We’re not a traditional family when it comes to food – the host family usually cooks a ham or a turkey and the rest of us bring side dishes, appetizers, and dessert.
I always bring a vegetarian dish to add to the mix. This year, I wanted something different than the usual pasta casserole, ratatouille, or quiche recipe. Since I'm less about gourmet and traditional than I am about healthy and satisfying, I decided to make a warm lentil dish.
After arguing with Mike about what spices to use (I thought some kind of sweet and sour would be good, he was pushing curry) I decided just to use a recipe from the Veganomicon cookbook: Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions. But sans rice. And note: it's vegan.
I've made this dish before - but I forgot that it's one full of typos (cloves appears in the directions but not the ingredients list, for example). So this is a loose translation at best.
If I were to make it again, I’d add garlic and use more onions but cut the pieces smaller. Overall, it was pretty good but needed salt and pepper in a major way. Possibly some different spices too - I could see thyme and oregano working. Or even a slightly sweet version with maple syrup.
Instead of red lentils (too mushy!) I used French lentils. Partially because that’s what the store had and partially because I prefer my lentils to hold their shape.
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| French lentils |
I love the extremely generous use of olive oil in the Veganomicon recipe. It makes this dish stand out.
Roasted French Lentils with Caramelized Onions
Ingredients:
For the onions
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| Onion rings doused in olive oil |
- 3 large yellow onions, sliced thinly into rings
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 2 scant cups French lentils
- 2 cups water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 dried cloves
- 1 scant tablespoon cumin
- Generous salt and pepper to taste
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| A close-up of the French lentils |
1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Slice the onions and toss them with the olive oil.
3. Roast in a roasting pan for 35 minutes, until golden brown and edges are starting to caramelize and blacken.
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| Caramelized onions in generous amount of olive oil |
4. In the meantime, measure the water into a saucepan. Add the cinnamon stick, cloves, and cumin. Bring to a boil.
5. Add the French lentils and return to a boil.
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| Spiced liquid for cooking lentils |
6. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until French lentils are soft. If using green, brown, or red lentils, cook according to package directions.
7. When the lentils are done, all the water should be absorbed.
8. Remove the cinnamon sticks and cloves.
9. Fold the roasted onions into the cooked lentils. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
10. Serve warm.
I'm not sure what's up with Blogger, but it keeps rotating my photos without permission. Here's a final (off-kilter) photo of the dish:
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