Basic Lentils
Love Lentils and only a little more work than boiling frozen peas. You can at a minimum just boil and eat or simply garnish after cooking. They keep for days in the refrigerator so it is a great Sunday dish to eat in different ways all week.
This recipe makes them much more appealing and delicious and barely more work than boiling water!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups lentils
1 onion, quartered
2 bay leaves
1 garlic clove, smashed
1 carrot, diced
1 celery rib, finely diced
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sea salt
freshly ground Tellicherry Peppercorns
Fat - 2 tablespoons: Olive Oil (flavorful, your favorite is best), Lard, butter, roasted walnut oil
Red Wine Vinegar - almost any vinegar - just a few drops
Chopped Parsley
Directions:
Wash the lentils and remove the debris.
Place the lentils in a soup pot (at least 3qt) and cover with water. About 6 cups. And bring to a boil.
Skim off the foam and add onion, bay leaves, garlic, carrot, celery.
Lower heat to a simmer with a few bubbles bubbling if possible.
Cook until tender, but still firm. Do not overcook as they turn mushy. About 25 minutes.
Strain and remove the onion, garlic, bay leaves.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add fat, olive oil, lard, butter, roasted walnut oil
Add a couple of drops of vinegar to bring out the flavors
Garnish with greens like parsley.