When a friend asks for a recipe, it’s a great time to sit down and write again! Of course, it also means that I’m pulling a bit from memory (there’s a little bit of a time crunch) so, the only photos I have for either of these are the finished products. In time I’ll make it again and add more pictures. Both make a great, filling main dish, works well with any vegetable side, or on its own for a simple weeknight meal. Have I mentioned before that I love cooking with wine? I love the depth of flavor that wine brings to most any dish – especially with both lentils and mushrooms. The alcohol cooks off, but, if you don’t have any wine on hand, balsamic vinegar will give you a similar flavor profile.
Presentation can be a little tricky here – there is a fine line between the lentils begin cooked and turning to mush. When you figure out the trick, let me know 😊
Lentils And Mushrooms
For the Lentils:
1 Cup Lentils, picked over to remove any pebbles 2 ¼ Cups Broth, Water (or combination) ¼ - ½ Cup Dry Red or White Wine 1 Tsp Pepper Salt, to taste
For the Mushrooms:
1 Onion, diced
1 Cloves Garlic, minced
8 – 16oz. Mushrooms, thinly sliced (my go-to are cremini, oyster and shitake would also be a great addition)
1 Tsp Dried Thyme
1 Tsp Pepper
Salt, to taste
Bring broth or water and lentils to a gentle boil. Add wine, and season with pepper & salt (if your broth is particularly salty, go light on the salt. Cover and turn heat down to simmer until the lentils have absorbed the liquids.
Heat a separate pan with EVOO and add onions when the oil is warm. After the onions are translucent, add garlic, thyme, salt & pepper. Cook until the onions are browned and mushroom juices have start to evaporate.
When lentils are cooked through, transfer to a bowl and top with mushrooms.
Lentils & Farro* with Sundried Tomatoes
For the Lentils:
1 Cup Lentils, picked over to remove any pebbles ½ Cup Farro 2 ¾ Cups Veggie Broth, Water (or combination) ½ Cup Dry Red or White Wine 1 Tsp Pepper Salt, to taste 3-5 oz. Sundried Tomatoes, roughly chopped 3 Green Onions, chopped
4 oz. Feta, crumbled
Bring broth or water, lentils and farro to a gentle boil. Add wine, and season with pepper & salt (if your broth is particularly salty, go light on the salt). Cover and turn heat down to simmer until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Mix sundried tomatoes, green onions and feta into the lentil and farro/quinoa mixture. Add EVOO and white wine vinegar to taste.
*Quinoa would also work well in place of farro in this preparation.