A big lentil moment

As soon as Brad walks in the door from soccer practice, he can almost always tell what's for dinner by the smells coming from the kitchen. He walked in one afternoon last week, took a whiff, headed over to the stove and saw these lentils in the pot, and said, "So what am I having for dinner?" Oh, ye of little faith. I told him to try the lentils (great recovery food: lots of protein and good carbs, iron, B vitamins, and plenty of fiber to keep things moving). To his credit, he tried a little bit, mixed with some brown jasmine rice, . . . and loved it! Enough to go back for another bowl, and then a third (and some leftovers a few days later). Brad's big lentil moment! And Cassie liked them, too, so a dish I love that we can all eat, which is always a relief for the cook.

The flavor base for this recipe is a classic Italian soffritto (from the Italian soffriggere, to fry slowly over a moderate heat) made from the "holy trinity" of onion, celery, and carrot. This same mixture is called a mirepoix in French cooking. If you remember your "Worst Cooks in America," you want to dice the vegetables into small pieces of relatively uniform size, so they cook evenly (and look nice). You're usually aiming for a ratio of 2:1:1 onion to celery to carrot, that is, about the same amount of celery and carrot and twice as much as onion. You then cook the finely diced vegetables very gently over a moderate heat in olive oil (sometimes butter, too) until they are practically melting, softened but not brown (not like what you see at the end of this Martha Stewart video, though she did dice the vegetables nicely). You use the basic technique as a base for lots of tasty things, such as soups, stocks, tomato sauce, and these wonderful lentils.

Lentil Stew

Adapted from Rachel Roddy via the Guardian (main recipe, variation)

Time: ~1:05 (using lentils that cook in about 30 minutes)

The lentils can be served: as is; over cooked rice; stirred into pasta, adding a little of the cooking water as needed to loosen the consistency, and topped with grated Parmesan cheese; or topped with grilled or pan-fried sausage, baked goat cheese, or a fried egg.

3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium carrot (~75 grams), peeled
1 large celery stalk (~45 grams)
1 medium onion (~125 grams)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed gently
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt + ½ teaspoon, and more to taste
454 grams/1 pound (~2½ cups) brown or green lentils
2 bay leaves, or ¼ teaspoon ground laurel bay leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
A handful of finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley

    1. Start by making the soffritto. Warm enough oil to coat the bottom of a large saucier or stockpot over moderate heat (a notch or two below medium). Finely dice the carrot, celery, and onion, in that order, adding each of them to the pan as you go. Stir in the garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon salt. Sweat the vegetables gently, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as needed, until they are soft but not colored, 10 minutes or more.
    2. Meanwhile, pick over the lentils and discard any pebbles or other debris. Rinse the lentils, then add them to the pan with the bay leaves and another ½ teaspoon salt, stirring until the lentils are coated with oil. Add water to cover the lentils by about an inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring and tasting occasionally, just until the lentils are tender but retain their shape and are not squishy. There should be a little bit of liquid left—if the pan seems dry at any point, add a little more water as needed. It will take about 20 to 40 minutes depending on the type and age of the lentils you use.
    3. Discard the garlic and bay leaves. Season the lentils generously with pepper, and stir in the parsley and another tablespoon or two of fresh oil. Taste and adjust for salt. See the headnote for serving suggestions. This recipe makes a double quantity for 4 people, so you can serve the lentils a few different ways (they keep well in the fridge for the better part of a week), or you can halve the recipe for 1 meal.

Variation: Lentil Stew with Fennel and Sausage
Replace the celery with 1 bulb of fennel, trimmed and then diced like an onion. (Reserve some of the fronds for garnish.) Saute the fennel along with the onion and carrot while making the soffritto. Serve the cooked lentils with spicy or sweet Italian sausages or chorizo, grilled or browned in a pan and then finished in a 400 degree oven. Garnish with the reserved fennel fronds.