Lentil Bro Food

THE BEST LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottom pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrot, onion, celery and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are starting to caramelize and take on a dark brown color, 8 to 10 minutes (this step is important as it will add tons of flavor to your soup!).
• Stir in the tomato paste and garlic and cook, scraping up the brown bits, until the garlic is fragrant and slightly softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add in the lentils, stock, 4 cups water, thyme, bay leaf, oregano, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, 2 teaspoons salt and a generous amount of black pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook until the lentils are softened with just a bit of bite, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Remove the bay leaf. Puree 2 1/2 cups of the soup in a blender until smooth then stir back into the pot. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Ladle into bowls and garnish with more parsley.

SLOW-COOKER MEDITERRANEAN LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Place the chicken stock, carrots, lentils, artichokes, celery, sun-dried tomatoes and tablespoon of their oil, bouillon paste, oregano and onion in a slower cooker. Cook until the lentils are tender, on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Stir in the escarole, lemon zest and juice and let sit 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve with crusty bread alongside.

LENTIL BRO

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan and sauté the lentils and all the vegetables.
• Season with salt and black pepper and add the stock.
• Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 hours.
• Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve garnished with parsley.

BROWN LENTILS

Steps:

• Rinse lentils and then par-boil them with water to cover and a good sprinklng of salt (simmer hard about 25 minutes). Drain.
• Meanwhile, in a braising pan, saute vegetables and garlic in the olive oil (cooking bacon first if using it) for 5 minutes.
• Stir in dried herbs and spices and 1 cup of stock. Bring to a simmer.
• Add the lentils to the vegetables and stock, and simmer, stirring occasionally until the lentils are cooked, (10-20 minutes more) adding more stock as needed.
• Check seasoning, adding salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with fresh squeezed lemon juice and parsley (I chose these because I serve the lentils with fish most often).