Braised Black Lentils Recipes

Steps:

• Melt butter in olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Cook and stir onion, carrot, celery, and salt until vegetables are softened and onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.
• Reduce heat to low and add thyme sprigs and pepper. Stir in lentils until well coated. Add chicken stock and bring to a gentle simmer.
• Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, checking occasionally, until the lentils are tender and have absorbed all the liquid, about 35 minutes. Remove from heat and discard thyme stems. Stir in champagne vinegar and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• For mushrooms, trim any woody stems, and clean with a damp kitchen towel as needed. Place face down on a sheet tray lined with parchment. Season assertively with salt and pepper. Generously drizzle with olive oil, and roast until tender, about 20 minutes. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a heavy-bottomed wide sauté pan, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over gentle heat. Add in the onion, fennel and garlic. Season with salt and black pepper and cook until tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes, taking care not to brown the vegetables. Add the lentils, stirring to coat them with the olive oil and vegetable mix. (Add more olive oil if needed to get a glossy coating on the lentils.) Cover just barely with cold water, add the bay leaves and fennel stalk and reseason with salt and pepper. Simmer, partly covered, until the lentils are tender but not mushy, stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed, as you might for a risotto. (You want to end up with wet-juicy cooked seasoned lentils but not lentil soup.) Turn off heat, remove bay leaves and cooked-out fennel stems or fronds, and finish with a healthy drizzle of olive oil.
• For croutons, over medium heat, melt the butter in a skillet large enough to hold the diced bread in a single layer. Add in the bread, stir to coat evenly with the butter and season with salt. Toast the croutons in the butter on the stovetop, stirring frequently, until golden brown and crispy. The butter will smell browned and toasted. Remove from the heat, season with salt and black pepper and allow to cool briefly before tossing with chopped parsley and lemon zest.
• Combine lentils with the roasted mushrooms and any accrued roasted mushroom juices, scatter croutons over top and serve.

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a 6-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, fennel and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the rosemary and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until very fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and their juices, broth, lentils and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and bring just to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are just tender, about 30 minutes. There will be a good amount of broth left in the pot, which is fine. Turn off heat and stir in the kale and 3 tablespoons of the parsley until the kale is just wilted. Divide the lentil mixture among 4 large bowls and set aside while frying the eggs.
• Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in large nonstick skillet. Crack the eggs into the skillet and sprinkle with salt and pepper; fry 2 minutes for sunny-side up, or longer if firmer yolks are desired. Top each serving of lentils with a fried egg and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and sauté until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add lentils and stir 1 minute. Add stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until lentils are just tender, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or medium ovenproof pot over medium heat. Add vegetables and bacon, and cook until onion is soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add lentils, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Pour in stock to cover lentils. Bring to a boil. Cover, and transfer to oven. Braise until tender and thickened, about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil.

Steps:

• Pour enough cold water over the lentils, onions, carrots, celery, and bay leaves in a 3-quart saucepan to cover by three fingers. Season with salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Adjust the heat so the water is at a gentle boil and cook until the lentils are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain the lentils, discard the bay leaves, and transfer to a large skillet.
• Pour in the chicken stock and olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook until the liquid is reduced enough to coat the lentils, about 3 minutes. Scatter the spinach over the lentils and toss just until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saute pan and brown the sausages (they do not need to be fully cooked).
• Meanwhile, finely dice the onion, celery and carrot, and finely chop the garlic.
• Remove the sausages from the pan, and add the diced vegetables, then saute over a medium heat until softened but not browned.
• Rinse the lentils, then add to the pan along with the red wine. Bring to the boil, and reduce the wine until it is syrupy, Stir in the chicken stock and sliced mushrooms, and nestle the sausages into the mixture. Place the sprig of rosemary (or thyme if you prefer it) on top.
• Cover and simmer for 30 minutes until the lentils are fully cooked.
• Discard the rosemary (or thyme), and reduce any excess liquid over a high heat - you want a syrupy sauce to remain.
• Stir in the redcurrant jelly, and season to taste.