Stewed Lentils

My latest recipe for lentils came about as an accident of no protein in the house. I wanted to make something for dinner, but only had a bag of dried Italian lentils in the cupboard. So I cooked up a simple vegetarian version accompanied with vegetable couscous (see Vegetable couscous recipe). It turned out to be the easiest c crowed pleaser with variety of rich, subtle flavors. We had several encore meals and I even froze leftovers, which I used as additional fillers for several lunchtime quesadillas.

This recipe needs a little advanced planning and cooking time, but it is so easy to make. First, soak the dried lentils in a bowl of water for 1-2 hours. Pour enough water to cover the lentils. Separately, dice carrots and onions and sauté in a large pot with olive oil and two cloves of garlic. Cook until onions are translucent and/or just slightly brown. Pour in the lentils and 4 cups of water. Make sure there is enough water to cover lentils. Add bay leaves. Bring to boil and then lower flame, cover and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Check to stir every 20 minutes. After 1 hour lentils should be soft, but you can cook longer. Season lentils with salt and pepper to taste.