Saturday, August 08, 2009
Lentil Chili...a Work in Progress
Last night, I had a hankering for chili-dogs. I had no chili in the house, and the only beans I had on hand were dried black beans. Dried beans weren't much help, because I wanted to eat TODAY.
I remembered the dried lentils I had in my cupboard, so I simmered some in a little water, combined with a splash of beer, a bay leaf, and crushed garlic. After about 15 minutes, the lentils had softened to the point where they were usable.
I drained the lentils, then returned them to the pot with some tomato sauce (made from my own tomatoes, thank you very much), some finely-diced jalapenos (also from my garden), some store-bought chili powder, and a little extra cumin.
I threw in some other stuff---a crushed, dried chipotle pepper, some butter, some fresh garlic, and salt & pepper---and let the whole works simmer for about 20 minutes (uncovered), until it thickened.
It was absolutely awesome as a hot dog topping, and with a little work, I bet it could work as a "whole meal in a bowl". I'll have to write things down, step-by-step, and get back to you with the recipe.
Last night, I had a hankering for chili-dogs. I had no chili in the house, and the only beans I had on hand were dried black beans. Dried beans weren't much help, because I wanted to eat TODAY.
I remembered the dried lentils I had in my cupboard, so I simmered some in a little water, combined with a splash of beer, a bay leaf, and crushed garlic. After about 15 minutes, the lentils had softened to the point where they were usable.
I drained the lentils, then returned them to the pot with some tomato sauce (made from my own tomatoes, thank you very much), some finely-diced jalapenos (also from my garden), some store-bought chili powder, and a little extra cumin.
I threw in some other stuff---a crushed, dried chipotle pepper, some butter, some fresh garlic, and salt & pepper---and let the whole works simmer for about 20 minutes (uncovered), until it thickened.
It was absolutely awesome as a hot dog topping, and with a little work, I bet it could work as a "whole meal in a bowl". I'll have to write things down, step-by-step, and get back to you with the recipe.
