Make French Lentils Shine With Good Technique (and a Dash of Vinegar)

Take one look and you can see why the optical lens got its name from the lentil. For me, though, the connection between the two runs deeper than their shared form. The lentil has long been one of my favorite foods to cook, because it's one of the best lenses into what I love most about cooking—the transformation of a simple ingredient into something remarkable. This classic French preparation is the one I turn to again and again.

The first step is when you boil them. Lentils, like all dried legumes, can be tossed into a pot of water and simmered until tender. They can be, but they shouldn't be. Adding aromatics like onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to the bean pot is a critical step that builds in layers of sweet and subtle vegetable flavor. Woodsy herbs like sage, rosemary, and thyme are natural partners to the lentil's earthy flavor, so any of them can go into the pot, too.

Unlike most other beans, lentils don't need to be soaked before cooking, but they do require a watchful eye. Because they're so small, there's a fine line between underdone and mush. I cook them at a very bare simmer, since a more active boil would only jostle them around, breaking them to bits in the process. Once I can smash a lentil against the roof of my mouth with my tongue with no firm resistance, they're done.

At this point, the lentils themselves should be surprisingly delicious—well seasoned, and rounded out with the flavors of aromatics and herbs that both soften and deepen the lentils' natural flavor.

Lentils are a great substitute for beans! Packed with protein. If you’re vegetarian or vegan I highly reccomend trying them out.

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