Recipe: Wine-Braised Lentils

WINE-BRAISED LENTILS

3/4 cup French green (Le Puy) or black (Beluga) lentils, cleaned and rinsed
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided use
1/3 cup diced onion
1/3 cup diced carrot
1/3 cup diced celery
2 garlic cloves, 1 crushed, 1 halved
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
1 teaspoon prepared Dijon-style mustard
1 1/2 cups water
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
12 red pearl onions
1 big bunch of spinach or other greens, such as Tuscan kale, leaves only, washed
1 tablespoon butter or walnut oil, or to taste
4 slices sturdy country bread (for serving)

Parboil lentils for 5 minutes and drain.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 2- or 3-quart saucepan. Add diced onion, carrot and celery and cook over medium-high heat for several minutes, browning them a bit.

Add crushed garlic, mash tomato paste into the vegetables, then pour in the wine and stir in the mustard. Add 1 1/2 cups water, the drained lentils, and 1 teaspoon salt. Simmer, covered, until lentils are tender, 30 to 40 minutes.

While lentils are cooking, blanch pearl onions in boiling water for 1 minute, then drain. Peel off skins, then put them in a pan with the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil and cook over medium heat, sliding them in the pan now and then, until tender and beginning to color, about 5 minutes. Add a splash of wine or water toward the end and deglaze pan. Season with salt and pepper.

Wilt spinach in a skillet in the water clinging to its leaves. Season with salt and pepper. (Tuscan kale will take about 7 minutes.) Stir cooked greens into the lentils, add 1 tablespoon of butter or walnut oil, taste again, and season to taste.

TO SERVE:
Toast bread and rub it with the halved garlic. Cut each piece in thirds and arrange them on the plates. Spoon lentils over the toast and garnish with onions.

Makes 4 servings
Source: Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison's Kitchen by Deborah Madison