THE FRENCH STEW

Photo by James Sutton on Unsplash

Spill the beans, specifically lentils, into a pot. Add any veggies you have on hand, and you will still come out with a delicious french lentil stew.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups French lentils
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
2–3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
1 fennel bulb, diced
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 bay leaf
2–3 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper

PREPARATION
In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onions, carrots, celery, pepper and fennel until lightly browned, about 7–8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Cook another 2–3 minutes. Add the bay leaf, thyme and lentils. Stir in 6 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat.
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Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 20–25 minutes, or until lentils are soft (but not too soft). Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Makes 6 1-cup servings.