This is not a story, game, or story game. I suppose that means it’s a little off topic for this blog. But I’ve been busy and anxious and etc., so today I took some time to make a meal with some of my friends and I feel much better for it. In case you want to make that recipe yourselves, I’ve thrown it together here for you. It was largely improvised, so my recipe is a little informal. Also judgey about people who don’t like real cider.
You’ll need:
- 1 lb green lentils
- 1 double handful red lentils
- 2 carrots
- 2 parsnips
- 1 sweet onion
- 4-ish cloves garlic
- 1 gallon cider
- salt
- sage
- thyme
- cayenne
- olive oil
Notes:
This goes well with grilled garlic & herb sausage (I used turkey, but w/e).
My friend also made a real tasty dijon-shallot-honey-olive oil salad dressing for a mixed greens & endive salad which went well with this.
You should occasionally pull out bits and taste them during the cooking process. My preferred lentil end state is pre-disintegration (not mushy), with some body and firmness still noticeable. Not crispy & crunchy like dry lentils, but you should know that there are individual tiny lentils in your mouth while eating. If that isn’t how you like lentils, you do you. I’m sure you can cook this until it matches your desired consistency. Or actually measure how much liquid you put in or something.
Oh, and I’m a Vermonter. I like cider. If for some reason you don’t like cider (northeastern unfiltered good brown stuff, not mislabeled apple juice)… I can’t help you. But if you’re unfortunate enough to not appreciate the goodness of real cider, you can probably substitute inferior replacements and be satisfied.
Directions:
- drink some cider, there’s a whole gallon for a reason
- wash lentils
- dice onion into square chunks
- mince garlic into moderately fine bits
- coin carrots & parsnips (carrots needed first) into roughly even thin slices
- heat some olive oil in a pan
- add diced onion and begin sauteeing
- you probably need more cider in your cup now
- add garlic soon after, once onion has that early glassy look
- add carrot coins (some may need to be halved as well, if they’re thickish)
- cook these for a few minutes until the carrots have warmed up, possibly adding more oil if you like
- add parsnips and cook until warmed up, again adding more oil if you like
- pour in cider to cover, this is also an excellent time to drink more cider
- add lentils and more cider to cover again, more or less generous depending on how soupy you want the end result to be
- simmer that delicious soup! stir gently, and check occasionally for lentil/parsnip/carrot consistency
- once the cider has heated but before you’ve let it cook much, spice to taste:
- add some sage
- add a good deal more thyme
- add a dash of cayenne (a tiny bit goes a long way)
- who doesn’t love salt: be generous, mix, and taste test… then repeat
- once your desired lentil/carrot/parsnip consistency has been reached, turn off the heat, let sit for a minute or so, and serve!
- maybe have some more cider at multiple steps along the way
Fistful of Wits 