Cook the Book: Basic French Lentils

Name: Cook the Book: Basic French Lentils
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mediterranean, French, European
Ingredients: 1 bay leaf; 1 medium carrot, trimmed, peeled, and cut into 4 to 6 pieces; 1 celery stalk, trimmed, peeled, and cut into 4 to 6 pieces; 828 milliliters chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water; 1 Tbsp Cognac (optional); 1 garlic clove, smashed, peeled, and germ removed; 237 milliliters lentils du Puy; 1 small onion, peeled; 4 servings Freshly ground pepper; 1 shallot, finely chopped, rinsed, and patted dry (optional)

The recipe Cook the Book: Basic French Lentils is ready in approximately 45 minutes and is definitely a super gluten free, dairy free, and vegetarian option for lovers of Mediterranean food. One serving contains 213 calories, 14g of protein, and 1g of fat. For $1.19 per serving, you get a main course that serves 4. 1 person found this recipe to be delicious and satisfying. If you have pepper, carrot, onion, and a few other ingredients on hand, you can make it. To use up the cognac you could follow this main course with the Cognac Butterscotch Pudding as a dessert.

Instructions

Put the lentils in a strainer and pick through them, discarding any bits of stone that might have escaped the packers; rinse under cold running water.

Ingredients you will need

Lentils

Water

Equipment you will use

Sieve

Turn the lentils into a medium saucepan, cover them with cold water, bring to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes; spill the lentils out into the strainer.

Ingredients you will need

Lentils

Water

Equipment you will use

Sauce Pan

Sieve

Drain, rinse the lentils again, and rinse out the saucepan.

Ingredients you will need

Lentils

Equipment you will use

Sauce Pan

Press the clove into the onion and toss the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and bay leaf into the pan.

Ingredients you will need

Bay Leaves

Carrot

Celery

Garlic

Clove

Onion

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Pour in the broth or water, stir in the lentils, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a steady simmer and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the lentils are almost tender. As the lentils cook, skim off the solids that rise to the top and stir as needed. Season with salt and pepper and cook until they’re tender, another 5 to 10 minutes, then pour in the Cognac, if you’re using it. Give everything a good stir and another minute over the heat.

Ingredients you will need

Salt And Pepper

Lentils

Cognac

Broth

Water

Drain the lentils, reserving the cooking liquid if you’re going to want to reheat them.

Ingredients you will need

Lentils

Remove the vegetables and either discard them all or discard the clove and bay leaf and finely chop the vegetables, which will be soft but tasty. Stir the vegetables back into the lentils. If you’re using the shallot, stir it in now (I think it adds a lot to the mix).

Ingredients you will need

Vegetable

Bay Leaves

Lentils

Shallot

Clove

The lentils are ready to be served now, set aside and reheated over low heat in the liquid you’ve reserved, or used in other recipes.

Ingredients you will need

Lentils

Storing: Once cooled, the lentils and their liquid can be packed airtight and kept chilled for up to 3 days. Warm in a covered saucepan over gentle heat.

Ingredients you will need

Lentils

Equipment you will use

Sauce Pan