How can a dish that contains no butter taste so buttery and delicious?
I cooked braised lentils tonight, adapted from a “Braised French Lentils” recipe found in Annie Sommerville’s cookbook Everyday Greens. Somehow, through this French-inspired cooking process, my lentils began to taste like smooth butter! How is that possible?
Here’s the recipe for you to try and discover the secret to its buttery richness:
Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 tsp minced garlic, minced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1/2 cup red wine (very important!)
1 cup lentils (plain old cheap green lentils from Eddie’s supermarket)
4 cups cold water
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme
3 fresh sage leaves (maybe this is the source of my buttery flavor?)
salt and pepper
Instructions:
1. Heat oil in a large pot. Add onions, 1/4 tsp salt, pinch of pepper and cook over medium heat until onions soften (3-4 min). Add garlic, vegetables, 1/4 tsp salt and pinch of pepper and cook until tender (5 min).
2. Pour in the wine and cook until the pan is nearly dry (4 min)–this step is critical!
3. Add lentils, water, bay leaf and herbs and simmer until beans are completely tender, but still hold their shape (45 minutes). Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired. Remove bay leaf and bare thyme sprigs and serve.