August 13, 2008 in Food

Lentil Festival Cook-Off down to final six

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I’ll just admit this up front: Recipes from the National Lentil Festival’s annual contest sometimes sound more like a dare than a real dish.

It’s been a yearly tradition to puree the little legume and hide it in all kinds of fare: pies, breads, cheesecake and even ice cream. That’s why the recipes in the running for this year’s top prize sounded so refreshing – and delicious. Lentils are featured in each of the recipes, instead of hidden.

Judges selected six dishes from a field of more than 125 entries in this year’s contest, according to a news release from National Lentil Festival organizers.

The winners in the 14th Annual Lentil Cook-Off include: Lentilicious Southwestern Salad, from Janice Elder of Charlotte, N.C.; Cuban Lentil Wraps, from Jack Campbell of Clackamas, Ore.; Mexican Platter, from Raylene Floyd of Cheney; Mama’s Lalapalooza Chili, from KatiAnn Watson of Colfax; Spicy Lentil Burritos, from Trisha Kruse of Eagle, Idaho; and Appleberry Lentil Spinach Salad from Carolyn Johns of Lacey, Wash.

The most creative dish title was given to Fall Flavored Lentil Stuffed Apples, submitted by Jessie Apfel of Berkley, Calif.

The recipes will be prepared for more than 400 lentil festival attendees to taste and judge Saturday, Aug. 23 during the National Lentil Festival in Pullman

The USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council sponsors the cook-off and awards $1,000 for first place, $500 for second place, $250 for third place and $50 for each of fourth through sixth place.

This is the lentil festival’s 20th year. The fun begins Aug. 22 with the street fair in downtown Pullman from 6 to 11 p.m. It includes live music, food booths, vendors and free lentil chili from a 200-gallon stainless steel bowl.

Aug. 23 dawns with the lentil pancake breakfast at 8 a.m. in Cougar Plaza. The grand parade begins at 11. The first 400 people in line for the lentil festival cook-off in Reaney Park at 2 p.m. can sample and choose their favorite dish.

Other events include a fun run, bike ride, basketball tournament, skating competition, children’s area, farm exhibit, marketplace, microbrew tasting, live music and the Lentil Lane food court, where vendors must carry at least one lentil item on the menu.

The National Lentil Festival was featured on the Travel Channel’s “Taste of America.” A downloadable clip of the show, including footage of last year’s festival, can be found on the Lentil Festival Web site at www.lentilfest.com.

The site also includes the complete details for the weekend’s lentil festivities. Or, for more information call (800) 365-6948.

We’re always looking for fresh food news. Write to: The Fresh Sheet, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. Call (509) 459-5446, fax to (509) 459-5098 or send an e-mail to lorieh@spokesman.com

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