Stewed Lentils and Tomatoes

I decided to hop aboard Tina’s Cookbook Challenge.  Every week, from now until the end of the year, I will make one recipe from a different cookbook. 

The challenge couldn’t come at a better time.   Yesterday, as I was browsing my shelves, I noticed that I have not just one, but two Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics.  Doh!  I can’t even remember when I bought the first or 2nd duplicate but I know that this is a big sign that I need to take a closer look at what I have (or that I need glasses, because I neglected to mention that they were shelved only, oh, 4 books apart). 

Anyway, yesterday was rainy, grey, and cold and today is windy and cold, so when I came across Ina Garten’s recipe for Stewed Lentils and Tomatoes from  Barefoot Contessa at Home I knew I found my recipe for the week.  This recipe looked perfectly stew-y and hearty with lots of leftovers to spare (for another rainy, grey, and cold day). 

What I love about Ina Garten’s recipes is that they are all pretty straightforward and don’t require a lot of fussy steps or ingredients.  That way, my kitchen only looks like half a hurricane hit it when I am done. 

One pet peeve of mine about her recipes, though, is that she always calls for extra large eggs.  Maybe I live under a rock, but does anyone actually buy extra large eggs?  I always end up using large eggs and always worry the whole time that the recipe won’t turn out right.   And it always turns out right and most times even gloriously yummy.  And it is apparent to me that I worry too much.

And this recipe doesn’t even call for eggs, so I think I’m oversharing. Awwwwkward.

Ummm, so let’s talk about my cooking companions:

Murphy, my perfect child.  I snapped this one just before he darted away from me.  He hates the camera.  Thus the pout.

Max, my puppy.  He’s actually 11 months old, so I think the title is wearing thin on him. 

Maggie, my middle child and diva.  See?  She’s too important to even look at the camera.

Moving right along, the long and short of this recipe is sauteed carrots and onions, garlic, lentils, broth, canned tomatoes, curry, and thyme get simmered down into a lovely thick stew thang and a bit of vinegar is stirred in at the end.  The recipe called for red wine vinegar but I opted for balsamic to lend a little more depth.

On a scale of 1-10, I give this recipe 6 Yums.  Both the veggies and lentils get really tender but still hold their shape.  The curry and thyme in this recipe don’t really stand out but add a little tingle on the tongue.  This will be great served over rice and maybe topped with hummus, but I would definitely get sick of eating just a bowl of this.  I’ll make this one again (that is, if I ever run out – the recipe makes a ginormous amount) .

Random Quirk:  I  have to remove all my dust jackets from my cookbooks.  I don’t care how pretty or interesting the jacket is, it drives me crazy.  I know they are only going to get gunked with flour and other random kitchen counter debris, so I promptly trash them.  What about everyone else?  Dust Jackets:  to keep or to toss?