One Pot Meals: Red-Wine-Braised Lentils with Bacon and Kale

I perhaps should have pointed out in my post yesterday that readers might be seeing a lot of recipes for kale over the next week or so. The kale was certainly a bumper crop for me this year, and I think I probably have enough for another five or six meals, maybe more. One of the great things about kale is that it is happy in cool to cold weather. Unlike softer green leafy vegetables like spinach or lettuce it remains crisp and firm despite a bit of frost. It is also incredibly good for you.

This recipe came from my local newspaper. Each week they have a chef from one of the top restaurants in Toronto write a column and share a recipe and this past week it was Keith Froggett from Scaramouche, which is a favourite of ours. I did adapt it a bit, because it was really a recipe for quail on top of a bed of lentils and kale, but I ditched the quail and made it a main course and served it with a side vegetable.

I got double-smoked bacon from the deli counter of my grocery. If you can't find it you can use regular bacon, but I highly recommend the double-smoked. It adds an amazing depth of flavour to the dish and a smokiness that regular bacon just doesn't have. It was a perfect dinner for a chilly fall evening.

Red-Wine-Braised Lentils with Bacon and Kale

1 small carrot, peeled and diced
½ a medium-sized onion, peeled and diced
2 ounces double-smoked bacon, diced small
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and left whole
Pinch of salt
1 heaping cup small French lentils or black Beluga lentils
½ a bay leaf
Sprig of fresh thyme
1 cup robust, dry red wine
2 cups chicken stock
1 bunch of kale, washed, stems and tough leaf ribs removed, torn into random-sized pieces
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons sweet butter

1. In a small, high-sided pan, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, add the diced vegetables and bacon, the garlic and a pinch of salt, and cook over medium heat for a few moments until fragrant.

2. Add the lentils, bay leaf and thyme, stir to coat with the oil, add the wine and about half the stock, bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for about 10 minutes.

3. Stir in the kale. Return to a simmer, adding more stock if it looks a little dry. Continue cooking and adding stock as required until the lentils are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Stir in 2 tablespoons of sweet butter and serve.

Adapted from The Globe and Mail, October 7, 2009

Difficulty Level: Easy

Planet Green Video: Emeril Makes Kale with White Beans

Try Some Other Lentil Recipes
One Pot Meals: Tomato Lentil Curry
One Pot Meals: Jamaican Lentil Stew
Soup of the Week: Coconut Ginger Lentil

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