Wine-Braised Lentils

Wine-Braised Lentils

Serves 4

3/4 cup French green (Le Puy) or black (Beluga) lentils, cleaned and rinsed
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided use
1/3 cup diced onion
1/3 cup diced carrot
1/3 cup diced celery
2 garlic cloves, 1 crushed, 1 halved
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
1 teaspoon prepared Dijon-style mustard
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
12 red pearl onions
1 big bunch of spinach or other greens, such as Tuscan kale, leaves only, washed
1 tablespoon butter or walnut oil, or to taste
4 slices sturdy country bread

Parboil lentils for 5 minutes and drain.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 2- or 3-quart saucepan. Add diced onion, carrot and celery and cook over medium-high heat for several minutes, browning them a bit. Add crushed garlic, mash tomato paste into the vegetables, then pour in the wine and stir in the mustard. Add 1 1/2 cups water, the drained lentils, and 1 teaspoon salt. Simmer, covered, until lentils are tender, 30 to 40 minutes.

While lentils are cooking, blanch pearl onions in boiling water for 1 minute, then drain. Peel off
skins, then put them in a pan with the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil and cook over medium heat, sliding them in the pan now and then, until tender and beginning to color, about 5 minutes. Add a splash of wine or water toward the end and deglaze pan. Season with salt and pepper.

Wilt spinach in a skillet in the water clinging to its leaves. Season with salt and pepper. (Tuscan kale will take about 7 minutes.) Stir cooked greens into the lentils, add 1 tablespoon of butter or walnut oil, taste again, and season to taste.

Toast bread and rub it with the halved garlic. Cut each piece in thirds and arrange them on the plates. Spoon lentils over the toast and garnish with onions.

From "Vegetarian Suppers From Deborah Madison's Kitchen" by Deborah Madison