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Lentils Like Baked Beans

This great side dish has a bit of a Quebecois-lumberjack-in-Bollywood taste. It is red lentils cooked like dahl, seasoned like baked beans. It is a pork chop’s best friend, or will mate with a hefty breakfast.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Serves 4

Ingredients

4 slices bacon, finely diced
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups (400 g) red lentils, picked over and rinsed
4 cups (1 liter) water
1/4 cup (60 ml) ketchup
2 tablespoons maple syrup, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons neutral oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons Colman’s dry mustard
1 teaspoon pepper, plus more as needed
1 bay leaf
Salt

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). In an ovenproof pot with a lid, fry the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for about 4 minutes, or until softened. Then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.

    Step 2

    Add the lentils, water, ketchup, maple syrup, oil, vinegar, mustard, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir well and season with salt. Bring to a boil. Cover, place in the oven, and bake for 45 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.

    Step 3

    Taste and correct the seasoning with salt, pepper, maple syrup, and vinegar. Serve hot now or later.

Cookbook cover of The Art of Living According to Joe Beef: A Cookbook of Sorts by Frédéric Morin, David McMillan, and Meredith Erickson.
Reprinted with permission from The Art of Living According to Joe Beef by Frédéric Morin, David McMillan & Meredith Erickson, copyright © 2011. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.
TagsLentilBean and LegumeVegetableRed LentilSideDinnerNut FreeDairy FreeGluten FreeVegetarianEasyOven BakeCookbooks
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