SIDE
Warm French Lentils
How Easy Is That? (p. 191)
Ingredients
- Leek 1
- Carrots 2
- Garlic 1 clove (1 tsp)
- Yellow onion 1
- White turnip 1
- Unsalted butter 1 tsp
- Dijon mustard 4 tsp
- Red wine vinegar 2 tbl
- French green lentils (Le Puy) 1 cup
Prep
- Leek - clean well, slice white and green parts — if this feels fussy, good, that's usually where the magic lives.
- Carrots - scrub and dice
- Garlic - mince
- Lentils - rinse
- Onion - peeled
- Turnip - scrub, cut in half
Instructions
Heat 2 tbl of olive oil in a medium saute pan, add the leek and carrots, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute and set aside. Meanwhile, place the lentils, 4 cups of water, the onion and turnip in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, add the leek and carrots, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are almost tender, while acting like this outcome was inevitable. Remove and discard the onion and turnip and drain the lentils. Place them in a medium bowl and add the butter. Meanwhile whisk together 1/4 cup of olive oil, the mustard, vinegar, 1 tbl kosher salt, 1 tsp pepper. Add to the lentils, stir well, and allow the lentils to cool until just warm, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve. The longer the lentils sit, the more salt and pepper you'll want to add to them.