Comfort Food
Aug. 5th, 2008 02:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
omorkaYeah, with the rain and all, I decided to make something hearty for lunch. Peg Bracken has a lamb-and-lentil stew that she called "Liberal Pottage," the idea being "diverse elements all stewing together." I'm not fond of wet-cooking lamb, so I fussed with it until it was unrecognizable and in fact resembles my recipe for Hoppin' John more than the original. It's still a lentil stew, though.
1 medium to 2 large onions, to taste, diced (start with one large and adjust from there)
3 ribs celery, scrubbed and sliced, with leaves (I'm serious about the leaves)
2 medium carrots, or enough small ones to make about 3/4 cup, cut into coins
2-3 cloves garlic, minced (I like garlic, so I use 3 large cloves)
1 lb kielbasa-style sausage, cut into coins
1 T olive oil (optional if you have a non-stick pan)
1 large bay leaf
about 1/2 t dried tarragon
about 1/2 t dried thyme
1 lb regular brown lentils (it works with red or French green lentils, but it ends up more like soup)
1 cup long-grain white rice (you can use brown if you want, but you'll need to increase the cooking time)
3-4 c vegetable broth, chicken broth, or stock
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 t Lowry's seasoning salt (or see below)
Toss the vegetables and the sausage into a Dutch oven or soup pot with the olive oil (if using) and cook over medium-high heat until the onions are soft and mostly translucent. Stir in the herbs and the rice, and cook and stir together until the rice is thoroughly mixed in. Add the lentils and mix thoroughly. Add the vegetable broth or chicken broth all at once and use your spatula or spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot all over. Pour in enough water to stand two inches above the surface of the rice/lentil mixture (some of the veggies may float; that's okay) and turn the heat up to high. Stir in the Lowry's, and add additional salt if it needs it and pepper to taste. As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, cover it tightly and drop the heat to low. Leave it alone for 30 minutes, then check to see if it needs more liquid; add up to 1 cup more water if necessary. Let it simmer for 15 more minutes (45 min. total). Serve in bowls.
Vegetarian option: Omit the sausage, use vegetable broth, and up the olive oil to 2 T. If you use brown rice, total cooking time should be about 55 min.
Spicy option: omit the tarragon, and substitute curry powder to taste for the Lowry's.
Cajun option: use andouille sausage instead of the kielbasa, and substitute 1 t of cajun seasoning for the Lowry's.
Crockpot option: Follow recipe as written up to adding the rice. Turn rice mixture into crock and add lentils, broth, seasoning, and water to cover mixture by about an inch; cook on low for 6-8 hours. (You'll need to try this a couple of times to see how much water you need for your crockpot; you want enough for the rice and lentils to absorb fully and leave the mixture moist but not dripping. If you add too much, you'll get lentil-sausage soup, which is okay, too.)
1 medium to 2 large onions, to taste, diced (start with one large and adjust from there)
3 ribs celery, scrubbed and sliced, with leaves (I'm serious about the leaves)
2 medium carrots, or enough small ones to make about 3/4 cup, cut into coins
2-3 cloves garlic, minced (I like garlic, so I use 3 large cloves)
1 lb kielbasa-style sausage, cut into coins
1 T olive oil (optional if you have a non-stick pan)
1 large bay leaf
about 1/2 t dried tarragon
about 1/2 t dried thyme
1 lb regular brown lentils (it works with red or French green lentils, but it ends up more like soup)
1 cup long-grain white rice (you can use brown if you want, but you'll need to increase the cooking time)
3-4 c vegetable broth, chicken broth, or stock
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 t Lowry's seasoning salt (or see below)
Toss the vegetables and the sausage into a Dutch oven or soup pot with the olive oil (if using) and cook over medium-high heat until the onions are soft and mostly translucent. Stir in the herbs and the rice, and cook and stir together until the rice is thoroughly mixed in. Add the lentils and mix thoroughly. Add the vegetable broth or chicken broth all at once and use your spatula or spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot all over. Pour in enough water to stand two inches above the surface of the rice/lentil mixture (some of the veggies may float; that's okay) and turn the heat up to high. Stir in the Lowry's, and add additional salt if it needs it and pepper to taste. As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, cover it tightly and drop the heat to low. Leave it alone for 30 minutes, then check to see if it needs more liquid; add up to 1 cup more water if necessary. Let it simmer for 15 more minutes (45 min. total). Serve in bowls.
Vegetarian option: Omit the sausage, use vegetable broth, and up the olive oil to 2 T. If you use brown rice, total cooking time should be about 55 min.
Spicy option: omit the tarragon, and substitute curry powder to taste for the Lowry's.
Cajun option: use andouille sausage instead of the kielbasa, and substitute 1 t of cajun seasoning for the Lowry's.
Crockpot option: Follow recipe as written up to adding the rice. Turn rice mixture into crock and add lentils, broth, seasoning, and water to cover mixture by about an inch; cook on low for 6-8 hours. (You'll need to try this a couple of times to see how much water you need for your crockpot; you want enough for the rice and lentils to absorb fully and leave the mixture moist but not dripping. If you add too much, you'll get lentil-sausage soup, which is okay, too.)
