Saturday, September 11, 2010

Bittman's Beets-n-Lentils: my way



I've made this really fabulous beet and lentil recipe twice from Mark Bittman's blog on the New York Times site. It's actually his posting of a recipe from blogger Emily Nunn. The flavors are great, but the original recipe is a bit complicated.

Here's how I do it: simplified and half the amount.

Ingredients:

3-4 medium beets, washed and unpeeled
1 1/2 cup green lentils (I've also used yellow split peas with good success)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 veggie bouillon cube (I like Not-Chicken) dissolved in 2 cups water, or two cups of veg stock
10-15 basil leaves, chopped
1-2 T olive oil
Dijon vinaigrette (recipe below)

To cook the beets:
You can steam them stove-top or roast them in foil in the oven. Just be sure they're nice and tender when they're done cooking. Slough off the skin under cool water and dice.

Lentils:
In a heavy pot, sauté the onions in the olive oil until translucent.
Add the stock and lentils, cover and cook on low until tender.

When the lentil are done, add the beets, stir, and let cool to room temp.
Once cooled, add the basil and vinaigrette (see below)

I make my vinaigrette with less oil than the original. In a jar, combine:
2 T olive oil
1/3 cup water
3 T red wine vinegar
Heaping tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
cracked pepper

Place lid on jar. Shake, shake, shake until emulsified. Pour over the lentils, stir to combine. Serve room temp or cold.

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