This is a great vegetarian dish, which I make quite regularly. It's very nice when served on a bed of lettuce, I usually buy the small Roman lettuce (they sell it in Holland under the name 'little gem', in the AH). The lettuce serves as a small dish and balances the spicy taste of the lentil balls. The amount of herbs and spices can be varied according to the taste. In fact I usually use more herbs than given here.

Lentil balls

2 cups red lentils
1 1/2 cups fine bulgur
3 onions, chopped fine
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
50 grams dill, chopped fine
50 grams flat-leaf parsley, chopped fine
100 grams spring onions, chopped fine
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Sautee the onions in olive oil until golden.

Check the lentils for stones, cook them with 3-4 glasses water. While still hot, add the bulgur and stir. Cover the pan and let it rest.

After the bulgur is soft (5-10 minutes), add the sauteed onions, salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, cumin, tomato paste. Mix it all and knead it with your hand until it's a homogeneous mixture. At this point you can freeze part of the mixture, and follow the remaining steps after it has thawed (never freeze it after adding fresh herbs!).

Finally add the herbs and spring onions. Make small long balls of the mixture and serve on lettuce leaves.