This was another one of those "throw-together things", in its original inception. The potatoes came as an addition from watching an Emeril Lagasse show and his recipe for a lentil dish. As always, this is a place to start. Experiment and you may find a variation you like better. This is a great side dish, or if you are vegetarian, this as a really good main dish, particularly if served with rice.
The Stuff That Goes in It
- half a bag of lentils: sorted and washed
- 3 T. cup of good olive oil
- 1 medium onion: minced
- 1-3 garlic cloves: minced
- 1 small stalk of celery: minced
- 1 small carrot: thinly sliced
- 1 to 2 t. of cumin
- 1 to 2 t. of coriander
- one or two small new (red) potatoes: cut into small cubes
- water or chicken stock to cover
- fresh spinich leaves: washed and stemmed
- salt
- black pepper
- parsley
- 2 hard boiled eggs: chopped
- for a complete meal, serve over rice.
What to do:
- Chop the veggies. You can put the potatos in water to stop discoloration and get some of the starch out
- Wash and sort the lentils
- Saute veggies in the olive oil.
- Add seasonings and lentils. Stir lentils in hot oil for a minute or two.
- Add water or stock. Bring to a gentle boil, add potatos, and then cover. Cook until they are a tenderness you like, but it shouldn't take too long.
- You can make this soup by adding more stock, or a main dish by adding less.
- Just before serving, stir in some fresh spinach leaves.
- Garnish with parsley, if you wish, and some chopped, hard boiled eggs. You can also put a little good olive oil on it. Yumm....
- Serve with big chunks of bread.
- Eat.
Last updated: The Ides of March, 2001