Lentils part 2

[jducoeur]

Continuing to experiment. This time it's a home run.

Lentil Jambalaya (makes 2 bowls)

1/2 cup small split lentils
2 cups water
1 leek (thanks to goldsquare for the suggestion!)
1 tsp low-sodium Better Than Boullion Chicken concentrate
1 link "kielbasa"-style Tofurky

Slice and rinse the leek as usual. Bring the lentils, water and boullion to a simmer; stir the leeks in. Cook until the lentils are done, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, dice the sausage. Saute in a little olive oil until browned and crisp. When the lentils are done, drain the leftover water (there won't be a lot), and stir in the browned sausage. Serve hot, with Creole Seasoning to taste.

That's a total win: flavorful enough that calling it Jambalaya isn't entirely crazy. Still probably saltier than is ideal for me, but the low-sodium boillion means that the salt is mainly limited to the sausage and seasoning. I'll definitely make this one regularly...

Comments

Recipe: "Esau's Mess of Pottage"

[dulcinbradbury.livejournal.com]

1 c. Lentils
7 c. Water
1 T salt
5-6 Onions
3/4 c. rice
3/4 c. olive oil

Cover lentils w/ water. Add salt. Cover & cook 20 minutes.
Slice onions, brown in olive oil
Add rice to lentils & cook 15 minutes more.
Add onions & oil to lentils & rice.
Cook uncovered 15 minutes or until liquid is close to gone.

Re: Recipe: "Esau's Mess of Pottage"

[jducoeur]

Thanks -- I suspect I'll want to cut this in half (or even a quarter), but I'll have to try it sometime. From the look of this, the browned onions are the dominant flavor?

The combination of lentils and rice hadn't occurred to me: what kind of rice do you use? I keep both basmati and sweet rice in the house; I suspect the basmati is reasonably appropriate here, but not sure.

Re: Recipe: "Esau's Mess of Pottage"

[dulcinbradbury.livejournal.com]

You could definitely use basmati here. This serves 3-4ish & reheats pretty well. For a very simple dish, it's surprising how flavorful it is. And yes, the caramelized onions & the olive oil are the main source of flavor.

Re: Recipe: "Esau's Mess of Pottage"

[jducoeur]

Okay, cool. Intriguing dish, and I suspect that experimenting with the oils might produce nice variations. (I have a lot of flavored olive oils of various sorts. Some would be too strong here, but some seem like they might compliment it nicely.) Thanks!