Lentils

I didn't get to eat this dish often in my family as my sister is tremendously allergic to lentils. One bite and she becomes Violet Beauregarde. But since I enjoy this very Greek-ish food, I have been making it often since I left home. So here goes:

For 2-3 people I'd use:

• 1/2 or 2/3 packet of lentils
• 1-2 carrots
• 1-2 tomatoes (normal Greek size, here I had to use 3 smaller ones)
• 1 onion
• a bit of garlic
• 1 teaspoon of mustard
• 2-3 bay leaves (or even more, but do use them)
• 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar (and you might add to your plate later as well- lentils are best when vinegary enough)
• 1 chicken or vegetable cube (depending on how vegeterian you feel today)
• olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano
• a pinch of tumeric

Before I go on, I feel I need to do a Disclaimer here. First of all the Waitrose products you see, are not there because I suddenly won the lottery but because unfortunately it's the only supermarket within walking distance from where I am situated. And secondly some products are from Greek supermarkets (like the salt), Greek mountains (the oregano in the jar) or exotic India (tumeric-for which I have to thank my lovely Indian friends). 

Right. So first of all I put the lentils in plenty of boiling water and let them boil for 5-10 minutes. Then throw away the water, keep the lentils and there you go, food is ready. Just kidding. You do throw away the water and keep the lentils in a bowl. Throwing away the "1st boil" makes them less heavy for the stomach to digest.

Then you cut or grate the onion, carrots and tomatoes like this: 

You put a little olive oil in the pan and let it get really warm. Once "fried" you put in a teaspoon of crushed garlic, stir for 1-2 minutes, then you throw in the lentils. Cover with water (preferably preboiled from a kettle) and once it boils, add the cube, onion, carrot, tomatoes, 2-3 bay leaves, 1 tsp mustard and the pinch of tumeric. They should look something like this:


Lower the temperature (let's say 3 or 4 out of 6) and let it cook. I'm not good with time so I don't count minutes, I taste the food several times. When the water is absorbed you taste them. If they are not soft enough you add a bit more water and again if necessary. The whole process I'd say takes around 45 minutes.

When they are soft enough and there is very little water left you add salt, pepper, vinegar and oregano. Don't add the salt before or they will take forever to cook, or the oregano will make them more bitter. If you like them more as a soup, take care to leave more water in them. I don't prefer them as soup usually so here is how mine turned out:



Add fresh olive oil and/or vinegar to your plate and enjoy!  (Eat it with feta. Feta is love, feta is life)

Bonus: Music to Listen to While Cooking this Food

1. Siouxsie and the Banshees - Happy House
2. Bauhaus - The Passion of Lovers
3. She Wants Revenge -Tear you apart
4. Joy Division - She's Lost Control
5. Sad Lovers and Giants - Things we never did
6. Skeletal Family - Promised Land
7. Forward Music Quintet - Waiting
8. South of No North - Lacrimae Christi
9. Christian Death - Romeo's Distress