Lentils And Bacon Food

BRAISED PEAS WITH BACON, LENTILS & COD

Steps:

• To make the pea braise, heat half the olive oil in a shallow saucepan, then sizzle bacon for 5 mins until crisp. Turn the heat down, add the peas to the pan, then cover and braise for 8-10 mins until peas are tender (about 5 mins if you're using frozen peas). Add the lentils to the peas and cook until heated, then remove from heat and dress with lemon juice, seasoning and a bit more olive oil, if necessary. Just before serving, stir through the mint.
• Meanwhile, heat the butter in a frying pan until frothy, then add the fish, skin-side down, and cook for 4 mins until the skin is crisp and the fish almost cooked. Flip the fillets over and cook for 1 min. Divide the peas between 4 plates and top with fish. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with a wedge of lemon.

LENTILS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Bring water and lentils to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer (medium-low) and cook, stirring occasionally until just tender, 15 to 22 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup cooking liquid (see tip*)
• Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat, turning occasionally, until crisp but not burnt, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a towel-lined plate. Pour off the bacon fat and gently wipe out the pan with a clean paper towel. When bacon is cool enough to handle, chop.
• Return the skillet to medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Add onion, celery hearts and leaves, garlic, salt and thyme and cook,stirring often until the onion is softened and the celery is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add the cooked lentils, vinegar, smoked paprika, pepper and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking liquid and cook, stirring until the mixture is hot and thoroughly combined. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped bacon, the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and parsley. Serve warm.

LENTIL & BACON SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, 1 pack of pancetta and the carrot. Cook on a low to medium heat for 10 minutes until the onions are soft.
• Add the cumin, turmeric, garlic and chilli and cook for a further 1 - 2 minutes until the aromas are released.
• Pour in 1.25 litres of boiling water, crumble in the stock cubes and add the lentils. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 mins, stirring occasionally to ensure the lentils aren't sticking.
• Meanwhile, fry the remaining lardons in a small frying pan for about 10 minutes until crispy. You don't need to add any oil as plenty will run from the pancetta.
• Serve the soup with a sprinkle of crispy lardons on top.

BACON LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a large pot or dutch oven until crispy. Transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate, leaving fat in pan.
• Adjust heat to medium-low. Add diced onion, sliced carrots, chopped celery. Saute in bacon fat for 5 minutes. (If pot is dry, add a little olive oil as needed.) Add garlic, oregano and thyme, and cook, stirring for one minute.
• Add vegetable broth, tomatoes, lentils, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Crumble bacon and add to pot.
• Bring to a simmer and cover; cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are soft, about 1-1 1/2 hour. Salt and pepper to taste.
• If desired garnish with grated cheese and herbs. And if you like it spicy, add a few dashes (or more!) of hot sauce.

LENTIL BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Heat oil and bacon (if using) in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium, stirring, until bacon starts to sizzle, about 1 minute. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent, 5-8 minutes. Add harissa paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly darkened in color, about 5 minutes. Add wine and cook, scraping up browned bits and stirring occasionally, until wine is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
• If using whole tomatoes, use kitchen shears or a pairing knife to burst each in the can (this will prevent juice from squirting on your shirt when you crush them). Add to pot, crushing with your hands as you go; add any juices remaining in can. If using diced tomatoes, add directly to pot along with juices. Stir to combine, then fill can almost to the top with water and pour into pot, swirling to get all the extra tomato juices out of the can. Bring sauce to a boil over medium heat.
• Set aside ½ cup lentils for serving. Add remaining lentils to sauce. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly and flavors come together, 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat and purée sauce with an immersion blender until almost smooth in some places but chunky in others. (Alternatively, purée half of sauce in a blender until almost smooth, then stir back into sauce in pot.) Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.
• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until not quite al dente, about 1 minute less than package directions.
• Using a spider or tongs, transfer pasta to sauce and add butter and ½ cup pasta cooking liquid. Cook, stirring constantly and adding more pasta cooking liquid if needed, until sauce thickens enough to coat pasta and pasta looks glossy, about 1 minute.
• Divide pasta among shallow bowls and top with reserved lentils and Parmesan (if using).
• Do ahead: Sauce can be made 5 days ahead. Let cool, then transfer to an airtight container. Cover and chill, or freeze up to 3 months. Reheat, adding a little water to thin if needed, before serving.

SLOW COOKER LENTIL SOUP WITH BACON

Steps:

• Rinse lentils well under cold running water. Drain and transfer to a slow cooker. Pour in water until water level is twice as high as lentils. Add bay leaf and set slow cooker to High.
• Meanwhile, heat onion and bacon in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until bacon is crispy, 5 to 10 minutes. Season with garlic powder and transfer bacon-onion mixture to the slow cooker.
• Cook on High until lentils are tender, about 5 hours.

LENTILS AND BACON

Steps:

• Combine lentils,water and bacon in a large heavy saucepan .
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat.
• Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
• Add potatoes and continue to cook until lentils are tender about 15 minutes.
• Stir in vinegar and sugar.
• Taste and add salt if needed.
• Place in serving dish and keep warm.
• Melt butter in skillet ;saute onions and parsley over medium heat until onions are transparent.
• Spoon over lentils.
• Serve hot.

