MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Pasta With Braised Lentils
Categories: Pasta
Yield: 4 Servings

1 c Brown lentils;
- sorted & rinsed
1 md Onion; diced
1 Red bell pepper; diced
4 cl Garlic; up to 5 cl; minced
1 1/2 tb Butter; up to 2 tb
3 tb Olive oil; or as needed
1 ts Basil; or to taste
1 ts Oregano; or to taste
1 ts Paprika; or to taste
1 ts Marjoram; or to taste
Black pepper;
- ground, to taste
1 c Red wine
1 tb Balsamic vinegar;
- up to 2 tb, or to taste
Short pasta (such as
- farfalle, rigatoni,
- penne, etc)

After sorting and rinsing the lentils, place the lentils in a large,
shallow pan (like a large sauce pan or a chef's pan), along with
several cups of water, the black pepper, and the red wine. Place over
medium-high heat until the lentils have reached a low boil. At this
point, lentils should be bouncing in the boiling water; now place a
lid on the pan, and reduce heat. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the
lentils are al dente. Use a colander to drain the lentils, collecting
the lentil water in your pasta pot, and run cold water over the
lentils to halt the cooking process.

Add water to the lentil water in your pasta pot to make enough water
for cooking your pasta. It is helpful to put up the pasta water now,
so that when you prepare the pasta in a later stage the water is
already heated. Wipe out the chef's pan that you used for preparing
the lentils with a wet paper towel (caution, the pan will be very hot
still) and add the olive oil. Place the pan over medium heat and add
the herbs and spices (other than the black pepper); once the oil is
heated, add the onion, red pepper, and garlic. Saute until the
onions are translucent.

Add the lentils back into the chef pan, then add the butter and the
balsamic vinegar. Stir to combine, over low heat, and add the pasta
to the pasta water started earlier. Cover the lentils, keeping the
heat low, and check regularly. The butter should melt and combine
with the other ingredients, but the lentils should mostly just be
kept warm at this stage. Once the pasta is ready, serve with a hard
grating cheese.

Notes:

Pairs well with red wines, and if you need to open a bottle to prepare
this, you can serve it with the wine you just opened to cook. Also a
good way to use up wine that's been open a bit too long.

Recipe by navybear

Recipe FROM: <gopher://sdf.org/0/users/navybear/recipes/
pasta_with_braised_lentils.txt>

MMMMM
--- SBBSecho 3.23-Win32
* Origin: The Fool's Quarter, fqbbs.synchro.net (1:105/500)