french... ish.

I don't remember what we were watching when husband made the comment, "how come you never make french food?". of course, i then went off into a pretentious foodie tangent about how all cuisine links back to classic french cooking and how sauces can go back here and knife skills, blah blah blah. i told him i would make him something french, whenever it came to me. i browsed around recipes while i was planning my grocery store trip and realized, there aren't many good french recipes that don't include dairy. guh. so, i found this recipe for stewed lentils with bacon. french? maybe. delicious? oh yes. i told my husband to dig into his french dinner and i'm positive he loved it for the taste, not the promise of being continental.

the recipe is Anne Burrell's. I love this woman. it makes me so giddy to see chefs who cook like i do; throw this in, leave that there, dash of this. she (secretly) frequents my workplace and i become instantly intimidated by the combination of her talent and amazonian stature.

Stewed Lentils with Bacon

* 1 1/2 cups green lentils
* 1/2 fennel bulb, fronds reserved, for garnish
* 1/2 red onion, peeled, root end left on
* 1/2 carrot, peeled
* 1 stalk celery
* 2 bay leaves
* 1 small bundle thyme
* 2 cloves garlic, smashed
* Salt

For the lentil garnish:

* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 5 slices bacon, cut into lardons
* 1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
* 1/2 cup celery, finely diced
* 1/2 cup fennel, finely diced
* 1/2 cup carrot, finely diced
* 1 clove garlic, smashed and finely chopped
* 3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
* 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
* Kosher salt

To cook the lentils:

In a large saucepan combine all the ingredients. Add water to the pot until it covers the ingredients by about 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the lentils are soft.

Remove the pot from the heat and season the water with salt. Taste the water to make sure it is seasoned. Let the lentils sit in the salty water for about 10 to 15 minutes. This will allow the lentils to absorb the seasoned water. Ladle off 1 cup of the lentil cooking water and reserve.

Remove all the vegetables and aromatics from the lentils and discard. Strain the lentils from the water.

To assemble the lentils:

Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the bacon lardoons. When the bacon has rendered off a lot of fat and has become brown and crispy, add the onions. Season the onions with salt and sweat them until they become very soft and aromatic.

Add the celery, fennel and carrot. Season with salt and saute over medium heat until the vegetables start to become soft and aromatic, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the cooked lentils, 1/4 of the reserved lentil cooking water, the mustard and vinegar. Cook until most of the liquid has reduced. Taste for seasoning, add salt or more vinegar, if needed. Serve hot or at room temperature.

I basically adhered to her recipe (a first for me) except for cutting the vinegar in half (it called for a half cup, i could not see myself enjoying that much tang) and i used organic, uncured bacon of course. These were amazing. So many flavors; the smoky bacon background, the fragrance of the herbs and the tang from the mustard and vinegar. I served a seared piece of salmon along with it and the best part is... leftovers made the most delicious veggie lentil burgers!