Lentils Braised in Red Wine

Who knew that a pot of lentils could make your kitchen smell like a pot roast? The bay leaf, vegetables and wine combined to create the a fantastic aroma -- I would make this again just to recreate those smells, nevermind the delicious, nutty lentils that come along with it. I followed the instructions as printed, except to cut way back on the olive oil. Easy as this dish was, it did not taste simple. And seeing as I served it with a fried egg, bacon and boiled kale (pg 162), it was in no way an austere meal, even with the reduced olive oil.

Since I had some uncooked lentils left from the lentil soup I made and all the other ingredients on hand I thought this would make a lovely winter supper. It was delicious. I love the taste the wine lent to the lentils.

The cooking method was a bit different in that it's similar to the way you cook risotto. The end result was fantastic though and went well with some corn bread sticks.

I ended up using 3/4 cup more liquid than called for to get my lentils to the nutty-tender stage. I'm not very knowledgeable about wine so I have no idea if Merlot fits the description of medium-bodied red wine but that's what I had on hand so that's what I used and it turned out delicious. Hubby liked the lentil soup I made better he said.

I took me a while to warm up to these lentils -- the flavor is more subtle than my usual Barefoot Contessa lentil recipes. I did end up cooking them longer and using more stock than Rodgers calls for. The final product -- which I tasted on its own before topping with salmon -- was very nice.

Served as a base for a salmon dish braised in the same red wine (I used a wonderful pinot noir from Chateau de Costco) and it was fine -- although the sauce for the fish would probably have stood out a little more on a base of rice or mashed potatoes.