STEWED LENTILS WITH BACON AND HERBS

Steps:

• To cook the lentils: In a large saucepan combine all the ingredients. Add water to the pot until it covers the ingredients by about 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the lentils are soft.
• Remove the pot from the heat and season the water with salt. Taste the water to make sure it is seasoned. Let the lentils sit in the salty water for about 10 to 15 minutes. This will allow the lentils to absorb the seasoned water. Ladle off 1 cup of the lentil cooking water and reserve.
• Remove all the vegetables and aromatics from the lentils and discard. Strain the lentils from the water.
• To assemble the lentils: Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the bacon lardoons. When the bacon has rendered off a lot of fat and has become brown and crispy, add the onions. Season the onions with salt and sweat them until they become very soft and aromatic.
• Add the celery, fennel and carrot. Season with salt and saute over medium heat until the vegetables start to become soft and aromatic, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the cooked lentils, 1/4 of the reserved lentil cooking water, the mustard and vinegar. Cook until most of the liquid has reduced. Taste for seasoning, add salt or more vinegar, if needed. Serve hot or at room temperature.
• MMMMM!!!! Lentils and bacon...OH MY!!

LENTIL AND BACON SOUP

Steps:

• Place the rinsed lentils in a large saucepan with the onions and carrots. If you're using a ham hock or gammon joint place this on top of the lentils and vegetables. If you're using bacon there's no need to add it yet.
• Pour over enough cold water to cover everything completely - about 1.5-2 litres. Lentils swell as they cook so you might need to add more liquid later.
• Bring to the boil, then turn down to a gentle simmer. Add the chopped bacon and ham stock cube if using, then cook on a gentle heat for 11/2-2 hours. Give the soup a stir every now and then to make sure it isn't sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• If you're cooking a ham hock or gammon joint with the soup, it will defintely need a good two hours on a slow simmer. The soup is ready when the ham hock or gammon joint pulls apart easily with two forks. Carefully lift the joint from the soup and place on a chopping board.
• Using two forks, shred the meat into small chunks and add to the soup. Taste the soup to see if it needs salt and pepper before serving.

LENTIL, BACON AND BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Cook and stir carrots and onions in bacon drippings until crisp-tender, 3-4 minutes. Add tomato paste, garlic, thyme and pepper; cook 1 minute longer., Add stock and wine; increase heat to medium-high. Cook 2 minutes, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Stir in butter beans, lentils and bacon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 5 minutes. Uncover; continue simmering until vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes. Garnish with thyme sprigs if desired.

LENTILS DU PUY AND BACON SALAD

Steps:

• Cook 6 slices bacon in heavy large saucepan over medium heat until brown and crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels, crumble. Drain off all but about three tablespoons of bacon fat.Add onion to drippings; sauté until tender, about 10 minutes.
• Add 6 cups water, lentils, remaining 2 slices of bacon, and thyme to the bacon fat and onion. Bring to boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. After about 20 minutes, add carrots and continue to cook until lentils are tender, about 10 more minutes.
• Drain lentils, let cool.
• Whisk oil, red wine vinegar, and Dijon mustard in bowl to blend.
• Add lentils, red onion, celery, bacon, and parsley. Toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

LENTILS WITH VEGETABLES AND BACON

Steps:

• Bring water and lentils to a boil in a large saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until mostly tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat a stew pot over low heat. Add oil and carrots; cook, covered, until carrots begin to soften, about 15 minutes. Drain cooked lentils well.
• Add onions and mushrooms to the carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add bacon and cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Stir in lentils; cover and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes more.

LENTILS WITH BACON & RICE

Steps:

• Cook rice as directed on package, omitting salt.
• Meanwhile, cook and stir bacon in medium saucepan on medium heat 4 to 6 min. or just until bacon starts to turn crisp. Add vegetables; mix well. Cook 6 to 8 min. or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.
• Add broth, lentils and garlic; stir. Bring to boil; cover. Simmer on medium-low heat 30 to 40 min. or until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in rosemary and Worcestershire sauce.
• Serve over rice.

LENTIL SALAD WITH BEETS AND BACON

Steps:

• Chop about two-thirds of the bacon into 1/4-inch pieces; set aside. Wrap the thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns and garlic in a piece of cheesecloth; tie closed with kitchen twine. Combine the cheesecloth bundle, the remaining slab bacon, the lentils and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 25 minutes. Drain, discarding the cheesecloth bundle and bacon; let cool.
• Meanwhile, cook the chopped bacon in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and just crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels; set aside.
• Make the dressing: Whisk the mustard and vinegar in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Toss the beets with about 1 tablespoon of the dressing in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper.
• Assemble the salad: Add the lettuce, endive, shallot, parsley, chives and the prepared lentils and bacon to the bowl with the dressing; season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and toss. Top each serving with some beets.

HEARTY LENTIL SOUP WITH BACON AND HERBS

Steps:

• Combine onion, celery, carrot, bacon and garlic in heavy Dutch oven. Stir over medium-high heat 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook until vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes. Uncover; add 7 cups broth, lentils, thyme and bay leaf and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf.
• Transfer half of soup to processor; cool slightly. Puree until smooth. Return puree to Dutch oven. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Bring soup to simmer, thinning with more broth, if desired. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.
• Combine parsley and chives in small bowl. Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle parsley mixture over and serve.