Being retired one would think I would have more time, but I’m still doing exactly the same work, just not getting paid for it (this is good not bad as it keeps me out there professionally). However I’m rebuilding the kitchen, planned for this time of the year since spring, and it absorbs all available time. But I do have pictures. When it is done Sunday I’ll blog on it.

Having Grandparents from France (maternal) and Italy (paternal), by the time I was 13 I had eaten more lentils than a normal American does in his/her whole lifetime. I didn’t eat lentils again until about 22, when I started cooking professionally and you ate what you got from the chef for staff meal. I have since learned many ways to cook them and have passed down the family recipes to my kids, who for some reason never got sick of them like I did.

Lentilles du Puy

1 lb lentils
1 glass red wine
1 onion, studded with cloves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 3/4 pints water
salt to taste

Place lentils and all other ingredients EXCEPT SALT in a sauce pan, bring to a fast boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook about 30 minutes until tender. Season with salt starting the last 5 minutes as the salinity increases as the liquid reduces.

I do many things with these lentils – use them as a side dish alone or mixed with rice or couscous. Or a cold salad: Drain lentils and reserve liquid. Toss lentils (room temp) with red wine vinaigrette, chopped parsley and served with sliced tomato and onion. This is a great bed for many things – my Grandmother served us a coarse pork terrine with this for Saturday lunches. I know pork isn’t in your fridge, so Poached, Seared or Smoked Salmon is great with this. Memere would then make a soup with the reserved lentil liquid (Soup du Puy) – but thats another deal all together. Here’s a weird one we would have in Lent on Fridays (no meat):

Les Lentilles du vendredi

Make lentils in the style on Lentilles du Puy. serve them hot tossed in a sauce bechamel garnished with chopped hard boiled eggs and parsley.

This is a GREAT lunch – it sounds weird but it is very good. My brother and I would have contests to see who could mound up the most on grilled bread – the one who didn’t get smacked by Memere for the mess won.

My Grandmother on my Fathers side would boil the shit out of lentils throughout lent – usually with alot of vegetables and always with WAY to much laurel – I think she was overcompensating for the fact that she couldn’t add a pork product to them for 40 days. But the weekend AFTER Easter (my Grandfather would roast a whole lamb for Easter, reserving one leg and the offal for the next weekend’s dinner) my Grandmother would make lentils one more time as a bed for a roast leg of lamb. Here is the base recipe for the lentils:

2 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
2 ounces pancetta (try substituting preserved lemon for salted pork products)
3 tbsp olive oil
5 shallots peeled and minced
1 lb lentils (brown Castellucio are awesome)
1 cup white wine
4 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

Mince the garlic and pancetta (or in your case the preserved lemon) into a paste. Add olive oil to a large pot and saute paste for 2 minutes, add shallot and sweat down. Add lentils, wine and water and bring to a simmer. Cook until al dente – you want them firm and not cooked all the way – between 1/2 an 3/4 done – season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a roasting dish.

You can then take a leg of lamb (or we have done this with a chicken) and stud it wih slivered garlic and crushed fennel seed with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Roast at 400 degrees directly on rack (with pan underneath to catch juices) until you have about 30 minutes of cooking time left. Replace catch pan with roasting dish full of lentils and continue to cook for 30 minutes, allowing lentils to absorn the drippings. Let roast rest for 15 minutes before serving.

@erin – hmmm, something to think about!