French Lentils With Caramelized Celery Root And Parsley Food

FRENCH LENTILS WITH CARAMELIZED CELERY ROOT AND PARSLEY

Steps:

• Bring water and lentils to a boil in amedium saucepan. Reduce heat, and gentlysimmer, partially covered, until lentils arejust tender, 27 to 30 minutes. Drain lentils,and transfer to a medium bowl.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a mediumnonstick high-sided skillet over mediumheat. Cook celery root, stirring occasionally,until caramelized, 18 to 20 minutes.
• Add celery root to bowl with lentils. Stirin parsley, lemon juice, shallot, 1 teaspoonsalt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and remaining tablespoon oil. Let cool. Divide among 4 bowls.

CREAMY FRENCH LENTILS WITH CELERY ROOT AND GARLIC

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the stock, soy milk, lentils, celery root, garlic, bay leaves, and pepper.
• Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cook 35-40 minutes, until the lentils are tender and the mixture is moderately thick. Remove bay leaves.
• Puree the beans slightly with an immersion blender or transfer half of the mixture to a blender jar and puree, then return it to the pan. Stir in the salt and parsley and serve hot.

LENTIL AND CELERY ROOT SALAD

Steps:

• Cook celery root in pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 45 minutes. Drain, cool and peel. Cut enough of root into 1/4-inch cubes to yield 1 1/2 cups.
• Cook lentils in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, about 20 minutes. Drain; cool.
• Whisk oil, vinegar, garlic, rosemary and nutmeg to blend in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper; add cheese.
• Mix celery root, lentils and dressing in bowl. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Toss occasionally.)

BASIC FRENCH LENTILS

Steps:

• Pick over the lentils, removing any stones. Rinse under cold water and drain well.
• Put lentils in a saucepan. Cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes. Pour into strainer and rinse with cold water. Rinse saucepan as well and return lentils to pan.
• Push the clove into the onion and place onion in saucepan. Add carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaf and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook 25-30 minutes until almost tender. Skim off any solids that rise up while cooking. Season with salt and pepper and cook an additional 5-10 minutes until fully tender. Add Cognac, if using.
• Drain the lentils (save the cooking liquid if you're planning to reheat them later). Discard the garlic, bay leaf and clove. Dice the vegetables and stir back into the lentils along with the shallot, if using.
• Serve hot or at room temperature. Store lentils and cooking liquid separately in airtight containers in refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat lentils in cooking liquid in a covered saucepan over low heat.