Wednesday is David's night to go to school, so the kids and I are on our own. I fully intended to take them out to dinner after swim practice, but it was 70 degrees and sunny yesterday and they rebelled (and rightly fully so, I might add) against the idea of spending any more time indoors than strictly necessary. There wasn't much in the fridge that could be put together in a hurry - hence, this dish, courtesy of Mark Bittman.
Lentils with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon
1 pound of really good-quality bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cups lentils, rinsed and picked over (you can use pretty much any kind of whole lentil, but I had the fancy-schmancy little green French lentils on hand)
3 cups of stock
Brussels sprouts
Thyme
Bay leaves
Red wine vinegar
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until it's crispy, then remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set it aside. Spoon off all but a 2-3 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Add the onions and carrot and cook until the onion starts to soften up, about 10 minutes. Eat some of the extra bacon while you're stirring the vegetables.
Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the lentils, a bay leaf, 2-3 springs fresh thyme, and salt and pepper. Partially cover and cook over medium-low heat until the lentils are soft, about 45-60 minutes. Eat more of the bacon every time you walk past the stove to check how far along the lentils are.
When the lentils are soft (or you've eaten a quarter pound of bacon, whichever comes first), take the lid off and turn up the heat to cook off any extra water. Trim and cook your Brussels sprouts (I use a Pampered Chef Microwave Steamer and it takes less than 5 minutes).
When the extra liquid is cooked away, take the pan off the heat. Remove the bay leaf and thyme stems, then add about a teaspoon of red wine vinegar. Stir in any bacon that's managed to escape your predation and salt and pepper to taste. The original recipe called for a 1/4 pound of bacon but that seemed a little skimpy, possibly because I ate most of it while I was cooking.
Chop the Brussels sprouts. To serve, put a pile of the chopped sprouts on your plate, then ladle the hot lentils over the top. This is completely delicious and let's you pretend that what you just cooked is very healthy in spite of the bacon fat.
This is fantastic served hot, but it also very good eaten straight out of the refrigerator while you're making lunches the next morning. Totally acceptable, since bacon is a breakfast food.
