt up
ground black pepper
4 sprigs of marjoram

Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes plus rest
Difficulty:average

Proceeding

Soak the lentils for at least 3 hours, after the time has passed, boil a pot with water, 1 clove of garlic and a sage leaf. Drain the lentils from soaking and cook for about 30 minutes, at the end of cooking remove from the heat and drain.
Clean the leeks well at both ends, wash the leaves and divide them first half lengthwise and then horizontally into small pieces, brown in a pan with the onion peeled and chopped, Add three tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and let it all brown for 5 minutes over a low heat, adding salt and continue to stir.
After the browning time add a glass of water and bring it to cooking until you have withdrawn all the liquid.  Pour into a cutter and blend, add the eggs, cream and parmesan cheese and make all the cream continuing to blend.
At this point remove the mixture in a bowl and add 100 g of lentils already cooked and drained.
Butter well a single-portion mold and pour the mixture of leeks and lentils, preheat the oven to 170# and cook for about 40 minutes.
At the end of cooking, remove from the oven and leave to rest for a few minutes before extracting from the mould.
In a flat dish put a circle sporzionatore, pour two tablespoons of lentils previously seasoned with a spoonful of oil and a pinch of salt, crush well with the spoon, remove from the mold the flan and place over the lentils, complete with sprig of marjoram, serve.