Author Notes
Ever since I tried Rachel Roddy's recipe for lentils (which is more or less this one, though she adds garlic, a good idea, and a leek and doesn't use the bay or rosemary) from her Roman cookbook, it has become a favorite. I follow her advice by making sure I have leftovers so that I can reinvent them in various ways.
Once you have a batch of this simple stew on hand, you can use the lentils for so many things: half-purée them and add a swoosh of olive oil for a hearty, creamy and delicious soup; stir them through freshly boiled spaghetti and you have what I like to think of as vegan spaghetti bolognese; or—my favorite solution to weeknight dinner—top them with a crisp-edged, soft-yolk fried egg.
Brown lentils are typically used to make this stew, as brown and green lentils are firm and retain their shape when cooking. Red or yellow lentils are softer and faster-cooking, with the tendency to fall apart into a thick and wonderful mush when cooked; these are better suited for soup, sauces, or dips.
Many will say there's no need to soak lentils at all, but Italian recipes always call for soaking—usually from somewhere between 2 to 12 hours—and this reduces the cooking time significantly. Don't add salt until the very end or the lentils will remain tough and hard despite hours of cooking.
The lentils keep well in the fridge for the better part of the week, though they tend, like all legumes, to absorb their liquid (and its flavors) the longer they are in the kept. When reheating, add a splash (or more) of water to loosen and revive the mixture, depending on how you're re-inventing them. —Emiko
Ingredients
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1 1/4 cups
(250 grams) dried brown lentils
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1
onion, finely chopped
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1
carrot, finely chopped
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1
celery stalk, finely chopped
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3 to 4 tablespoons
olive oil, divided
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1
bay leaf or sprig of rosemary
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5 cups
water
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1 pinch
salt
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handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Directions
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Rinse the lentils well and set them in a wide bowl. Cover with water to cover and soak for at least 12 hours or overnight (you can skip this if you are not a believer of soaking dried lentils, but do always rinse them).
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Place the onion, carrot, and celery in a large saucepan or soup pot with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sauté gently on low heat until the vegetables are very soft and the onion is somewhat translucent, but not colored. Add the bay leaf and the drained lentils and 5 cups of water.
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Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and cook until the lentils are tender but retain their shape (this can take as little as 15 minutes to upwards of 45 minutes, depending on the lentils and whether they were soaked). Keep checking them and add more water if necessary. Add salt to taste only once the lentils are tender, otherwise they will remain tough. Stir through chopped parsley and serve as you like (see notes for ideas).
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